Best Environmental Policy Schools Near San Jose, CA (2026)

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

San Jose, California has 1 accredited school offering environmental policy programs, with tuition ranging from $16,005 to $50,205 per year for indexed programs. San Jose has a population of about 990,054. Median household income is $141,565 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 46.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, the top-earning environmental policy-related role is Natural Sciences Managers at a median $263,810 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Environmental Policy Schools to San Jose

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer environmental policy programs near San Jose, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from San Jose 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 Jose. 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 California-Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, CA 24.1 miles from San Jose
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
71.8 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 66%
Graduation rate 75%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,396
Avg net price $17,890/yr
Tuition
In‑state$16,005
Out‑of‑state$50,205
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 89%
  • Programs offered: 81

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

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

Environmental Policy Wages Near San Jose

San Jose is part of the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area (BLS area code 41940). 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)
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health $106,510 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $96,476
Compliance Officers $123,730 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $112,074
Management Analysts $136,670 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $123,795
Economists $119,410 CA statewide $108,161
Political Scientists N/A CA statewide –
Conservation Scientists $110,200 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $99,819
Natural Sciences Managers $263,810 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $238,958
Environmental Engineers $125,550 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $113,723

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 Jose at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 990,054 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $141,565 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 46.5% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 110.4 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other San Jose-Area Cities With Environmental Policy Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited environmental policy schools are near San Jose, CA?

Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering environmental policy programs near San Jose. The closest is University of California-Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz, CA (24.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of California-Santa Cruz (24.1 miles).

What are the highest-paying environmental policy roles near San Jose?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying environmental policy-related roles near San Jose are: Natural Sciences Managers ($263,810), Management Analysts ($136,670), Environmental Engineers ($125,550). 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 Campbell instead of San Jose?

Campbell, CA is 6.0 miles from San Jose and has its own set of local environmental policy programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is San Jose an affordable place to study environmental policy?

San Jose’s median household income of $141,565 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in San Jose 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 Environmental Policy Programs

Other Programs Available in San Jose

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

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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