Best Engineering Schools Near Brea, CA (2026)

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Brea, California has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs, with tuition ranging from $7,470 to $20,070 per year for indexed programs. Brea has a population of about 47,337. Median household income is $124,837 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 50.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning engineering-related role is Architectural and Engineering Manager at a median $190,900 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Engineering Schools to Brea

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer engineering programs near Brea, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Brea 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 Brea. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

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

Sort:
#1

California State University-Fullerton

Fullerton, CA 3.2 miles from Brea
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
85.3 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 91%
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,951
Avg net price $6,555/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,470
Out‑of‑state$20,070
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 78

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

#2

Southern California Institute of Technology

Anaheim, CA 7.8 miles from Brea
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
71.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 84%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,598
Avg net price $33,392/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 88%
  • Programs offered: 7

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#3

Biola University

La Mirada, CA 8.6 miles from Brea
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
61.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,778
Avg net price $31,495/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 67

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Chapman University

Orange, CA 9.2 miles from Brea
  • 4 year
61.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 82%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $70,070
Avg net price $46,555/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Programs offered: 77

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#5

California State Polytechnic University-Pomona

Pomona, CA 9.5 miles from Brea
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
86.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 75%
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,902
Avg net price $11,531/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,780
Out‑of‑state$20,380
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 88%
  • Programs offered: 64

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

#6

Whittier College

Whittier, CA 10.2 miles from Brea
  • 4 year
44.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,492
Avg net price $25,757/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 58%
  • Programs offered: 37

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#7

Cypress College

Cypress, CA 11.4 miles from Brea
  • 4 year
49.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,533
Avg net price $4,606/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 84

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Santa Ana College

Santa Ana, CA 11.6 miles from Brea
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
65.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,552
Avg net price $3,133/yr
Tuition
In‑state$1,180
Out‑of‑state$10,756
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 88

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad

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

Engineering Wages Near Brea

Brea is part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (BLS area code 31080). 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)
Civil Engineer $108,640 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $95,634
Electrical Engineer $139,780 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $123,046
Mechanical Engineer $123,900 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $109,067
Chemical Engineer $134,210 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $118,143
Aerospace Engineer $163,280 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $143,732
Biomedical Engineer $128,240 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $112,887
Environmental Engineer $127,900 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $112,588
Architectural and Engineering Manager $190,900 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $168,046

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.

Brea at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 47,337 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $124,837 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 50.2% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 113.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Engineering-related employment in Orange County 29,431 workers, 3,059 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Brea-Area Cities With Engineering Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited engineering schools are near Brea, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs near Brea. The closest is California State University-Fullerton in Fullerton, CA (3.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Biola University (8.6 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying engineering roles near Brea?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying engineering-related roles near Brea are: Architectural and Engineering Manager ($190,900), Aerospace Engineer ($163,280), Electrical Engineer ($139,780). 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 Placentia instead of Brea?

Placentia, CA is 3.1 miles from Brea and has its own set of local engineering programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Brea an affordable place to study engineering?

Brea’s median household income of $124,837 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Brea 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 Engineering Programs

Other Programs Available in Brea

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

Data verified: September 6, 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.

Back to Best Engineering Schools in California: Online Programs (2026)