Best Software Engineering Schools Near Pacifica, CA (2026)

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

Pacifica, California has 2 accredited schools offering software engineering programs, with tuition ranging from $8,018 to $22,945 per year for indexed programs. Pacifica has a population of about 37,527. Median household income is $156,819 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 48.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, the top-earning software engineering-related role is Computer and Information Systems Managers at a median $232,890 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Software Engineering Schools to Pacifica

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

San Jose, CA 37.9 miles from Pacifica
  • 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

#2

California State University-Sacramento

Sacramento, CA 87.1 miles from Pacifica
  • 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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#3

University of California-Merced

Merced, CA 113.8 miles from Pacifica
  • 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

#4

Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA 162.9 miles from Pacifica
  • 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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#5

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA 189.1 miles from Pacifica
  • 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 321.0 miles from Pacifica
  • 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

California State University-Fullerton

Fullerton, CA 364.2 miles from Pacifica
  • 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 367.3 miles from Pacifica
  • 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 Pacifica

Pacifica 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)
Software Developers $186,640 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $161,453
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers $134,630 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $116,462
Computer Programmers $130,730 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $113,088
Web Developers $152,450 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $131,877
Computer and Information Systems Managers $232,890 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $201,462
Computer Occupations, All Other $161,700 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $139,879
Computer Network Architects $166,760 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $144,256
Computer Systems Analysts $134,460 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $116,315

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.

Pacifica at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 37,527 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $156,819 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 48.5% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 115.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Pacifica-Area Cities With Software Engineering Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 2 accredited schools offering software engineering programs near Pacifica. The closest is San Jose State University in San Jose, CA (37.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is California State University-Sacramento (87.1 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying software engineering-related roles near Pacifica are: Computer and Information Systems Managers ($232,890), Software Developers ($186,640), Computer Network Architects ($166,760). 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 San Bruno instead of Pacifica?

San Bruno, CA is 2.7 miles from Pacifica 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 Pacifica an affordable place to study software engineering?

Pacifica’s median household income of $156,819 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Pacifica 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 Pacifica

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

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)