Best Higher Education Administration Schools Near Watsonville, CA

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

Watsonville, California has 3 accredited schools offering higher education administration programs, with tuition ranging from $13,500 to $20,918 per year for indexed 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 higher education administration-related role is Education Administrators, Postsecondary at a median $172,410 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Higher Education Administration Schools to Watsonville

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer higher education administration 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

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA 29.4 miles from Watsonville
  • 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

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

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#3

Humphreys University-Stockton and Modesto Campuses

Stockton, CA 79.4 miles from Watsonville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
58.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,248
Avg net price $5,524/yr
Tuition
In‑state$13,500
Out‑of‑state$13,500
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 14

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

#4

California State University-Fresno

Fresno, CA 112.2 miles from Watsonville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
78.5 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 95%
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,244
Avg net price $7,000/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,350
Out‑of‑state$19,950
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 96

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

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#5

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

#6

California State University-Northridge

Northridge, CA 259.7 miles from Watsonville
  • 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

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#7

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA 277.8 miles from Watsonville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
72.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 81%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,349
Avg net price $48,381/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 88%
  • Programs offered: 80

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA 280.3 miles from Watsonville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
80.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $92,498
Avg net price $32,740/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 267

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Higher Education Administration 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)
Education Administrators, Postsecondary $172,410 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $156,879
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors $74,990 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $68,235
Instructional Coordinators $99,230 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $90,291
Training and Development Specialists $77,400 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $70,428
Education Administrators, All Other $109,890 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $99,991
Education Teachers, Postsecondary $111,850 CA statewide $101,774
Social and Community Service Managers $81,130 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $73,822
Human Resources Specialists $84,690 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $77,061

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 Higher Education Administration Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited higher education administration schools are near Watsonville, CA?

Our directory has 3 accredited schools offering higher education administration programs near Watsonville. The closest is San Jose State University in San Jose, CA (29.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Humphreys University-Stockton and Modesto Campuses (79.4 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying higher education administration roles near Watsonville?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying higher education administration-related roles near Watsonville are: Education Administrators, Postsecondary ($172,410), Education Teachers, Postsecondary ($111,850), Education Administrators, All Other ($109,890). 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 higher education administration 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 higher education administration?

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 Higher Education Administration Programs

Other Programs Available in Watsonville

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

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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