Best Legal Studies Schools Near Santa Monica, CA (2026)

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

Santa Monica, California has 5 accredited schools offering legal studies programs. Santa Monica has a population of about 91,535. Median household income is $109,739 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 68.9% 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 Santa Monica, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Santa Monica 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 Santa Monica. 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

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA 5.2 miles from Santa Monica
  • 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

#2

West Los Angeles College

Culver City, CA 5.6 miles from Santa Monica
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
59.2 BOC Score
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: 60

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Abraham Lincoln University

Glendale, CA 15.4 miles from Santa Monica
  • 4 year
  • Exclusively online
23.2 BOC Score
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

#4

Moorpark College

Moorpark, CA 27.9 miles from Santa Monica
  • 4 year
65.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,044
Avg net price $-2,296/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 63

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Cypress College

Cypress, CA 29.4 miles from Santa Monica
  • 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

#6

Santa Ana College

Santa Ana, CA 38.6 miles from Santa Monica
  • 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

#7

Trinity Law School

Santa Ana, CA 40.2 miles from Santa Monica
  • 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

#8

University of La Verne

La Verne, CA 40.9 miles from Santa Monica
  • 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

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

Santa Monica 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.

Santa Monica at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population91,535Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$109,739Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+68.9%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 Santa Monica. The closest is Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA (5.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Abraham Lincoln University (15.4 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 Santa Monica 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 Culver City instead of Santa Monica?

Culver City, CA is 5.0 miles from Santa Monica 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.

Santa Monica’s median household income of $109,739 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Santa Monica 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 Santa Monica

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

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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