Best Innovation Schools Near Sunnyvale, CA (2026)

Sunnyvale, California has 30 accredited schools offering innovation programs, with tuition ranging from $1,150 to $53,630 per year for indexed programs. Sunnyvale has a population of about 153,455. Median household income is $181,862 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 69.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, the top-earning innovation-related role is Computer and Information Systems Manager at a median $291,660 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Innovation Schools to Sunnyvale

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

#1

University of Silicon Valley

San Jose, CA 5.1 miles from Sunnyvale BOC Score 36.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 50%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,017
Avg net price $27,815/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 64%
  • Programs offered: 8

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Menlo College

Atherton, CA 11.8 miles from Sunnyvale BOC Score 45.5
  • 4 year
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $76,419
Avg net price $31,100/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 9

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Skyline College

San Bruno, CA 29.5 miles from Sunnyvale BOC Score 70.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 27%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,702
Avg net price $1,738/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 42

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Saint Mary's College of California

Moraga, CA 31.9 miles from Sunnyvale BOC Score 72.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,812
Avg net price $30,378/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 27

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA 35.9 miles from Sunnyvale BOC Score 70.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
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: 42

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Modesto Junior College

Modesto, CA 58.7 miles from Sunnyvale BOC Score 64.3
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,368
Avg net price $2,818/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 71

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Solano Community College

Fairfield, CA 59.0 miles from Sunnyvale BOC Score 61.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,170
Avg net price $4,669/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 50

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Feather River Community College District

Quincy, CA 186.2 miles from Sunnyvale BOC Score 43.0
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 21%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,142
Avg net price $10,800/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 20

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Innovation Wages Near Sunnyvale

Sunnyvale 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.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
General and Operations Manager$163,860San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$148,424
Management Analyst$136,670San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$123,795
Marketing Manager$231,370San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$209,574
Computer and Information Systems Manager$291,660San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$264,185

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.


Sunnyvale at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population153,455Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$181,862Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+69.2%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)110.4 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Sunnyvale-Area Cities With Innovation Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited innovation schools are near Sunnyvale, CA?

Our directory has 30 accredited schools offering innovation programs near Sunnyvale. The closest is Mission College in Santa Clara, CA (2.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Cabrillo College (27.9 miles). 7 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying innovation roles near Sunnyvale?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying innovation-related roles near Sunnyvale are: Computer and Information Systems Manager ($291,660), Marketing Manager ($231,370), General and Operations Manager ($163,860). 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 Mountain View instead of Sunnyvale?

Mountain View, CA is 3.1 miles from Sunnyvale and has its own set of local innovation programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Sunnyvale an affordable place to study innovation?

Sunnyvale’s median household income of $181,862 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Sunnyvale 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 Innovation Programs

Other Programs Available in Sunnyvale

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

Data verified: August 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 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.