Best Journalism Schools Near Newport Beach, CA (2026)

Newport Beach, California has 51 accredited schools offering journalism programs, with tuition ranging from $1,150 to $64,984 per year for indexed programs. Newport Beach has a population of about 84,304. Median household income is $158,461 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 69.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning journalism-related role is Editor at a median $100,050 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Journalism Schools to Newport Beach

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer journalism programs near Newport Beach, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Newport Beach 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 Newport Beach. 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

University of California-Irvine

Irvine, CA 2.7 miles from Newport Beach
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • 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: 28

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

#2

Chapman University

Orange, CA 3.2 miles from Newport Beach
  • 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: 29

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Santa Ana College

Santa Ana, CA 9.9 miles from Newport Beach
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • 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: 70

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

#4

Cypress College

Cypress, CA 17.3 miles from Newport Beach
  • 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: 63

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

California State University-Long Beach

Long Beach, CA 18.6 miles from Newport Beach
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
86.2 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 46%
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,403
Avg net price $10,440/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,350
Out‑of‑state$19,950
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 41

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

#6

Biola University

La Mirada, CA 21.9 miles from Newport Beach
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
61.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,778
Avg net price $31,495/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 26

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

California State University-Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA 28.2 miles from Newport Beach
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
70.1 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 93%
Graduation rate 45%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,162
Avg net price $8,615/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,449
Out‑of‑state$20,049
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 69%
  • Programs offered: 34

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

#8

Rio Hondo College

Whittier, CA 29.5 miles from Newport Beach
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
59.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,950
Avg net price $14,379/yr
Tuition
In‑state$1,388
Out‑of‑state$9,884
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 63

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

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


Journalism Wages Near Newport Beach

Newport Beach 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.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
News Analyst, Reporter, and JournalistN/ACA statewide
Editor$100,050Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$88,072
Public Relations Specialist$79,860Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$70,299

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.


Newport Beach at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population84,304Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$158,461Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+69.6%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)113.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Newport Beach-Area Cities With Journalism Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited journalism schools are near Newport Beach, CA?

Our directory has 51 accredited schools offering journalism programs near Newport Beach. The closest is University of California-Irvine in Irvine, CA (2.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Long Beach City College (21.6 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying journalism roles near Newport Beach?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying journalism-related roles near Newport Beach are: Editor ($100,050), Public Relations Specialist ($79,860). 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 Costa Mesa instead of Newport Beach?

Costa Mesa, CA is 4.5 miles from Newport Beach and has its own set of local journalism programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Newport Beach an affordable place to study journalism?

Newport Beach’s median household income of $158,461 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Newport Beach 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 Journalism Programs

Other Programs Available in Newport Beach

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

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.