Rancho Santa Margarita, California has 75 accredited schools offering criminal justice administration programs, with tuition ranging from $1,156 to $41,228 per year for indexed programs. Rancho Santa Margarita has a population of about 47,257. Median household income is $146,827 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 48.8% 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 Rancho Santa Margarita
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer criminal justice administration programs near Rancho Santa Margarita, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Rancho Santa Margarita 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 Rancho Santa Margarita.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
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
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
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
52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$61,824
Avg net price
$45,566/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 80%
- Programs offered: 26
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$61,504
Avg net price
$26,285/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 74%
- Programs offered: 46
Source: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
61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$40,669
Avg net price
$21,889/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source: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 Rancho Santa Margarita
Rancho Santa Margarita 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.
Rancho Santa Margarita at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 47,257 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $146,827 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 48.8% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 113.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Rancho Santa Margarita-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Administration Programs
- Mission Viejo, CA – 3.6 mi away (602,851 pop)
- Lake Forest, CA – 4.6 mi away (83,240 pop)
- Laguna Hills, CA – 6.4 mi away (31,509 pop)
- Aliso Viejo, CA – 8.3 mi away (51,424 pop)
- Laguna Niguel, CA – 9.4 mi away (65,328 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited criminal justice administration schools are near Rancho Santa Margarita, CA?
Our directory has 75 accredited schools offering criminal justice administration programs near Rancho Santa Margarita. The closest is University of Massachusetts Global in Irvine, CA (9.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is California State University-Fullerton (23.8 miles). 7 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying criminal justice administration roles near Rancho Santa Margarita?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice administration-related roles near Rancho Santa Margarita 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 Mission Viejo instead of Rancho Santa Margarita?
Mission Viejo, CA is 3.6 miles from Rancho Santa Margarita 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 Rancho Santa Margarita an affordable place to study criminal justice administration?
Rancho Santa Margarita’s median household income of $146,827 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Rancho Santa Margarita 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 Rancho Santa Margarita
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Rancho Santa Margarita:
- Business Development programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Construction Management programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Economics programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Financial Technology programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Forensic Accounting programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Health Information Management programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Hospitality Management programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- International Business programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Organizational Leadership programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Management Information Systems programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Nonprofit Management programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Operations Management programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Public Administration programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Real Estate programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Recreation Management programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Retail Management programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Risk Management programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Statistics programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Taxation programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Corrections programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Crime Analysis programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Criminology programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Cybercrime programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Emergency Management programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Fire Science programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Forensic Science programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Legal Services programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Legal Studies programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Paralegal programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Security Management programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Cloud Computing programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Computer Engineering programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Innovation programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Mobile App Development programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Software Development programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- User Experience programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Web Development programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Artificial Intelligence programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Machine Learning programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Supply Chain Management programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Data Analytics programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Public Health programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Human Resources programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Project Management programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Special Education programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Homeland Security programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Marketing programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Finance programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Kinesiology programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Sports Management programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Early Childhood Education programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Elementary Education programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Biology programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Communications programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Graphic Design programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Human Services programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- MBA programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Criminal Justice programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Nursing programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Business Administration programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Computer Science programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Psychology programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Education programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Engineering programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Technology programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Liberal Arts programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Healthcare programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Cybersecurity programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Accounting programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Healthcare Administration programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Social Work programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Counseling programs in Rancho Santa Margarita, 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.
← Back to Criminal Justice Administration Schools in California (2026)
