Best Finance Schools Near Watsonville, CA (2026)

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

Watsonville, California has 5 accredited schools offering finance programs. Watsonville has a population of about 51,968. Median household income is $74,785 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 12.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area, the top-earning finance-related role is Financial Manager at a median $165,800 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Finance Schools to Watsonville

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

Naval Postgraduate School

Monterey, CA 23.1 miles from Watsonville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 47

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, CA 31.0 miles from Watsonville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
77.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 90%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $109,183
Avg net price $50,062/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 65

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Menlo College

Atherton, CA 43.5 miles from Watsonville
  • 4 year
45.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $76,419
Avg net price $31,100/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 11

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Saint Mary's College of California

Moraga, CA 66.2 miles from Watsonville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
72.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,812
Avg net price $30,378/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 67

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Lincoln University

Oakland, CA 67.0 miles from Watsonville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
78.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,695
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 4

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Golden Gate University

San Francisco, CA 69.2 miles from Watsonville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
62.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $87,434
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 27

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA 69.9 miles from Watsonville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
70.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $89,812
Avg net price $41,431/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 81

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

California Lutheran University

Thousand Oaks, CA 247.2 miles from Watsonville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
68.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,712
Avg net price $30,109/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 60

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Finance Wages Near Watsonville

Watsonville is part of the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area (BLS area code 42100). 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)
Personal Financial Advisor $122,170 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $111,165
Financial and Investment Analyst $99,820 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $90,828
Loan Officer $78,940 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $71,829
Financial Manager $165,800 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $150,864

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.

Watsonville at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 51,968 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $74,785 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 12.7% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 109.9 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Watsonville-Area Cities With Finance Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited finance schools are near Watsonville, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering finance programs near Watsonville. The closest is Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA (23.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Laney College (66.3 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying finance roles near Watsonville?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying finance-related roles near Watsonville are: Financial Manager ($165,800), Personal Financial Advisor ($122,170), Financial and Investment Analyst ($99,820). 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 Gilroy instead of Watsonville?

Gilroy, CA is 11.8 miles from Watsonville and has its own set of local finance programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Watsonville an affordable place to study finance?

Watsonville’s median household income of $74,785 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Watsonville 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 Finance Programs

Other Programs Available in Watsonville

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

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 Finance Schools in California: Online Programs (2026)