Best Online Business Administration Programs in Lake Forest, CA (2026)

Lake Forest, California has 5 accredited schools offering business administration programs, with tuition ranging from $1,156 to $45,014 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 business administration-related role is Financial Manager at a median $175,310 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Business Administration Schools to Lake Forest

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer business administration programs near Lake Forest. Distances are calculated from Lake Forest city center.

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.

#1

Irvine Valley College

Irvine, CA 6.3 miles from Lake Forest BOC Score65.0
Published tuition$1,156 - $11,750
Online programs--

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#2

Saddleback College

Mission Viejo, CA 7.8 miles from Lake Forest BOC Score71.2
Published tuition$1,432 - $13,732
Online programsYes

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#3

University of California-Irvine

Irvine, CA 9.8 miles from Lake Forest BOC Score90.2
Published tuition$14,237 - $45,014
Online programsYes

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#4

Westcliff University

Irvine, CA 10.3 miles from Lake Forest BOC Score51.3
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#5

Santiago Canyon College

Orange, CA 10.8 miles from Lake Forest BOC Score56.1
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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


Business Administration 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.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
General and Operations Manager$125,830Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$110,766
Administrative Services Manager$124,560Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$109,648
Financial Manager$175,310Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$154,322
Human Resources Manager$168,400Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$148,239
Management Analyst$104,930Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$92,368
Project Management Specialist$108,310Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$95,343
Accountant or Auditor$94,360Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$83,063
Training and Development Specialist$71,990Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$63,371
Office and Administrative Support Supervisor$77,530Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$68,248

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

MetricValueSource
Population85,846Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$131,378Census 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
Business Administration-related employment in Orange County86,296 workers, 9,858 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Lake Forest-Area Cities With Business Administration Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited business administration schools are near Lake Forest, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering business administration programs near Lake Forest. The closest is Irvine Valley College in Irvine, CA (6.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Santiago Canyon College (10.8 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying business administration roles near Lake Forest?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying business administration-related roles near Lake Forest are: Financial Manager ($175,310), Human Resources Manager ($168,400), General and Operations Manager ($125,830). 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 business administration 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 business administration?

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 Business Administration Programs

Other Programs Available in Lake Forest

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

Data verified: June 11, 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.