Best Software Engineering Schools Near Atwater, CA (2026)

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

Atwater, California has 4 accredited schools offering software engineering programs, with tuition ranging from $8,018 to $22,945 per year for indexed programs. Atwater has a population of about 32,013. Median household income is $63,945 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 13.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Merced, CA metro area, the top-earning software engineering-related role is Computer and Information Systems Managers at a median $167,150 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Software Engineering Schools to Atwater

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

University of California-Merced

Merced, CA 9.5 miles from Atwater
  • 4 year
70.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 72%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,368
Avg net price $11,983/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 32

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA 64.4 miles from Atwater
  • 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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#3

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA 70.5 miles from Atwater
  • 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

#4

California State University-Sacramento

Sacramento, CA 94.6 miles from Atwater
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
81.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 94%
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,876
Avg net price $9,338/yr
Tuition
In‑state$8,018
Out‑of‑state$20,618
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Programs offered: 78

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

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#5

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA 142.0 miles from Atwater
  • 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

California State University-Northridge

Northridge, CA 244.4 miles from Atwater
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
75.1 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 93%
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,115
Avg net price $7,021/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,458
Out‑of‑state$20,058
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 103

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

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#7

DeVry University-California

Ontario, CA 282.9 miles from Atwater
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
36.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 23%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,987
Avg net price $33,744/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 60%
  • Programs offered: 16

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

California State University-Fullerton

Fullerton, CA 284.2 miles from Atwater
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
85.3 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 91%
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,951
Avg net price $6,555/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,470
Out‑of‑state$20,070
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 78

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 software engineering page.

Software Engineering Wages Near Atwater

Atwater is part of the Merced, CA metro area (BLS area code 32900). 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)
Software Developers $132,120 Merced, CA $134,405
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers $128,740 CA statewide $130,966
Computer Programmers $100,410 Merced, CA $102,146
Web Developers $119,570 CA statewide $121,638
Computer and Information Systems Managers $167,150 Merced, CA $170,041
Computer Occupations, All Other $78,840 Merced, CA $80,203
Computer Network Architects $158,870 CA statewide $161,617
Computer Systems Analysts $95,390 Merced, CA $97,040

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.

Atwater at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 32,013 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $63,945 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 13.1% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 98.3 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Atwater-Area Cities With Software Engineering Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited software engineering schools are near Atwater, CA?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering software engineering programs near Atwater. The closest is University of California-Merced in Merced, CA (9.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is California State University-Sacramento (94.6 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying software engineering roles near Atwater?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying software engineering-related roles near Atwater are: Computer and Information Systems Managers ($167,150), Computer Network Architects ($158,870), Software Developers ($132,120). 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 Merced instead of Atwater?

Merced, CA is 7.4 miles from Atwater and has its own set of local software engineering programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Atwater an affordable place to study software engineering?

Atwater’s median household income of $63,945 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Atwater 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 Software Engineering Programs

Other Programs Available in Atwater

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

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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