Best Higher Education Administration Schools Near Irvine, CA

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Irvine, California has 5 accredited schools offering higher education administration programs, with tuition ranging from $7,470 to $20,070 per year for indexed programs. Irvine has a population of about 308,160. Median household income is $129,647 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 70.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning higher education administration-related role is Education Administrators, Postsecondary at a median $125,230 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Higher Education Administration Schools to Irvine

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

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

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#1

California State University-Fullerton

Fullerton, CA 15.5 miles from Irvine
  • 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

#2

California Baptist University

Riverside, CA 26.5 miles from Irvine
  • 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

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#3

Azusa Pacific University

Azusa, CA 32.0 miles from Irvine
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
72.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $66,677
Avg net price $22,212/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 75

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA 37.7 miles from Irvine
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
80.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $92,498
Avg net price $32,740/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 267

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA 42.1 miles from Irvine
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
72.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 81%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,349
Avg net price $48,381/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 88%
  • Programs offered: 80

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

University of Redlands

Redlands, CA 44.1 miles from Irvine
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
66.0 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 83%
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $72,690
Avg net price $30,031/yr
Tuition
In‑state$60,878
Out‑of‑state$60,878
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 67

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

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#7

University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences

San Marcos, CA 50.5 miles from Irvine
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $79,150
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 9

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

California State University-Northridge

Northridge, CA 58.2 miles from Irvine
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
75.1 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 93%
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,115
Avg net price $7,021/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,458
Out‑of‑state$20,058
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 103

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

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

Higher Education Administration Wages Near Irvine

Irvine 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)
Education Administrators, Postsecondary $125,230 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $110,238
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors $79,000 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $69,542
Instructional Coordinators $84,850 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $74,692
Training and Development Specialists $71,990 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $63,371
Education Administrators, All Other $83,990 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $73,935
Education Teachers, Postsecondary $105,730 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $93,072
Social and Community Service Managers $87,100 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $76,673
Human Resources Specialists $80,220 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $70,616

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.

Irvine at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 308,160 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $129,647 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 70.6% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 113.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Irvine-Area Cities With Higher Education Administration Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited higher education administration schools are near Irvine, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering higher education administration programs near Irvine. The closest is California State University-Fullerton in Fullerton, CA (15.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Loyola Marymount University (42.1 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying higher education administration roles near Irvine?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying higher education administration-related roles near Irvine are: Education Administrators, Postsecondary ($125,230), Education Teachers, Postsecondary ($105,730), Social and Community Service Managers ($87,100). 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 Tustin instead of Irvine?

Tustin, CA is 4.3 miles from Irvine and has its own set of local higher education administration programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Irvine an affordable place to study higher education administration?

Irvine’s median household income of $129,647 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Irvine 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 Higher Education Administration Programs

Other Programs Available in Irvine

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

Data verified: September 5, 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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