Best Online Healthcare Administration Programs in Santa Barbara, CA (2026)

Santa Barbara, California has 5 accredited schools offering healthcare administration programs. Santa Barbara has a population of about 88,024. Median household income is $101,672 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 50.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area, the top-earning healthcare administration-related role is Medical and Health Services Manager at a median $130,290 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Healthcare Administration Schools to Santa Barbara

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer healthcare administration programs near Santa Barbara. Distances are calculated from Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Santa Barbara City College

Santa Barbara, CA 2.1 miles from Santa Barbara BOC Score56.7
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#2

Ventura College

Ventura, CA 29.6 miles from Santa Barbara BOC Score61.1
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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#3

CET-Oxnard

Oxnard, CA 34.8 miles from Santa Barbara BOC Score39.1
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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#4

Allan Hancock College

Santa Maria, CA 53.5 miles from Santa Barbara BOC Score55.3
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#5

San Joaquin Valley College-Santa Maria

Santa Maria, CA 53.5 miles from Santa Barbara BOC Score38.1
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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


Healthcare Administration Wages Near Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara 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.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Medical and Health Services Manager$130,290Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA$119,752
Health Information Technologist and Medical Registrar$90,750CA statewide$83,410
Administrative Services Manager$106,790Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA$98,153
Compliance Officer$85,780Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA$78,842
Medical Records Specialist$61,950Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA$56,939
Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant$49,730Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA$45,708

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 Barbara at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population88,024Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$101,672Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+50.2%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)108.8 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Healthcare Administration-related employment in Santa Barbara County28,097 workers, 5,262 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Santa Barbara-Area Cities With Healthcare Administration Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited healthcare administration schools are near Santa Barbara, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering healthcare administration programs near Santa Barbara. The closest is Santa Barbara City College in Santa Barbara, CA (2.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is San Joaquin Valley College-Santa Maria (53.5 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying healthcare administration roles near Santa Barbara?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying healthcare administration-related roles near Santa Barbara are: Medical and Health Services Manager ($130,290), Administrative Services Manager ($106,790), Health Information Technologist and Medical Registrar ($90,750). 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 Goleta instead of Santa Barbara?

Goleta, CA is 8.0 miles from Santa Barbara and has its own set of local healthcare administration programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Santa Barbara an affordable place to study healthcare administration?

Santa Barbara’s median household income of $101,672 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Santa Barbara 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 Healthcare Administration Programs

Other Programs Available in Santa Barbara

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

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.