National City, California has 15 accredited schools offering criminology programs, with tuition ranging from $8,082 to $49,922 per year for indexed programs. National City has a population of about 55,960. Median household income is $64,248 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 16.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In California, the top-earning criminology-related role is Sociologist at a median $125,770 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Criminology Schools to National City
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer criminology programs near National City, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from National City 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 National City.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Acceptance rate
36%
Graduation rate
77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$64,909
Avg net price
$15,364/yr
TuitionIn‑state$8,728
Out‑of‑state$21,328
Key stats- Retention rate: 90%
- Programs offered: 57
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$63,998
Avg net price
$38,729/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 86%
- Programs offered: 25
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
10%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$35,404
Avg net price
$31,266/yr
TuitionIn‑state$11,960
Out‑of‑state$11,960
Key stats- Retention rate: 33%
- Programs offered: 42
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · 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
61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$40,669
Avg net price
$21,889/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source: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
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
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
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California criminology page.
Criminology Wages Near National City
National City 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) |
|---|
| Sociologist | $125,770 | CA statewide | $112,395 |
| Detective and Criminal Investigator | $124,840 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $111,564 |
| Probation Officer and Correctional Treatment Specialist | $77,230 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $69,017 |
| Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer | $110,400 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $98,660 |
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.
National City at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 55,960 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $64,248 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 16.9% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 111.9 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other National City-Area Cities With Criminology Programs
- Coronado, CA – 3.6 mi away (25,952 pop)
- Chula Vista, CA – 5.5 mi away (267,172 pop)
- Lemon Grove, CA – 6.0 mi away (26,860 pop)
- Imperial Beach, CA – 6.8 mi away (27,418 pop)
- La Mesa, CA – 8.5 mi away (59,948 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited criminology schools are near National City, CA?
Our directory has 15 accredited schools offering criminology programs near National City. The closest is San Diego State University in San Diego, CA (7.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is La Sierra University (89.1 miles). 9 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying criminology roles near National City?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminology-related roles near National City are: Sociologist ($125,770), Detective and Criminal Investigator ($124,840), Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer ($110,400). 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 Coronado instead of National City?
Coronado, CA is 3.6 miles from National City and has its own set of local criminology programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is National City an affordable place to study criminology?
National City’s median household income of $64,248 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in National City 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 Criminology Programs
Other Programs Available in National City
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for National City:
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- Kinesiology programs in National City, CA
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- Criminal Justice programs in National City, CA
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- Computer Science programs in National City, CA
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- Education programs in National City, CA
- Engineering programs in National City, CA
- Technology programs in National City, CA
- Liberal Arts programs in National City, CA
- Healthcare programs in National City, CA
- Cybersecurity programs in National City, CA
- Accounting programs in National City, CA
- Healthcare Administration programs in National City, CA
- Social Work programs in National City, CA
- Counseling programs in National City, 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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