Best Public Policy Schools Near Mountain View, CA (2026)

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

Mountain View, California has 4 accredited schools offering public policy programs, with tuition ranging from $16,347 to $50,547 per year for indexed programs. Mountain View has a population of about 82,363. Median household income is $179,917 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 74.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, the top-earning public policy-related role is General and Operations Managers at a median $163,860 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Public Policy Schools to Mountain View

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

Stanford University

Stanford, CA 5.2 miles from Mountain View
  • 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

#2

University of California College of the Law-San Francisco

San Francisco, CA 32.1 miles from Mountain View
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 5

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

University of California-Berkeley

Berkeley, CA 34.1 miles from Mountain View
  • 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

#4

University of the Pacific

Stockton, CA 58.1 miles from Mountain View
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
75.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 75%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,445
Avg net price $25,447/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 89%
  • Programs offered: 82

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA 165.3 miles from Mountain View
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
89.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 87%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $90,768
Avg net price $16,665/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 95%
  • Programs offered: 84

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Pepperdine University

Malibu, CA 299.6 miles from Mountain View
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
72.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 84%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $82,939
Avg net price $58,098/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 71

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA 305.1 miles from Mountain View
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
63.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $72,379
Avg net price $21,413/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 44

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

University of California-Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA 307.4 miles from Mountain View
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
93.5 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 9%
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $82,511
Avg net price $12,548/yr
Tuition
In‑state$15,203
Out‑of‑state$49,403
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 97%
  • Programs offered: 161

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

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

Public Policy Wages Near Mountain View

Mountain View 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)
Political Scientists N/A CA statewide –
Management Analysts $136,670 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $123,795
Economists $119,410 CA statewide $108,161
Social and Community Service Managers $98,030 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $88,795
Survey Researchers $109,350 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $99,049
Compliance Officers $123,730 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $112,074
General and Operations Managers $163,860 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $148,424
Financial and Investment Analysts $144,910 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $131,259

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.

Mountain View at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 82,363 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $179,917 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 74.3% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 110.4 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Mountain View-Area Cities With Public Policy Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public policy schools are near Mountain View, CA?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering public policy programs near Mountain View. The closest is Stanford University in Stanford, CA (5.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of the Pacific (58.1 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying public policy roles near Mountain View?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public policy-related roles near Mountain View are: General and Operations Managers ($163,860), Financial and Investment Analysts ($144,910), Management Analysts ($136,670). 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 Los Altos instead of Mountain View?

Los Altos, CA is 2.4 miles from Mountain View and has its own set of local public policy programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Mountain View an affordable place to study public policy?

Mountain View’s median household income of $179,917 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Mountain View 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 Public Policy Programs

Other Programs Available in Mountain View

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

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.

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