Best Physics Schools Near Pleasanton, CA (2026)

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

Pleasanton, California has 5 accredited schools offering physics programs, with tuition ranging from $7,583 to $22,850 per year for indexed programs. Pleasanton has a population of about 77,500. Median household income is $186,206 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 68.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In California, the top-earning physics-related role is Physicists at a median $207,490 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Physics Schools to Pleasanton

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

California State University-East Bay

Hayward, CA 9.5 miles from Pleasanton
  • 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

#2

Saint Mary's College of California

Moraga, CA 17.4 miles from Pleasanton
  • 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

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#3

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, CA 22.2 miles from Pleasanton
  • 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

#4

Stanford University

Stanford, CA 22.7 miles from Pleasanton
  • 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

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#5

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA 22.8 miles from Pleasanton
  • 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

#6

Foothill College

Los Altos Hills, CA 25.0 miles from Pleasanton
  • 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

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#7

University of California-Berkeley

Berkeley, CA 25.2 miles from Pleasanton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
93.9 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 11%
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $92,446
Avg net price $13,481/yr
Tuition
In‑state$16,347
Out‑of‑state$50,547
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 97%
  • Programs offered: 127

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

#8

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA 32.1 miles from Pleasanton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
70.2 BOC Score
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: 81

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Physics Wages Near Pleasanton

Pleasanton is part of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area (BLS area code 41860). 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)
Physicists $207,490 CA statewide $179,490
Biochemists and Biophysicists $165,050 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $142,777
Physics Teachers, Postsecondary $133,360 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $115,363
Mathematicians $126,710 CA statewide $109,611
Atmospheric and Space Scientists $151,000 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $130,623
Engineers, All Other $159,800 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $138,235
Software Developers $186,640 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $161,453
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $102,880 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $88,997

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.

Pleasanton at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 77,500 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $186,206 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 68.7% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 115.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Pleasanton-Area Cities With Physics Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited physics schools are near Pleasanton, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering physics programs near Pleasanton. The closest is Las Positas College in Livermore, CA (5.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Saint Mary’s College of California (17.4 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying physics roles near Pleasanton?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying physics-related roles near Pleasanton are: Physicists ($207,490), Software Developers ($186,640), Biochemists and Biophysicists ($165,050). 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 Dublin instead of Pleasanton?

Dublin, CA is 3.6 miles from Pleasanton and has its own set of local physics programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Pleasanton an affordable place to study physics?

Pleasanton’s median household income of $186,206 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Pleasanton 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 Physics Programs

Other Programs Available in Pleasanton

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

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 Physics Schools in California: Online Programs (2026)