Best General Studies Schools Near San Jose, CA (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

San Jose, California has 5 accredited schools offering general studies 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 general studies-related role is General and Operations Managers at a median $163,860 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest General Studies Schools to San Jose

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer general studies 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

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA 3.0 miles from San Jose
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
86.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,988
Avg net price $13,760/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 118

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

San Jose City College

San Jose, CA 4.4 miles from San Jose
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
47.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,215
Avg net price $16,959/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 46

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Evergreen Valley College

San Jose, CA 4.6 miles from San Jose
  • 2 year
50.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,077
Avg net price $12,414/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 30

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

General Studies 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)
General and Operations Managers $163,860 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $148,424
Management Analysts $136,670 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $123,795
Human Resources Specialists $112,140 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $101,576
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $141,960 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $128,587
Writers and Authors $118,810 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $107,618
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $108,230 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $98,034
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $95,010 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $86,060
Social and Community Service Managers $98,030 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $88,795

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 General Studies Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited general studies schools are near San Jose, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering general studies programs near San Jose. The closest is San Jose State University in San Jose, CA (3.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is West Valley College (9.2 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying general studies roles near San Jose?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying general studies-related roles near San Jose are: General and Operations Managers ($163,860), Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists ($141,960), Management Analysts ($136,670). 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 general studies 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 general studies?

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 General Studies Programs

Other Programs Available in San Jose

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

Data verified: September 5, 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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