Placentia, California has 19 accredited schools offering forensic science programs, with tuition ranging from $1,144 to $41,228 per year for indexed programs. Placentia has a population of about 52,384. Median household income is $110,575 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 43.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning forensic science-related role is Detective and Criminal Investigator at a median $127,890 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Forensic Science Schools to Placentia
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer forensic science programs near Placentia, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Placentia 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 Placentia.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$44,950
Avg net price
$14,379/yr
TuitionIn‑state$1,388
Out‑of‑state$9,884
Key stats- Retention rate: 100%
- Programs offered: 63
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
91%
Graduation rate
53%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$59,211
Avg net price
$3,967/yr
TuitionIn‑state$7,160
Out‑of‑state$19,760
Key stats- Retention rate: 72%
- Programs offered: 33
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
92%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$89,816
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$67,548
Avg net price
$22,878/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 53%
- Programs offered: 53
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
85%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$76,310
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$78,988
Avg net price
$13,760/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 87%
- Programs offered: 40
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
42%
Graduation rate
85%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$80,838
Avg net price
$14,741/yr
TuitionIn‑state$16,774
Out‑of‑state$50,974
Key stats- Retention rate: 93%
- Programs offered: 27
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
21%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$38,142
Avg net price
$10,800/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 78%
- Programs offered: 20
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California forensic science page.
Forensic Science Wages Near Placentia
Placentia 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) |
|---|
| Forensic Science Technician | $104,410 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $91,910 |
| Detective and Criminal Investigator | $127,890 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $112,579 |
| Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer | $121,980 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $107,377 |
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.
Placentia at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 52,384 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $110,575 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 43.7% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 113.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Placentia-Area Cities With Forensic Science Programs
- Anaheim, CA – 2.9 mi away (351,043 pop)
- Brea, CA – 3.1 mi away (42,471 pop)
- Fullerton, CA – 4.2 mi away (140,721 pop)
- Yorba Linda, CA – 4.8 mi away (68,235 pop)
- Orange, CA – 5.6 mi away (140,504 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited forensic science schools are near Placentia, CA?
Our directory has 19 accredited schools offering forensic science programs near Placentia. The closest is Fullerton College in Fullerton, CA (3.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Riverside City College (27.7 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying forensic science roles near Placentia?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying forensic science-related roles near Placentia are: Detective and Criminal Investigator ($127,890), Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer ($121,980), Forensic Science Technician ($104,410). 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 Anaheim instead of Placentia?
Anaheim, CA is 2.9 miles from Placentia 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 Placentia an affordable place to study forensic science?
Placentia’s median household income of $110,575 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Placentia 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 Placentia
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Placentia:
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- Management Information Systems programs in Placentia, CA
- Nonprofit Management programs in Placentia, CA
- Operations Management programs in Placentia, CA
- Public Administration programs in Placentia, CA
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- Retail Management programs in Placentia, CA
- Risk Management programs in Placentia, CA
- Statistics programs in Placentia, CA
- Taxation programs in Placentia, CA
- Corrections programs in Placentia, CA
- Crime Analysis programs in Placentia, CA
- Criminal Justice Administration programs in Placentia, CA
- Criminology programs in Placentia, CA
- Cybercrime programs in Placentia, CA
- Emergency Management programs in Placentia, CA
- Fire Science programs in Placentia, CA
- Legal Services programs in Placentia, CA
- Legal Studies programs in Placentia, CA
- Paralegal programs in Placentia, CA
- Security Management programs in Placentia, CA
- Cloud Computing programs in Placentia, CA
- Computer Engineering programs in Placentia, CA
- Innovation programs in Placentia, CA
- Mobile App Development programs in Placentia, CA
- Software Development programs in Placentia, CA
- User Experience programs in Placentia, CA
- Web Development programs in Placentia, CA
- Artificial Intelligence programs in Placentia, CA
- Machine Learning programs in Placentia, CA
- Supply Chain Management programs in Placentia, CA
- Data Analytics programs in Placentia, CA
- Public Health programs in Placentia, CA
- Human Resources programs in Placentia, CA
- Project Management programs in Placentia, CA
- Special Education programs in Placentia, CA
- Homeland Security programs in Placentia, CA
- Marketing programs in Placentia, CA
- Finance programs in Placentia, CA
- Kinesiology programs in Placentia, CA
- Sports Management programs in Placentia, CA
- Early Childhood Education programs in Placentia, CA
- Elementary Education programs in Placentia, CA
- Biology programs in Placentia, CA
- Communications programs in Placentia, CA
- Graphic Design programs in Placentia, CA
- Human Services programs in Placentia, CA
- MBA programs in Placentia, CA
- Criminal Justice programs in Placentia, CA
- Nursing programs in Placentia, CA
- Business Administration programs in Placentia, CA
- Computer Science programs in Placentia, CA
- Psychology programs in Placentia, CA
- Education programs in Placentia, CA
- Engineering programs in Placentia, CA
- Technology programs in Placentia, CA
- Liberal Arts programs in Placentia, CA
- Healthcare programs in Placentia, CA
- Cybersecurity programs in Placentia, CA
- Accounting programs in Placentia, CA
- Healthcare Administration programs in Placentia, CA
- Social Work programs in Placentia, CA
- Counseling programs in Placentia, 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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