Santa Cruz is a city in California and its population is 176,428. There are 33 colleges near Santa Cruz, California - 17 public and 16 private schools. 2 colleges are located in the city limit and 31 colleges are in 30 miles from Santa Cruz. 29 schools provide undergraduate programs and 11 schools offer graduate programs.
A total of 182,755 students is attending one of those schools and its average 2025 tuition is $20,099 (based on out-of-state rate at 4-years colleges). The acceptance rate of the schools is 73.95% and the average SAT score submitted by enrolled students is 1,420.
| School Name | School Type | Undergraduate Tuition | Graduate Tuition | Enrollment | Students per Faculty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of California-Santa Cruz 1.8 miles from Santa Cruz |
Public four-years |
$46,923 ($15,035) | $30,512 ($15,410) | 19,938 | 22 to 1 |
| Five Branches University 2.2 miles from Santa Cruz |
Private (for-profit) four-years |
Not Offered | $19,675 | 321 | - |
| Cabrillo College 6.1 miles from Santa Cruz |
Public 2-4 years |
$9,862 ($1,270) | Not Offered | 9,457 | 20 to 1 |
| CET-Watsonville 15.1 miles from Santa Cruz |
Private (not-for-profit) less than 2-years |
$15,249 | Not Offered | 142 | 24 to 1 |
| West Valley Mission Community College District Office 19.8 miles from Santa Cruz |
Public 2-4 years |
- | Not Offered | - | - |
| West Valley College 19.8 miles from Santa Cruz |
Public 2-4 years |
$9,320 ($1,490) | Not Offered | 7,655 | 29 to 1 |
| The Salon Professional Academy-San Jose 21.8 miles from Santa Cruz |
Private (for-profit) less than 2-years |
$14,950 | Not Offered | 196 | 24 to 1 |
| Carrington College-San Jose 23.4 miles from Santa Cruz |
Private (for-profit) 2-4 years |
$22,404 | Not Offered | 645 | 14 to 1 |
| De Anza College 23.6 miles from Santa Cruz |
Public 2-4 years |
$12,596 ($1,571) | Not Offered | 17,425 | 28 to 1 |
| San Jose City College 24.1 miles from Santa Cruz |
Public 2-4 years |
$11,922 ($1,366) | Not Offered | 8,609 | 26 to 1 |
| CET-San Jose 25.1 miles from Santa Cruz |
Private (not-for-profit) less than 2-years |
$16,375 | Not Offered | 266 | 20 to 1 |
| Gavilan College 25.7 miles from Santa Cruz |
Public 2-4 years |
$12,249 ($1,508) | Not Offered | 6,083 | 27 to 1 |
| San Jose-Evergreen Community College District 25.9 miles from Santa Cruz |
Public 2-4 years |
- | Not Offered | - | - |
| Santa Clara University 26.1 miles from Santa Cruz |
Private (not-for-profit) four-years |
$61,293 | $31,694 | 9,728 | 11 to 1 |
| San Jose State University 26.2 miles from Santa Cruz |
Public four-years |
$21,010 ($8,410) | $20,014 ($9,934) | 37,661 | 25 to 1 |
| California State University-Monterey Bay 26.2 miles from Santa Cruz |
Public four-years |
$20,379 ($7,779) | $19,383 ($9,303) | 7,713 | 24 to 1 |
| Evergreen Valley College 26.8 miles from Santa Cruz |
Public 2-4 years |
$8,718 ($1,366) | Not Offered | 9,336 | 27 to 1 |
| Paul Mitchell the School-San Jose 26.9 miles from Santa Cruz |
Private (for-profit) less than 2-years |
$13,205 | Not Offered | 91 | 8 to 1 |
| Foothill-De Anza Community College District 27.0 miles from Santa Cruz |
Public four-years |
- | Not Offered | - | - |
| Foothill College 27.0 miles from Santa Cruz |
Public four-years |
$12,590 ($1,565) | Not Offered | 12,949 | 26 to 1 |
| Institute for Business and Technology 27.2 miles from Santa Cruz |
Private (for-profit) 2-4 years |
$18,000 | Not Offered | 765 | 40 to 1 |
| Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey 27.3 miles from Santa Cruz |
Private (not-for-profit) four-years |
$48,654 | $48,654 | 526 | 1 to 1 |
| Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts 27.5 miles from Santa Cruz |
Private (for-profit) four-years |
$37,638 | - | 3,437 | 18 to 1 |
| Naval Postgraduate School 27.9 miles from Santa Cruz |
Public four-years |
Not Offered | - | 2,441 | - |
| California University-Silicon Valley 28.0 miles from Santa Cruz |
Private (not-for-profit) four-years |
Not Offered | $6,980 | 22 | - |
| Monterey Peninsula College 28.1 miles from Santa Cruz |
Public 2-4 years |
$10,532 ($1,188) | Not Offered | 7,173 | 23 to 1 |
| University of East-West Medicine 28.3 miles from Santa Cruz |
Private (for-profit) four-years |
Not Offered | $18,188 | 81 | - |
| CET-Salinas 28.3 miles from Santa Cruz |
Private (not-for-profit) less than 2-years |
$15,249 | Not Offered | 171 | 21 to 1 |
| Central Coast College 28.3 miles from Santa Cruz |
Private (for-profit) 2-4 years |
$18,614 | Not Offered | 631 | 30 to 1 |
| Waynes College of Beauty 28.6 miles from Santa Cruz |
Private (for-profit) less than 2-years |
$18,075 | Not Offered | 46 | 15 to 1 |
| Mission College 28.7 miles from Santa Cruz |
Public 2-4 years |
$12,500 ($1,438) | Not Offered | 6,909 | 26 to 1 |
| Palo Alto University 29.1 miles from Santa Cruz |
Private (not-for-profit) four-years |
$24,604 | $50,166 | 1,065 | 15 to 1 |
| Hartnell College 29.3 miles from Santa Cruz |
Public 2-4 years |
$10,398 ($1,404) | Not Offered | 11,273 | 22 to 1 |
