Quick answer:1 colleges within 100 miles of Santa Cruz, California award an aviation degree, the nearest about 26 miles away (IPEDS Completions, 2024).
Aviation Program Access Near Santa Cruz, California
Distance from Santa Cruz
Colleges awarding this degree
Within 25 miles
0
Within 50 miles
1
Within 100 miles
1
Within 250 miles
4
Source: IPEDS Completions, 2024, counting institutions that reported awarding this degree, joined to IPEDS institution coordinates. Distances are straight-line.
Access around Santa Cruz is thinner than in the larger California metros. The nearest college awarding this degree is roughly 26 miles away and 1 sit within 100 miles, which is the case where an online or low-residency program earns its keep.
Choosing An Aviation Program From Santa Cruz
The subject matter does not change by location: aerodynamics, aviation safety, air traffic and airspace systems, aviation regulations, and flight or ground operations. What changes is how you take it. Ask each college whether the program holds accreditation from the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI), how much of the coursework is delivered online, and which components require you on campus. Credit transfer is decided by the receiving institution and genuinely varies, so request a written transfer evaluation before you enroll.
Colleges Near Santa Cruz
How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention.
Advertising plays no part.
This page lists 4 schools
within 198 miles, closest group first, then ordered by
BOC Score with the highest at the top.
4 of them carry a score.
LOCAL RANK
Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal
about the institution rather than about this subject.
Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from
this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
Commercial Pilots in California earn a median $165,590 per year against $123,220 nationally (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The California median for commercial pilots is $165,590 per year, above the national median of $123,220, on state employment of 4,900 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
These are statewide figures. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish wages at city level, so no page can tell you what this job pays in Santa Cruz specifically. For the metro-level picture where it is published, and the full percentile spread, see the California page.
U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS Completions, 2024 - institutions awarding this degree, with IPEDS institution coordinates
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 - Commercial Pilots (SOC 53-2012)
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
