Best Engineering Schools Near Rancho Santa Margarita, CA

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

Rancho Santa Margarita, California has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs, with tuition ranging from $1,156 to $49,922 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 engineering-related role is Architectural and Engineering Manager at a median $190,900 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Engineering Schools to Rancho Santa Margarita

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer engineering 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:

  • 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.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

Sort:
#1

Concordia University-Irvine

Irvine, CA 12.4 miles from Rancho Santa Margarita
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
59.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $65,083
Avg net price $28,115/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 37

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of California-Irvine

Irvine, CA 14.0 miles from Rancho Santa Margarita
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
90.2 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 29%
Graduation rate 86%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $80,735
Avg net price $14,251/yr
Tuition
In‑state$15,722
Out‑of‑state$49,922
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 134

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

Sponsored Ad
#3

Chapman University

Orange, CA 18.3 miles from Rancho Santa Margarita
  • 4 year
61.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 82%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $70,070
Avg net price $46,555/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Programs offered: 77

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Santa Ana College

Santa Ana, CA 18.8 miles from Rancho Santa Margarita
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
65.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,552
Avg net price $3,133/yr
Tuition
In‑state$1,180
Out‑of‑state$10,756
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 88

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#5

California Baptist University

Riverside, CA 22.8 miles from Rancho Santa Margarita
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
56.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,504
Avg net price $26,285/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 98

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

California State University-Fullerton

Fullerton, CA 23.8 miles from Rancho Santa Margarita
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
85.3 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 91%
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,951
Avg net price $6,555/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,470
Out‑of‑state$20,070
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 78

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

Sponsored Ad
#7

Southern California Institute of Technology

Anaheim, CA 24.7 miles from Rancho Santa Margarita
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
71.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 84%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,598
Avg net price $33,392/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 88%
  • Programs offered: 7

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Cypress College

Cypress, CA 28.0 miles from Rancho Santa Margarita
  • 4 year
49.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,533
Avg net price $4,606/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 84

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad

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

Engineering 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)
Civil Engineer $108,640 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $95,634
Electrical Engineer $139,780 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $123,046
Mechanical Engineer $123,900 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $109,067
Chemical Engineer $134,210 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $118,143
Aerospace Engineer $163,280 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $143,732
Biomedical Engineer $128,240 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $112,887
Environmental Engineer $127,900 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $112,588
Architectural and Engineering Manager $190,900 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $168,046

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
Engineering-related employment in Orange County 29,431 workers, 3,059 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Rancho Santa Margarita-Area Cities With Engineering Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited engineering schools are near Rancho Santa Margarita, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs near Rancho Santa Margarita. The closest is Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, CA (6.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Santiago Canyon College (14.9 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying engineering roles near Rancho Santa Margarita?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying engineering-related roles near Rancho Santa Margarita are: Architectural and Engineering Manager ($190,900), Aerospace Engineer ($163,280), Electrical Engineer ($139,780). 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 engineering 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 engineering?

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 Engineering Programs

Other Programs Available in Rancho Santa Margarita

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Rancho Santa Margarita:

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 Engineering Schools in California: Online Programs (2026)