Best Professional Writing Schools Near Sunnyvale, CA (2026)

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

Sunnyvale, California has 4 accredited schools offering professional writing programs, with tuition ranging from $16,347 to $50,547 per year for indexed programs. Sunnyvale has a population of about 153,455. Median household income is $181,862 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 69.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, the top-earning professional writing-related role is Technical Writer at a median $140,700 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Professional Writing Schools to Sunnyvale

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer professional writing programs near Sunnyvale, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Sunnyvale 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 Sunnyvale. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

Sort:
#1

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA 33.9 miles from Sunnyvale
  • 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

#2

University of California-Berkeley

Berkeley, CA 36.0 miles from Sunnyvale
  • 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

#3

California State University-Stanislaus

Turlock, CA 65.1 miles from Sunnyvale
  • 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 131.8 miles from Sunnyvale
  • 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 301.3 miles from Sunnyvale
  • 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 331.5 miles from Sunnyvale
  • 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 332.1 miles from Sunnyvale
  • 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 344.0 miles from Sunnyvale
  • 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 Sunnyvale

Sunnyvale 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.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Writer and Author$118,810San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$107,618
Technical Writer$140,700San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$127,446
Editor$117,580San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$106,504

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.

Sunnyvale at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population153,455Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$181,862Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+69.2%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)110.4 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Sunnyvale-Area Cities With Professional Writing Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited professional writing schools are near Sunnyvale, CA?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering professional writing programs near Sunnyvale. The closest is Laney College in Oakland, CA (31.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is California State University-Stanislaus (65.1 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying professional writing roles near Sunnyvale?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying professional writing-related roles near Sunnyvale are: Technical Writer ($140,700), Writer and Author ($118,810), Editor ($117,580). 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 Mountain View instead of Sunnyvale?

Mountain View, CA is 3.1 miles from Sunnyvale 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 Sunnyvale an affordable place to study professional writing?

Sunnyvale’s median household income of $181,862 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Sunnyvale 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 Sunnyvale

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

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.

Back to Best Professional Writing Schools in California (2026)