El Cajon, California has 14 accredited schools offering forensic science programs, with tuition ranging from $1,146 to $41,228 per year for indexed programs. El Cajon has a population of about 104,909. Median household income is $66,478 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 22.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area, the top-earning forensic science-related role is Detective and Criminal Investigator at a median $124,840 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Forensic Science Schools to El Cajon
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer forensic science programs near El Cajon, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from El Cajon 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 El Cajon.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$40,309
Avg net price
$5,311/yr
TuitionIn‑state$1,332
Out‑of‑state$10,628
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California forensic science page.
Forensic Science Wages Near El Cajon
El Cajon 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) |
|---|
| Forensic Science Technician | $105,320 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $94,120 |
| Detective and Criminal Investigator | $124,840 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $111,564 |
| 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.
El Cajon at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 104,909 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $66,478 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 22.2% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 111.9 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other El Cajon-Area Cities With Forensic Science Programs
- Santee, CA – 4.0 mi away (57,834 pop)
- La Mesa, CA – 4.1 mi away (59,948 pop)
- Lemon Grove, CA – 6.4 mi away (26,860 pop)
- San Diego, CA – 9.6 mi away (3,181,172 pop)
- National City, CA – 12.4 mi away (61,147 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited forensic science schools are near El Cajon, CA?
Our directory has 14 accredited schools offering forensic science programs near El Cajon. The closest is Grossmont College in El Cajon, CA (2.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Norco College (84.7 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying forensic science roles near El Cajon?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying forensic science-related roles near El Cajon are: Detective and Criminal Investigator ($124,840), Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer ($110,400), Forensic Science Technician ($105,320). 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 Santee instead of El Cajon?
Santee, CA is 4.0 miles from El Cajon and has its own set of local forensic science programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is El Cajon an affordable place to study forensic science?
El Cajon’s median household income of $66,478 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in El Cajon 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 Forensic Science Programs
Other Programs Available in El Cajon
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for El Cajon:
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- Graphic Design programs in El Cajon, CA
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- Criminal Justice programs in El Cajon, CA
- Nursing programs in El Cajon, CA
- Business Administration programs in El Cajon, CA
- Computer Science programs in El Cajon, CA
- Psychology programs in El Cajon, CA
- Education programs in El Cajon, CA
- Engineering programs in El Cajon, CA
- Technology programs in El Cajon, CA
- Liberal Arts programs in El Cajon, CA
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- Accounting programs in El Cajon, CA
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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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