Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Lemon Grove, CA (2026)

Lemon Grove, California has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs, with tuition ranging from $1,332 to $11,543 per year for indexed programs. Lemon Grove has a population of about 27,489. Median household income is $79,278 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 20.3% 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 Lemon Grove

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Lemon Grove, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Lemon Grove 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 Lemon Grove. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA 3.6 miles from Lemon Grove BOC Score 83.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
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: 57

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

#2

San Diego Christian College

Santee, CA 8.2 miles from Lemon Grove BOC Score 45.3
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
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: 11

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

National University

San Diego, CA 8.6 miles from Lemon Grove BOC Score 44.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
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: 53

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Northcentral University

San Diego, CA 8.6 miles from Lemon Grove BOC Score 35.1
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,414
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 25

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

#5

Ashford University

San Diego, CA 9.0 miles from Lemon Grove BOC Score 15.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
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: 42

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

#6

University of San Diego

San Diego, CA 9.5 miles from Lemon Grove BOC Score 76.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
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: 29

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Alliant International University-San Diego

San Diego, CA 11.8 miles from Lemon Grove BOC Score 65.3
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $66,666
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 27

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Point Loma Nazarene University

San Diego, CA 12.8 miles from Lemon Grove BOC Score 68.1
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
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: 25

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Criminal Justice Wages Near Lemon Grove

Lemon Grove 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.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney$178,220San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$159,267
Judge or MagistrateN/ACA statewide
Police Supervisor$148,310San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$132,538
Detective or Criminal Investigator$124,840San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$111,564
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer$110,400San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$98,660
Correctional Officer$96,370CA statewide$86,122
Probation Officer$77,230San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$69,017
Forensic Science Technician$105,320San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$94,120
Paralegal or Legal Assistant$76,300San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$68,186
Information Security Analyst$132,120San 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.


Lemon Grove at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population27,489Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$79,278Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+20.3%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)111.9 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Lemon Grove-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Lemon Grove, CA?

Accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Lemon Grove are listed on this page, ranked by BOC Score and distance from the city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data on every site update, so it stays current as programs open and close.

What are the highest-paying criminal justice roles near Lemon Grove?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Lemon Grove 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 La Mesa instead of Lemon Grove?

La Mesa, CA is 2.7 miles from Lemon Grove 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 Lemon Grove an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Lemon Grove’s median household income of $79,278 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lemon Grove 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 Lemon Grove

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Lemon Grove:

Data verified: July 23, 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.