Best Neuroscience Schools Near Santa Ana, CA (2026)

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

Santa Ana, California has 5 accredited schools offering neuroscience programs, with tuition ranging from $15,722 to $85,300 per year for indexed programs. Santa Ana has a population of about 311,639. Median household income is $88,354 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 18.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning neuroscience-related role is Pharmacists at a median $157,440 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Neuroscience Schools to Santa Ana

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer neuroscience programs near Santa Ana, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Santa Ana 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 Ana. 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

University of California-Irvine

Irvine, CA 6.5 miles from Santa Ana
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
90.2 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 29%
Graduation rate 86%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $80,735
Avg net price $14,251/yr
Tuition
In‑state$15,722
Out‑of‑state$49,922
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 134

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

#2

La Sierra University

Riverside, CA 25.0 miles from Santa Ana
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
48.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,824
Avg net price $45,566/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 52

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Pomona College

Claremont, CA 26.8 miles from Santa Ana
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
77.2 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 7%
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $77,779
Avg net price $19,285/yr
Tuition
In‑state$65,420
Out‑of‑state$65,420
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 97%
  • Programs offered: 42

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

#4

Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, CA 27.1 miles from Santa Ana
  • 4 year
71.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 92%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $104,736
Avg net price $28,849/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 97%
  • Programs offered: 40

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Scripps College

Claremont, CA 27.2 miles from Santa Ana
  • 4 year
64.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 84%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $77,539
Avg net price $36,294/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Programs offered: 53

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Pitzer College

Claremont, CA 27.3 miles from Santa Ana
  • 4 year
64.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 87%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $69,512
Avg net price $34,191/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 53

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA 30.3 miles from Santa Ana
  • 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

#8

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, CA 31.0 miles from Santa Ana
  • 4 year
82.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 95%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $128,566
Avg net price $16,075/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 30

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Neuroscience Wages Near Santa Ana

Santa Ana is part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (BLS area code 31080). 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 Scientists, Except Epidemiologists $134,890 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $118,741
Biochemists and Biophysicists $131,700 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $115,933
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists $99,250 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $87,368
Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary $127,800 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $112,500
Biological Technicians $66,610 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $58,636
Pharmacists $157,440 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $138,592
Biological Scientists, All Other $96,380 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $84,842
Psychologists, All Other $153,630 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $135,238

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 Ana at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 311,639 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $88,354 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 18.0% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 113.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Santa Ana-Area Cities With Neuroscience Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited neuroscience schools are near Santa Ana, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering neuroscience programs near Santa Ana. The closest is University of California-Irvine in Irvine, CA (6.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Scripps College (27.2 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying neuroscience roles near Santa Ana?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying neuroscience-related roles near Santa Ana are: Pharmacists ($157,440), Psychologists, All Other ($153,630), Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists ($134,890). 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 Tustin instead of Santa Ana?

Tustin, CA is 4.1 miles from Santa Ana and has its own set of local neuroscience programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Santa Ana an affordable place to study neuroscience?

Santa Ana’s median household income of $88,354 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Santa Ana 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 Neuroscience Programs

Other Programs Available in Santa Ana

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

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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