Rancho Santa Margarita, California has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs, with tuition ranging from $1,180 to $12,427 per year for indexed programs. Rancho Santa Margarita has a population of about 47,257. Median household income is $146,827 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 48.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning liberal arts-related role is Management Analyst at a median $104,930 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Liberal Arts Schools to Rancho Santa Margarita
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer liberal arts programs near Rancho Santa Margarita, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Rancho Santa Margarita 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:
BOCSCORE
- 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 Rancho Santa Margarita.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$65,703
Avg net price
$32,654/yr
TuitionIn‑state$12,540
Out‑of‑state$12,540
Key stats- Retention rate: 52%
- Programs offered: 28
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
67%
Avg net price
$35,426/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 73%
- Programs offered: 24
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$43,552
Avg net price
$3,133/yr
TuitionIn‑state$1,180
Out‑of‑state$10,756
Key stats- Retention rate: 100%
- Programs offered: 70
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$61,504
Avg net price
$26,285/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 74%
- Programs offered: 46
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$40,803
Avg net price
$19,058/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 72%
- Programs offered: 13
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$56,778
Avg net price
$31,495/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 85%
- Programs offered: 26
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
46%
Graduation rate
69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$64,403
Avg net price
$10,440/yr
TuitionIn‑state$7,350
Out‑of‑state$19,950
Key stats- Retention rate: 86%
- Programs offered: 41
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
75%
Graduation rate
68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$71,902
Avg net price
$11,531/yr
TuitionIn‑state$7,780
Out‑of‑state$20,380
Key stats- Retention rate: 88%
- Programs offered: 23
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California liberal arts page.
Liberal Arts Wages Near Rancho Santa Margarita
Rancho Santa Margarita 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) |
|---|
| Public Relations Specialist | $79,860 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $70,299 |
| Management Analyst | $104,930 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $92,368 |
| Technical Writer | $104,000 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $91,549 |
| News Analyst, Reporter, or Journalist | N/A | CA statewide | – |
| Editor | $100,050 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $88,072 |
| Training and Development Specialist | $71,990 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $63,371 |
| Human Resources Specialist | $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.
Rancho Santa Margarita at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 47,257 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $146,827 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 48.8% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 113.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
| Liberal Arts-related employment in Orange County | 7,676 workers, 913 establishments | BLS QCEW 2024 annual |
Other Rancho Santa Margarita-Area Cities With Liberal Arts Programs
- Mission Viejo, CA – 3.6 mi away (602,851 pop)
- Lake Forest, CA – 4.6 mi away (83,240 pop)
- Laguna Hills, CA – 6.4 mi away (31,509 pop)
- Aliso Viejo, CA – 8.3 mi away (51,424 pop)
- Laguna Niguel, CA – 9.4 mi away (65,328 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited liberal arts schools are near Rancho Santa Margarita, CA?
Accredited schools offering liberal arts programs near Rancho Santa Margarita are listed on this page, ranked by BOC Score and distance from the city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data on every site update, so it stays current as programs open and close.
What are the highest-paying liberal arts roles near Rancho Santa Margarita?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying liberal arts-related roles near Rancho Santa Margarita are: Management Analyst ($104,930), Technical Writer ($104,000), Editor ($100,050). 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 Mission Viejo instead of Rancho Santa Margarita?
Mission Viejo, CA is 3.6 miles from Rancho Santa Margarita and has its own set of local liberal arts programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Rancho Santa Margarita an affordable place to study liberal arts?
Rancho Santa Margarita’s median household income of $146,827 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Rancho Santa Margarita 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 Liberal Arts Programs
Other Programs Available in Rancho Santa Margarita
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Rancho Santa Margarita:
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Data verified: July 23, 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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