Best Online Social Work Programs in Santa Cruz, CA (2026)

Updated June 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Santa Cruz, California has 5 accredited schools offering social work programs, with tuition ranging from $7,055 to $45,627 per year for indexed programs. Santa Cruz has a population of about 60,953. Median household income is $111,427 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 57.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area, the top-earning social work-related role is Healthcare Social Worker at a median $89,430 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Social Work Schools to Santa Cruz

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer social work programs near Santa Cruz. Distances are calculated from Santa Cruz city center.

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 Santa Cruz. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA 26.0 miles from Santa Cruz BOC Score86.3
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#2

California State University-Monterey Bay

Seaside, CA 27.2 miles from Santa Cruz BOC Score75.7
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#3

California State University-East Bay

Hayward, CA 46.8 miles from Santa Cruz BOC Score79.2
Published tuition$7,055 - $22,803
Online programsYes

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#4

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA 56.9 miles from Santa Cruz BOC Score78.8
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#5

University of California-Berkeley

Berkeley, CA 63.1 miles from Santa Cruz BOC Score93.9
Published tuition$14,850 - $45,627
Online programsYes

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

Social Work Wages Near Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz is part of the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area (BLS area code 42100). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Child, Family, and School Social Worker$61,960Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA$56,379
Healthcare Social Worker$89,430Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA$81,374
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker$62,680Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA$57,034
Social Worker, All Other$63,010CA statewide$57,334
Social and Community Service Manager$81,130Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA$73,822
Social and Human Service Assistant$54,870Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA$49,927
Community Health Worker$59,470Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA$54,113

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.

Santa Cruz at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population60,953Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$111,427Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+57.7%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)109.9 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Social Work-related employment in Santa Cruz County5,754 workers, 2,646 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Santa Cruz-Area Cities With Social Work Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited social work schools are near Santa Cruz, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering social work programs near Santa Cruz. The closest is San Jose State University in San Jose, CA (26.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of California-Berkeley (63.1 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying social work roles near Santa Cruz?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying social work-related roles near Santa Cruz are: Healthcare Social Worker ($89,430), Social and Community Service Manager ($81,130), Social Worker, All Other ($63,010). 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 Watsonville instead of Santa Cruz?

Watsonville, CA is 15.1 miles from Santa Cruz and has its own set of local social work programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Santa Cruz an affordable place to study social work?

Santa Cruz’s median household income of $111,427 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Santa Cruz 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 Social Work Programs

Other Programs Available in Santa Cruz

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

Data verified: June 11, 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 Online Social Work Programs in California (2026)

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