Best Industrial Design Schools Near Los Gatos, CA (2026)

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

Los Gatos, California has 3 accredited schools offering industrial design programs. Los Gatos has a population of about 32,773. Median household income is $207,891 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 74.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, the top-earning industrial design-related role is Architectural and Engineering Managers at a median $234,590 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Industrial Design Schools to Los Gatos

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer industrial design programs near Los Gatos, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Los Gatos 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 Los Gatos. 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 8.4 miles from Los Gatos
  • 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 Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA 44.3 miles from Los Gatos
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
78.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,077
Avg net price $12,278/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 102

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

California College of the Arts

San Francisco, CA 44.3 miles from Los Gatos
  • 4 year
46.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,414
Avg net price $53,909/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 90%
  • Programs offered: 25

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Otis College of Art and Design

Los Angeles, CA 301.2 miles from Los Gatos
  • 4 year
43.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,152
Avg net price $51,248/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 8

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

FIDM-Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising

Los Angeles, CA 302.5 miles from Los Gatos
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 12

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

California State University-Long Beach

Long Beach, CA 321.7 miles from Los Gatos
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
86.2 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 46%
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,403
Avg net price $10,440/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,350
Out‑of‑state$19,950
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 121

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

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#7

California State University-Fullerton

Fullerton, CA 325.4 miles from Los Gatos
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
85.3 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 91%
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,951
Avg net price $6,555/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,470
Out‑of‑state$20,070
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 78

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

#8

Newschool of Architecture and Design

San Diego, CA 413.8 miles from Los Gatos
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
50.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,891
Avg net price $52,570/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 53%
  • Programs offered: 5

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Industrial Design Wages Near Los Gatos

Los Gatos 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)
Commercial and Industrial Designers $141,310 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $127,998
Industrial Engineers $136,950 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $124,049
Graphic Designers $97,360 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $88,188
Mechanical Drafters $97,450 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $88,270
Interior Designers $85,140 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $77,120
Architectural and Engineering Managers $234,590 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $212,491
Set and Exhibit Designers $105,030 CA statewide $95,136
Mechanical Engineers $168,030 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $152,201

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.

Los Gatos at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 32,773 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $207,891 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 74.9% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 110.4 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Los Gatos-Area Cities With Industrial Design Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited industrial design schools are near Los Gatos, CA?

Our directory has 3 accredited schools offering industrial design programs near Los Gatos. The closest is San Jose State University in San Jose, CA (8.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is California College of the Arts (44.3 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying industrial design roles near Los Gatos?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying industrial design-related roles near Los Gatos are: Architectural and Engineering Managers ($234,590), Mechanical Engineers ($168,030), Commercial and Industrial Designers ($141,310). 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 Los Gatos?

Campbell, CA is 3.4 miles from Los Gatos and has its own set of local industrial design programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Los Gatos an affordable place to study industrial design?

Los Gatos’s median household income of $207,891 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Los Gatos 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 Industrial Design Programs

Other Programs Available in Los Gatos

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

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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