Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Costa Mesa, CA (2026)

Costa Mesa, California has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs, with tuition ranging from $1,156 to $12,206 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-related role is Attorney at a median $194,410 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Costa Mesa

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Costa Mesa. Distances are calculated from Costa Mesa city center.

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

Criminal Justice 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.

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

Other Costa Mesa-Area Cities With Criminal Justice 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 schools are near Costa Mesa, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Costa Mesa. The closest is Vanguard University of Southern California in Costa Mesa, CA (0.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Irvine Valley College (7.7 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminal justice roles near Costa Mesa?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Costa Mesa are: Attorney ($194,410), Police Supervisor ($167,600), Information Security Analyst ($129,630). 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 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?

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 Programs

• Criminal Justice accreditation: what to look for
• Criminal Justice concentrations and specializations
• Is a Criminal Justice degree worth it?
• Main Criminal Justice degree guide
• Online Criminal Justice programs in California
• Criminal Justice programs by state

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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.