Best Legal Services Schools Near Mission Viejo, CA (2026)

Mission Viejo, California has 50 accredited schools offering legal services programs, with tuition ranging from $1,150 to $64,984 per year for indexed programs. Mission Viejo has a population of about 92,415. Median household income is $136,071 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 51.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning legal services-related role is Lawyer at a median $194,410 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


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

#1

University of Massachusetts Global

Aliso Viejo, CA 7.3 miles from Mission Viejo BOC Score 44.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $65,703
Avg net price $32,654/yr
Tuition
In‑state$12,540
Out‑of‑state$12,540
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 52%
  • Programs offered: 28

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

#2

Santa Ana College

Santa Ana, CA 16.9 miles from Mission Viejo BOC Score 65.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
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

#3

Cypress College

Cypress, CA 26.1 miles from Mission Viejo BOC Score 49.5
  • 4 year
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

#4

Fremont University

Cerritos, CA 31.1 miles from Mission Viejo BOC Score 54.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 36%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,003
Avg net price $34,483/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 10

Source:Accreditor: Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

University of La Verne

La Verne, CA 34.5 miles from Mission Viejo BOC Score 62.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 71%
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $65,464
Avg net price $20,161/yr
Tuition
In‑state$49,470
Out‑of‑state$49,470
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 30

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

#6

West Los Angeles College

Culver City, CA 50.1 miles from Mission Viejo BOC Score 59.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 18%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,537
Avg net price $9,634/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 43

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Abraham Lincoln University

Glendale, CA 50.7 miles from Mission Viejo BOC Score 23.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 22%
Avg net price $28,584/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 62%
  • Programs offered: 5

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Santa Monica College

Santa Monica, CA 54.7 miles from Mission Viejo BOC Score 63.0
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,193
Avg net price $2,779/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 46

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Mission Viejo 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)
Paralegal and Legal Assistant$77,520Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$68,239
Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant$62,620Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$55,123
Lawyer$194,410Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$171,136

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.


Mission Viejo at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population92,415Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$136,071Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+51.1%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)113.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024


Frequently Asked Questions

Our directory has 50 accredited schools offering legal services programs near Mission Viejo. The closest is University of Massachusetts Global in Irvine, CA (7.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Cypress College (26.1 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying legal services-related roles near Mission Viejo are: Lawyer ($194,410), Paralegal and Legal Assistant ($77,520), Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant ($62,620). 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 Laguna Hills instead of Mission Viejo?

Laguna Hills, CA is 2.8 miles from Mission Viejo and has its own set of local legal services programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Mission Viejo’s median household income of $136,071 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Mission Viejo 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.


Other Programs Available in Mission Viejo

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

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.