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

Updated June 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

San Mateo, California has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs. San Mateo has a population of about 103,555. Median household income is $152,669 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 57.6% 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 Mateo

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

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 Mateo. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

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

Engineering Wages Near San Mateo

San Mateo 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.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Civil Engineer	$130,160	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$112,595
Electrical Engineer	$166,030	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$143,625
Mechanical Engineer	$161,370	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$139,593
Chemical Engineer	N/A	CA statewide	–
Aerospace Engineer	$191,260	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$165,450
Biomedical Engineer	$140,660	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$121,678
Environmental Engineer	$138,840	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$120,104
Architectural and Engineering Manager	$221,580	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$191,678

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 Mateo at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	103,555	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$152,669	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	57.6%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	115.6 (above U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024
Engineering-related employment in San Mateo County	3,959 workers, 394 establishments	BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other San Mateo-Area Cities With Engineering Programs

Foster City, CA – 2.5 mi away (34,175 pop)
Belmont, CA – 2.7 mi away (27,081 pop)
Burlingame, CA – 3.8 mi away (30,301 pop)
San Carlos, CA – 4.4 mi away (29,797 pop)
Redwood City, CA – 5.9 mi away (84,950 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs near San Mateo. The closest is Skyline College in San Bruno, CA (10.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is San Francisco State University (14.9 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying engineering-related roles near San Mateo 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 Foster City instead of San Mateo?

Foster City, CA is 2.5 miles from San Mateo 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 Mateo an affordable place to study engineering?

San Mateo’s median household income of $152,669 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in San Mateo 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 San Mateo

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

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.

Back to Best Online Engineering Programs in California (2026)

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