Best Educational Psychology Schools Near Santa Cruz, CA (2026)

Updated September 7, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Santa Cruz, California has 1 accredited school offering educational psychology programs. Santa Cruz has a population of about 60,953. Median household income is $111,427 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 57.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In California, the top-earning educational psychology-related role is Psychologists, All Other at a median $157,540 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Educational Psychology Schools to Santa Cruz

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer educational psychology programs near Santa Cruz, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Santa Cruz city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Santa Cruz. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

University of the Pacific

Stockton, CA 79.8 miles from Santa Cruz
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
75.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 75%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,445
Avg net price $25,447/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 89%
  • Programs offered: 82

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA 290.9 miles from Santa Cruz
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
72.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 81%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,349
Avg net price $48,381/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 88%
  • Programs offered: 80

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

The Chicago School at Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA 293.4 miles from Santa Cruz
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
32.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 21%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,899
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 33%
  • Programs offered: 21

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

La Sierra University

Riverside, CA 331.7 miles from Santa Cruz
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
48.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,824
Avg net price $45,566/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 52

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Alliant International University-San Diego

San Diego, CA 397.2 miles from Santa Cruz
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
65.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $66,666
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 24

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Northcentral University

San Diego, CA 399.3 miles from Santa Cruz
  • 4 year
  • Exclusively online
  • Accredited
35.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,414
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 30

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Southern California Seminary

El Cajon, CA 409.6 miles from Santa Cruz
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
24.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,607
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 10

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California educational psychology page.

Educational Psychology Wages Near Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz is part of the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area (BLS area code 42100). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
School Psychologists $127,780 CA statewide $116,269
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists $112,860 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $102,693
Psychologists, All Other $157,540 CA statewide $143,348
Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary $107,340 CA statewide $97,671
Instructional Coordinators $99,230 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $90,291
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors $74,990 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $68,235
Special Education Teachers, Secondary School $101,060 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $91,956
Survey Researchers $83,520 CA statewide $75,996

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Santa Cruz at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 60,953 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $111,427 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 57.7% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 109.9 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Santa Cruz-Area Cities With Educational Psychology Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited educational psychology schools are near Santa Cruz, CA?

Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering educational psychology programs near Santa Cruz. The closest is University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA (79.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of the Pacific (79.8 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying educational psychology roles near Santa Cruz?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying educational psychology-related roles near Santa Cruz are: Psychologists, All Other ($157,540), School Psychologists ($127,780), Clinical and Counseling Psychologists ($112,860). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Watsonville instead of Santa Cruz?

Watsonville, CA is 15.1 miles from Santa Cruz and has its own set of local educational psychology programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Santa Cruz an affordable place to study educational psychology?

Santa Cruz’s median household income of $111,427 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Santa Cruz while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Educational Psychology Programs

Other Programs Available in Santa Cruz

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Santa Cruz:

Data verified: September 7, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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