Best Criminal Justice Schools Near Imperial Beach, CA (2026)

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Imperial Beach, California has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs, with tuition ranging from $8,728 to $27,780 per year for indexed programs. Imperial Beach has a population of about 25,897. Median household income is $79,071 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 23.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Attorney at a median $178,220 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Imperial Beach

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Imperial Beach, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Imperial Beach 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 Imperial Beach. 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

Point Loma Nazarene University

San Diego, CA 12.9 miles from Imperial Beach
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
68.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,998
Avg net price $38,729/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 59

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA 14.5 miles from Imperial Beach
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
83.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 36%
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,909
Avg net price $15,364/yr
Tuition
In‑state$8,728
Out‑of‑state$21,328
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 90%
  • Programs offered: 133

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

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#3

University of San Diego

San Diego, CA 14.6 miles from Imperial Beach
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
76.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 81%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $86,522
Avg net price $30,365/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Programs offered: 77

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Ashford University

San Diego, CA 17.9 miles from Imperial Beach
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
15.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 10%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $35,404
Avg net price $31,266/yr
Tuition
In‑state$11,960
Out‑of‑state$11,960
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 33%
  • Programs offered: 64

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

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#5

National University

San Diego, CA 18.0 miles from Imperial Beach
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
44.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $67,548
Avg net price $22,878/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 53%
  • Programs offered: 73

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Northcentral University

San Diego, CA 18.0 miles from Imperial Beach
  • 4 year
  • Exclusively online
  • Accredited
35.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,414
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 30

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

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#7

San Diego Christian College

Santee, CA 20.7 miles from Imperial Beach
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
45.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 41%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,766
Avg net price $992/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 17%
  • Programs offered: 15

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

California State University-San Marcos

San Marcos, CA 38.9 miles from Imperial Beach
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
75.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,908
Avg net price $10,229/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 49

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Criminal Justice Wages Near Imperial Beach

Imperial Beach is part of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area (BLS area code 41740). 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)
Attorney $178,220 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $159,267
Judge or Magistrate N/A CA statewide –
Police Supervisor $148,310 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $132,538
Detective or Criminal Investigator $124,840 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $111,564
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer $110,400 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $98,660
Correctional Officer $96,370 CA statewide $86,122
Probation Officer $77,230 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $69,017
Forensic Science Technician $105,320 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $94,120
Paralegal or Legal Assistant $76,300 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $68,186
Information Security Analyst $132,120 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $118,070

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.

Imperial Beach at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 25,897 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $79,071 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 23.7% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 111.9 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Imperial Beach-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Imperial Beach, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Imperial Beach. The closest is UEI College-Chula Vista in Chula Vista, CA (4.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of San Diego (14.6 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminal justice roles near Imperial Beach?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Imperial Beach are: Attorney ($178,220), Police Supervisor ($148,310), Information Security Analyst ($132,120). 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 National City instead of Imperial Beach?

National City, CA is 6.8 miles from Imperial Beach 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 Imperial Beach an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Imperial Beach’s median household income of $79,071 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Imperial Beach 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

Other Programs Available in Imperial Beach

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Imperial Beach:

Data verified: September 6, 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 Criminal Justice Schools in California (2026)