Best Electrical Engineering Schools Near San Diego, CA (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

San Diego, California has 5 accredited schools offering electrical engineering programs, with tuition ranging from $8,728 to $50,958 per year for indexed programs. San Diego has a population of about 1,385,061. Median household income is $104,321 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 49.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area, the top-earning electrical engineering-related role is Architectural and Engineering Managers at a median $202,810 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Electrical Engineering Schools to San Diego

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer electrical engineering programs near San Diego, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from San Diego 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 San Diego. 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

National University

San Diego, CA 0.3 miles from San Diego
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
44.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $67,548
Avg net price $22,878/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 53%
  • Programs offered: 73

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA 4.9 miles from San Diego
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
83.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 36%
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,909
Avg net price $15,364/yr
Tuition
In‑state$8,728
Out‑of‑state$21,328
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 90%
  • Programs offered: 133

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

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#3

University of San Diego

San Diego, CA 5.8 miles from San Diego
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
76.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 81%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $86,522
Avg net price $30,365/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Programs offered: 77

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Electrical Engineering Wages Near San Diego

San Diego is part of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area (BLS area code 41740). 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)
Electrical Engineers $127,270 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $113,735
Electronics Engineers, Except Computer $156,480 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $139,839
Computer Hardware Engineers $174,440 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $155,889
Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians $91,620 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $81,877
Electrical and Electronics Drafters $74,520 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $66,595
Architectural and Engineering Managers $202,810 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $181,242
Mechanical Engineers $121,750 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $108,803
Engineers, All Other $132,790 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $118,668

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.

San Diego at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 1,385,061 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $104,321 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 49.9% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 111.9 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other San Diego-Area Cities With Electrical Engineering Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited electrical engineering schools are near San Diego, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering electrical engineering programs near San Diego. The closest is National University in San Diego, CA (0.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is California State University-San Marcos (20.8 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying electrical engineering roles near San Diego?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying electrical engineering-related roles near San Diego are: Architectural and Engineering Managers ($202,810), Computer Hardware Engineers ($174,440), Electronics Engineers, Except Computer ($156,480). 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 La Mesa instead of San Diego?

La Mesa, CA is 7.3 miles from San Diego and has its own set of local electrical engineering programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is San Diego an affordable place to study electrical engineering?

San Diego’s median household income of $104,321 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in San Diego 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 Electrical Engineering Programs

Other Programs Available in San Diego

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for San Diego:

Data verified: September 5, 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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