Best Software Engineering Schools Near Lemon Grove, CA (2026)

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

Lemon Grove, California has 5 accredited schools offering software engineering programs, with tuition ranging from $8,728 to $49,922 per year for indexed programs. Lemon Grove has a population of about 27,489. Median household income is $79,278 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 20.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area, the top-earning software engineering-related role is Computer and Information Systems Managers at a median $206,740 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Software Engineering Schools to Lemon Grove

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

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA 3.6 miles from Lemon Grove
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
83.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 36%
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,909
Avg net price $15,364/yr
Tuition
In‑state$8,728
Out‑of‑state$21,328
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 90%
  • Programs offered: 133

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

#2

Ashford University

San Diego, CA 9.0 miles from Lemon Grove
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
15.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 10%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $35,404
Avg net price $31,266/yr
Tuition
In‑state$11,960
Out‑of‑state$11,960
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 33%
  • Programs offered: 64

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

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#3

California State University-San Marcos

San Marcos, CA 28.4 miles from Lemon Grove
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
75.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,908
Avg net price $10,229/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 49

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

University of California-Irvine

Irvine, CA 78.6 miles from Lemon Grove
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
90.2 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 29%
Graduation rate 86%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $80,735
Avg net price $14,251/yr
Tuition
In‑state$15,722
Out‑of‑state$49,922
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 134

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

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#5

California Baptist University

Riverside, CA 85.7 miles from Lemon Grove
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
56.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,504
Avg net price $26,285/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 98

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Chapman University

Orange, CA 87.2 miles from Lemon Grove
  • 4 year
61.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 82%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $70,070
Avg net price $46,555/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Programs offered: 77

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

California State University-Fullerton

Fullerton, CA 93.3 miles from Lemon Grove
  • 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

#8

DeVry University-California

Ontario, CA 97.6 miles from Lemon Grove
  • 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

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

Software Engineering Wages Near Lemon Grove

Lemon Grove is part of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area (BLS area code 41740). 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 $163,270 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $145,907
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers $120,210 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $107,426
Computer Programmers $134,130 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $119,866
Web Developers $98,300 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $87,846
Computer and Information Systems Managers $206,740 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $184,754
Computer Occupations, All Other $127,600 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $114,030
Computer Network Architects $157,700 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $140,929
Computer Systems Analysts $119,090 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $106,425

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.

Lemon Grove at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 27,489 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $79,278 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 20.3% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 111.9 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Lemon Grove-Area Cities With Software Engineering Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited software engineering schools are near Lemon Grove, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering software engineering programs near Lemon Grove. The closest is San Diego State University in San Diego, CA (3.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of California-Irvine (78.6 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying software engineering roles near Lemon Grove?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying software engineering-related roles near Lemon Grove are: Computer and Information Systems Managers ($206,740), Software Developers ($163,270), Computer Network Architects ($157,700). 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 La Mesa instead of Lemon Grove?

La Mesa, CA is 2.7 miles from Lemon Grove 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 Lemon Grove an affordable place to study software engineering?

Lemon Grove’s median household income of $79,278 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lemon Grove 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 Lemon Grove

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

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 Software Engineering Schools in California (2026)