Best Health Science Schools Near Santa Maria, CA (2026)

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

Santa Maria, California has 5 accredited schools offering health science programs. Santa Maria has a population of about 109,880. Median household income is $84,617 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 15.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area, the top-earning health science-related role is Medical and Health Services Manager at a median $130,290 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Health Science Schools to Santa Maria

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer health science programs near Santa Maria, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Santa Maria 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 Santa Maria. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

Sort:
#1

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA 28.0 miles from Santa Maria
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
89.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 87%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $90,768
Avg net price $16,665/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 95%
  • Programs offered: 84

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Taft College

Taft, CA 57.6 miles from Santa Maria
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
46.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 11%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,861
Avg net price $2,823/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 31

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#3

California State University-Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA 80.9 miles from Santa Maria
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
74.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,009
Avg net price $5,652/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 45

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Bakersfield College

Bakersfield, CA 89.3 miles from Santa Maria
  • 4 year
24.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,291
Avg net price $14,621/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 82

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#5

California State University-Channel Islands

Camarillo, CA 95.8 miles from Santa Maria
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
75.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,152
Avg net price $9,849/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 29

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Moorpark College

Moorpark, CA 101.4 miles from Santa Maria
  • 4 year
65.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,044
Avg net price $-2,296/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 63

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#7

San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia

Visalia, CA 113.2 miles from Santa Maria
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
45.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,317
Avg net price $27,854/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 19

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

California State University-Northridge

Northridge, CA 118.9 miles from Santa Maria
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
75.1 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 93%
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,115
Avg net price $7,021/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,458
Out‑of‑state$20,058
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 103

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

Sponsored Ad

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

Health Science Wages Near Santa Maria

Santa Maria is part of the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area (BLS area code 42200). 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)
Medical and Health Services Manager $130,290 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA $119,752
Health Education Specialist $65,000 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA $59,743
Health Information Technologist $90,750 CA statewide $83,410
Health Technologist and Technician $59,560 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA $54,743

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.

Santa Maria at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 109,880 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $84,617 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 15.1% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 108.8 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Santa Maria-Area Cities With Health Science Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited health science schools are near Santa Maria, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering health science programs near Santa Maria. The closest is California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo in San Luis Obispo, CA (28.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is California State University-Bakersfield (80.9 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying health science roles near Santa Maria?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying health science-related roles near Santa Maria are: Medical and Health Services Manager ($130,290), Health Information Technologist ($90,750), Health Education Specialist ($65,000). 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 Arroyo Grande instead of Santa Maria?

Arroyo Grande, CA is 15.4 miles from Santa Maria and has its own set of local health science programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Santa Maria an affordable place to study health science?

Santa Maria’s median household income of $84,617 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Santa Maria 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 Health Science Programs

Other Programs Available in Santa Maria

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

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 Health Science Schools in California (2026)