Best Public Policy Schools Near Pleasanton, CA (2026)

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

Pleasanton, California has 4 accredited schools offering public policy programs, with tuition ranging from $16,347 to $50,547 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 the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, the top-earning public policy-related role is General and Operations Managers at a median $149,990 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Public Policy Schools to Pleasanton

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public policy 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.

Sort:
#1

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

#2

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

Sponsored Ad
#3

University of California College of the Law-San Francisco

San Francisco, CA 30.3 miles from Pleasanton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 5

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

University of the Pacific

Stockton, CA 37.9 miles from Pleasanton
  • 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

Sponsored Ad
#5

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA 177.1 miles from Pleasanton
  • 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 307.2 miles from Pleasanton
  • 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

Sponsored Ad
#7

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA 312.0 miles from Pleasanton
  • 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 314.2 miles from Pleasanton
  • 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

Sponsored Ad

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

Public Policy 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)
Political Scientists N/A CA statewide –
Management Analysts $126,730 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $109,628
Economists $142,400 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $123,183
Social and Community Service Managers $93,410 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $80,804
Survey Researchers $110,540 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $95,623
Compliance Officers $118,890 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $102,846
General and Operations Managers $149,990 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $129,749
Financial and Investment Analysts $130,520 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $112,907

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 Public Policy Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public policy schools are near Pleasanton, CA?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering public policy programs near Pleasanton. The closest is Stanford University in Stanford, CA (22.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of the Pacific (37.9 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying public policy roles near Pleasanton?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public policy-related roles near Pleasanton are: General and Operations Managers ($149,990), Economists ($142,400), Financial and Investment Analysts ($130,520). 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 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 Pleasanton an affordable place to study public policy?

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 Public Policy 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 Public Policy Schools in California (2026)