Best Philosophy Schools Near Santa Cruz, CA (2026)

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

Santa Cruz, California has 5 accredited schools offering philosophy programs, with tuition ranging from $16,005 to $50,205 per year for indexed programs. Santa Cruz has a population of about 60,953. Median household income is $111,427 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 57.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area, the top-earning philosophy-related role is Lawyers at a median $164,790 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Philosophy Schools to Santa Cruz

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

Santa Cruz, CA 1.8 miles from Santa Cruz
  • 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

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

Philosophy Wages Near Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz 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)
Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary $105,820 CA statewide $96,288
Writers and Authors $86,480 CA statewide $78,690
Lawyers $164,790 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $149,945
Clergy $61,630 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $56,078
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $98,810 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $89,909
Editors $77,890 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $70,874
Management Analysts $105,480 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $95,978

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 Cruz at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 60,953 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $111,427 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 57.7% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 109.9 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Santa Cruz-Area Cities With Philosophy Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited philosophy schools are near Santa Cruz, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering philosophy programs near Santa Cruz. The closest is University of California-Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz, CA (1.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Santa Clara University (26.1 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying philosophy roles near Santa Cruz?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying philosophy-related roles near Santa Cruz are: Lawyers ($164,790), Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary ($105,820), Management Analysts ($105,480). 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 Watsonville instead of Santa Cruz?

Watsonville, CA is 15.1 miles from Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz an affordable place to study philosophy?

Santa Cruz’s median household income of $111,427 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz

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

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)