Best Legal Studies Schools Near Laguna Beach, CA (2026)

Updated August 31, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Laguna Beach, California has 5 accredited schools offering legal studies programs, with tuition ranging from $1,156 to $35,325 per year for indexed programs. Laguna Beach has a population of about 22,777. Median household income is $140,508 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 67.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning legal studies-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 studies programs near Laguna Beach, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Laguna 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 Laguna 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 Massachusetts Global

Aliso Viejo, CA 3.3 miles from Laguna Beach
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
44.5 BOC Score
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: 41

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

#2

Trinity Law School

Santa Ana, CA 16.1 miles from Laguna Beach
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,989
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 2

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Santa Ana College

Santa Ana, CA 16.5 miles from Laguna Beach
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • 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: 88

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

#4

Cypress College

Cypress, CA 24.8 miles from Laguna 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: 84

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

MiraCosta College

Oceanside, CA 36.1 miles from Laguna Beach
  • 4 year
54.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,845
Avg net price $7,339/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 89%
  • Programs offered: 82

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

University of La Verne

La Verne, CA 38.4 miles from Laguna Beach
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
62.5 BOC Score
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: 58

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

#7

Scripps College

Claremont, CA 38.7 miles from Laguna Beach
  • 4 year
64.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 84%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $77,539
Avg net price $36,294/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Programs offered: 53

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA 47.7 miles from Laguna Beach
  • 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

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

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

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.

Laguna Beach at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population22,777Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$140,508Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+67.1%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 5 accredited schools offering legal studies programs near Laguna Beach. The closest is University of Massachusetts Global in Aliso Viejo, CA (3.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Golden West College (19.0 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying legal studies-related roles near Laguna Beach 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 Aliso Viejo instead of Laguna Beach?

Aliso Viejo, CA is 3.0 miles from Laguna Beach and has its own set of local legal studies programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Laguna Beach’s median household income of $140,508 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Laguna 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.

Other Programs Available in Laguna Beach

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

Data verified: August 31, 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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