Best Philosophy Schools Near Los Gatos, CA (2026)

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

Los Gatos, California has 5 accredited schools offering philosophy 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 philosophy-related role is Lawyers at a median $301,320 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Philosophy Schools to Los Gatos

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer philosophy 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

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, CA 8.2 miles from Los Gatos
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
77.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 90%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $109,183
Avg net price $50,062/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 65

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

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

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#3

Foothill College

Los Altos Hills, CA 13.1 miles from Los Gatos
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
61.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,072
Avg net price $7,653/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 69

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

University of California-Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, CA 17.2 miles from Los Gatos
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
71.8 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 66%
Graduation rate 75%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,396
Avg net price $17,890/yr
Tuition
In‑state$16,005
Out‑of‑state$50,205
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 89%
  • Programs offered: 81

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

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#5

Stanford University

Stanford, CA 18.0 miles from Los Gatos
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
95.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 97%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $124,080
Avg net price $13,807/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 100

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

California State University-East Bay

Hayward, CA 30.0 miles from Los Gatos
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
79.2 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 97%
Graduation rate 47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,401
Avg net price $9,320/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,583
Out‑of‑state$20,183
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 59

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

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#7

Saint Mary's College of California

Moraga, CA 43.0 miles from Los Gatos
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
72.4 BOC Score
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: 67

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

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

Philosophy 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)
Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary $100,140 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $90,707
Writers and Authors $118,810 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $107,618
Lawyers $301,320 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $272,935
Clergy $77,510 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $70,208
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $108,230 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $98,034
Editors $117,580 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $106,504
Management Analysts $136,670 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $123,795

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 Philosophy Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited philosophy schools are near Los Gatos, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering philosophy programs near Los Gatos. The closest is De Anza College in Cupertino, CA (7.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Cabrillo College (16.8 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying philosophy roles near Los Gatos?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying philosophy-related roles near Los Gatos are: Lawyers ($301,320), Management Analysts ($136,670), Writers and Authors ($118,810). 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 philosophy 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 philosophy?

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 Philosophy 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.

Back to Best Philosophy Schools in California: Online Programs (2026)