Best Professional Writing Schools Near San Rafael, CA (2026)

Updated August 31, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

San Rafael, California has 4 accredited schools offering professional writing programs, with tuition ranging from $16,347 to $50,547 per year for indexed programs. San Rafael has a population of about 60,604. Median household income is $109,317 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 49.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, the top-earning professional writing-related role is Technical Writer at a median $135,470 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Professional Writing Schools to San Rafael

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer professional writing programs near San Rafael, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from San Rafael 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 San Rafael. 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-Berkeley

Berkeley, CA 16.4 miles from San Rafael
  • 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

#2

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA 18.8 miles from San Rafael
  • 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

#3

California State University-Stanislaus

Turlock, CA 96.7 miles from San Rafael
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
80.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,188
Avg net price $6,067/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Programs offered: 48

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

California State University-Fresno

Fresno, CA 172.9 miles from San Rafael
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
78.5 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 95%
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,244
Avg net price $7,000/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,350
Out‑of‑state$19,950
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 96

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

#5

Woodbury University

Burbank, CA 350.3 miles from San Rafael
  • 4 year
48.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $65,668
Avg net price $33,692/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 23

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Scripps College

Claremont, CA 379.8 miles from San Rafael
  • 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

#7

California State University-Long Beach

Long Beach, CA 381.3 miles from San Rafael
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
86.2 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 46%
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,403
Avg net price $10,440/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,350
Out‑of‑state$19,950
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 121

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

#8

California State University-San Bernardino

San Bernardino, CA 391.6 miles from San Rafael
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
78.4 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 94%
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,977
Avg net price $4,564/yr
Tuition
In‑state$8,093
Out‑of‑state$20,693
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 78

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 professional writing page.

Professional Writing Wages Near San Rafael

San Rafael 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.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Writer and Author$86,480CA statewide$74,810
Technical Writer$135,470San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$117,189
Editor$102,940San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$89,048

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.

San Rafael at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population60,604Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$109,317Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+49.4%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)115.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other San Rafael-Area Cities With Professional Writing Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited professional writing schools are near San Rafael, CA?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering professional writing programs near San Rafael. The closest is University of California-Berkeley in Berkeley, CA (16.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is California State University-Stanislaus (96.7 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying professional writing roles near San Rafael?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying professional writing-related roles near San Rafael are: Technical Writer ($135,470), Editor ($102,940), Writer and Author ($86,480). 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 Novato instead of San Rafael?

Novato, CA is 7.3 miles from San Rafael and has its own set of local professional writing programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is San Rafael an affordable place to study professional writing?

San Rafael’s median household income of $109,317 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in San Rafael 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 Professional Writing Programs

Other Programs Available in San Rafael

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

Data verified: August 31, 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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