Best Social Work Schools Near Watsonville, CA (2026)

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Watsonville, California has 5 accredited schools offering social work programs, with tuition ranging from $7,583 to $26,987 per year for indexed programs. Watsonville has a population of about 51,968. Median household income is $74,785 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 12.7% 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 Watsonville

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer social work programs near Watsonville, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Watsonville 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 Watsonville. 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

California State University-Monterey Bay

Seaside, CA 18.6 miles from Watsonville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
75.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 97%
Graduation rate 61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,247
Avg net price $13,663/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,779
Out‑of‑state$20,379
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 33

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

#2

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA 29.4 miles from Watsonville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
86.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,988
Avg net price $13,760/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 118

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

California State University-East Bay

Hayward, CA 53.3 miles from Watsonville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
79.2 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 97%
Graduation rate 47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,401
Avg net price $9,320/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,583
Out‑of‑state$20,183
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 59

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

#4

California State University-Stanislaus

Turlock, CA 65.6 miles from Watsonville
  • 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

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#5

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA 67.6 miles from Watsonville
  • 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

#6

University of California-Berkeley

Berkeley, CA 71.0 miles from Watsonville
  • 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

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#7

California State University-Fresno

Fresno, CA 112.2 miles from Watsonville
  • 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

#8

Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA 113.4 miles from Watsonville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
68.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,896
Avg net price $13,630/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 52

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Social Work Wages Near Watsonville

Watsonville 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.

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

Watsonville at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 51,968 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $74,785 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 12.7% 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 County 5,754 workers, 2,646 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Watsonville-Area Cities With Social Work Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited social work schools are near Watsonville, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering social work programs near Watsonville. The closest is California State University-Monterey Bay in Seaside, CA (18.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is San Francisco State University (67.6 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying social work roles near Watsonville?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying social work-related roles near Watsonville 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 Gilroy instead of Watsonville?

Gilroy, CA is 11.8 miles from Watsonville 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 Watsonville an affordable place to study social work?

Watsonville’s median household income of $74,785 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Watsonville 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 Watsonville

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

Data verified: September 6, 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 Social Work Schools in California: Online Programs (2026)