Best Online Engineering Programs in San Francisco, CA (2026)

San Francisco, California has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs, with tuition ranging from $14,850 to $45,627 per year for indexed programs. San Francisco has a population of about 836,321. Median household income is $141,446 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 60.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, the top-earning engineering-related role is Architectural and Engineering Manager at a median $221,580 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Engineering Schools to San Francisco

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer engineering programs near San Francisco. Distances are calculated from San Francisco city center.

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

Engineering Wages Near San Francisco

San Francisco is part of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area (BLS area code 41860). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

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 Francisco at a Glance

Other San Francisco-Area Cities With Engineering Programs

• Daly City, CA – 5.0 mi away (106,472 pop)
• South San Francisco, CA – 7.2 mi away (66,980 pop)
• San Bruno, CA – 9.1 mi away (42,957 pop)
• Alameda, CA – 9.6 mi away (78,906 pop)
• Pacifica, CA – 10.2 mi away (39,062 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited engineering schools are near San Francisco, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs near San Francisco. The closest is City College of San Francisco in San Francisco, CA (2.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of California-Berkeley (12.9 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying engineering roles near San Francisco?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying engineering-related roles near San Francisco are: Architectural and Engineering Manager ($221,580), Aerospace Engineer ($191,260), Electrical Engineer ($166,030). 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 Daly City instead of San Francisco?

Daly City, CA is 5.0 miles from San Francisco 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 San Francisco an affordable place to study engineering?

San Francisco’s median household income of $141,446 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in San Francisco 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

• Engineering accreditation: what to look for
• Engineering concentrations and specializations
• Is a Engineering degree worth it?
• Main Engineering degree guide
• Online Engineering programs in California
• Engineering programs by state

Other Programs Available in San Francisco

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

• Criminal Justice programs in San Francisco, CA
• Nursing programs in San Francisco, CA
• Business Administration programs in San Francisco, CA
• Computer Science programs in San Francisco, CA
• Psychology programs in San Francisco, CA
• Education programs in San Francisco, CA
• Technology programs in San Francisco, CA
• Liberal Arts programs in San Francisco, CA
• Healthcare programs in San Francisco, CA
• Cybersecurity programs in San Francisco, CA
• Accounting programs in San Francisco, CA
• Healthcare Administration programs in San Francisco, CA
• Social Work programs in San Francisco, CA
• Counseling programs in San Francisco, CA

Related from Our Editorial Library

• Best Accredited Online Colleges (2026)
• Best Online Colleges Ranking
• Effective Learning Strategies for Online Students

Data verified: June 11, 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.