Costa Mesa, California has 75 accredited schools offering criminal justice administration programs, with tuition ranging from $1,150 to $38,050 per year for indexed programs. Costa Mesa has a population of about 110,538. Median household income is $110,073 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 43.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning criminal justice administration-related role is First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives at a median $167,600 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Criminal Justice Administration Schools to Costa Mesa
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer criminal justice administration programs near Costa Mesa, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Costa Mesa 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:
BOCSCORE
- 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 Costa Mesa.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$43,552
Avg net price
$3,133/yr
TuitionIn‑state$1,180
Out‑of‑state$10,756
Key stats- Retention rate: 100%
- Programs offered: 70
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$65,703
Avg net price
$32,654/yr
TuitionIn‑state$12,540
Out‑of‑state$12,540
Key stats- Retention rate: 52%
- Programs offered: 28
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$40,669
Avg net price
$22,678/yr
TuitionIn‑state$14,922
Out‑of‑state$14,922
Source:Accreditor: Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
30%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$43,533
Avg net price
$4,606/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
46%
Graduation rate
69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$64,403
Avg net price
$10,440/yr
TuitionIn‑state$7,350
Out‑of‑state$19,950
Key stats- Retention rate: 86%
- Programs offered: 41
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$49,697
Avg net price
$29,310/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 61%
- Programs offered: 8
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
91%
Graduation rate
70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$62,951
Avg net price
$6,555/yr
TuitionIn‑state$7,470
Out‑of‑state$20,070
Key stats- Retention rate: 84%
- Programs offered: 27
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
36%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$39,003
Avg net price
$34,483/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:Accreditor: Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California criminal justice administration page.
Criminal Justice Administration Wages Near Costa Mesa
Costa Mesa 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) |
|---|
| First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives | $167,600 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $147,535 |
| First-Line Supervisor of Correctional Officers | $127,390 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $112,139 |
| General and Operations Manager | $125,830 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $110,766 |
| Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer | $121,980 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $107,377 |
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.
Costa Mesa at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 110,538 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $110,073 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 43.6% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 113.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Costa Mesa-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Administration Programs
- Fountain Valley, CA – 3.7 mi away (56,529 pop)
- Newport Beach, CA – 4.5 mi away (86,688 pop)
- Santa Ana, CA – 5.2 mi away (334,217 pop)
- Huntington Beach, CA – 5.5 mi away (200,652 pop)
- Tustin, CA – 7.4 mi away (80,395 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited criminal justice administration schools are near Costa Mesa, CA?
Our directory has 75 accredited schools offering criminal justice administration programs near Costa Mesa. The closest is Coastline Community College in Fountain Valley, CA (3.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Hope International University (14.6 miles). 6 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying criminal justice administration roles near Costa Mesa?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice administration-related roles near Costa Mesa are: First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives ($167,600), First-Line Supervisor of Correctional Officers ($127,390), 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 Fountain Valley instead of Costa Mesa?
Fountain Valley, CA is 3.7 miles from Costa Mesa and has its own set of local criminal justice administration programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Costa Mesa an affordable place to study criminal justice administration?
Costa Mesa’s median household income of $110,073 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Costa Mesa 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 Criminal Justice Administration Programs
Other Programs Available in Costa Mesa
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Costa Mesa:
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- Biology programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Communications programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Graphic Design programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Human Services programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- MBA programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Criminal Justice programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Nursing programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Business Administration programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Computer Science programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Psychology programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Education programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Engineering programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Technology programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Liberal Arts programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Healthcare programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Cybersecurity programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Accounting programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Healthcare Administration programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Social Work programs in Costa Mesa, CA
- Counseling programs in Costa Mesa, CA
Data verified: August 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.
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