Best Art History Schools Near Lake Forest, CA (2026)

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

Lake Forest, California has 5 accredited schools offering art history programs, with tuition ranging from $7,470 to $49,922 per year for indexed programs. Lake Forest has a population of about 85,846. Median household income is $131,378 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 50.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning art history-related role is Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary at a median $91,490 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Art History Schools to Lake Forest

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer art history programs near Lake Forest, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Lake Forest 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 Lake Forest. 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-Irvine

Irvine, CA 9.8 miles from Lake Forest
  • 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

#2

Chapman University

Orange, CA 13.9 miles from Lake Forest
  • 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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#3

California State University-Fullerton

Fullerton, CA 19.6 miles from Lake Forest
  • 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

#4

California State Polytechnic University-Pomona

Pomona, CA 28.8 miles from Lake Forest
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
86.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 75%
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,902
Avg net price $11,531/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,780
Out‑of‑state$20,380
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 88%
  • Programs offered: 64

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

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#5

University of California-Riverside

Riverside, CA 29.2 miles from Lake Forest
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
84.1 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 76%
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $67,699
Avg net price $14,304/yr
Tuition
In‑state$15,606
Out‑of‑state$49,806
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 88%
  • Programs offered: 87

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

#6

Whittier College

Whittier, CA 30.2 miles from Lake Forest
  • 4 year
44.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,492
Avg net price $25,757/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 58%
  • Programs offered: 37

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Pomona College

Claremont, CA 30.4 miles from Lake Forest
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
77.2 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 7%
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $77,779
Avg net price $19,285/yr
Tuition
In‑state$65,420
Out‑of‑state$65,420
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 97%
  • Programs offered: 42

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

#8

Pitzer College

Claremont, CA 30.7 miles from Lake Forest
  • 4 year
64.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 87%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $69,512
Avg net price $34,191/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 53

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Art History Wages Near Lake Forest

Lake Forest is part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (BLS area code 31080). 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)
Curators $77,160 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $67,923
Archivists $70,630 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $62,174
Museum Technicians and Conservators $60,510 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $53,266
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators $58,240 CA statewide $51,268
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary $91,490 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $80,537
Writers and Authors $77,250 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $68,002
Graphic Designers $72,400 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $63,732
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $82,990 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $73,055

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.

Lake Forest at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 85,846 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $131,378 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 50.1% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 113.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Lake Forest-Area Cities With Art History Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited art history schools are near Lake Forest, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering art history programs near Lake Forest. The closest is University of California-Irvine in Irvine, CA (9.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of California-Riverside (29.2 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying art history roles near Lake Forest?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying art history-related roles near Lake Forest are: Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary ($91,490), Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists ($82,990), Writers and Authors ($77,250). 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 Mission Viejo instead of Lake Forest?

Mission Viejo, CA is 3.7 miles from Lake Forest and has its own set of local art history programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Lake Forest an affordable place to study art history?

Lake Forest’s median household income of $131,378 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lake Forest 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 Art History Programs

Other Programs Available in Lake Forest

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

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 Art History Schools in California: Online Programs (2026)