Medical Assistant Schools Near Rancho Santa Margarita, CA

Updated August 25, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Rancho Santa Margarita, California has 5 accredited schools offering medical assistant programs, with tuition ranging from $1,156 to $13,939 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 medical assistant-related role is Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant at a median $51,410 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Medical Assistant Schools to Rancho Santa Margarita

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer medical assistant 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:

  • 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.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Santa Ana College

Santa Ana, CA 18.8 miles from Rancho Santa Margarita
  • 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: 55

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

#2

Platt College-Anaheim

Anaheim, CA 20.2 miles from Rancho Santa Margarita
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
59.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,669
Avg net price $22,678/yr
Tuition
In‑state$14,922
Out‑of‑state$14,922
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 11

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

#3

Platt College-Riverside

Riverside, CA 27.0 miles from Rancho Santa Margarita
  • 4 year
47.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,669
Avg net price $21,889/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 10

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Platt College-Ontario

Ontario, CA 30.3 miles from Rancho Santa Margarita
  • 4 year
48.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,669
Avg net price $20,711/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 11

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

InterCoast Colleges-West Covina

West Covina, CA 35.0 miles from Rancho Santa Margarita
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
54.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,089
Avg net price $27,536/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 14

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

MiraCosta College

Oceanside, CA 35.2 miles from Rancho Santa Margarita
  • 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: 44

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Platt College-Los Angeles

Alhambra, CA 44.4 miles from Rancho Santa Margarita
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
54.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,669
Avg net price $27,551/yr
Tuition
In‑state$14,922
Out‑of‑state$14,922
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 15

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

#8

Homestead Schools

Torrance, CA 44.9 miles from Rancho Santa Margarita
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
75.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 94%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,398
Avg net price $15,962/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 3

Source:Accreditor: Accrediting Bureau of Health Education SchoolsIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Medical Assistant 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.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Medical Assistant$47,760Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$42,042
Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant$51,410Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$45,255
Healthcare Support Worker$49,130Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$43,248

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

MetricValueSource
Population47,257Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$146,827Census 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

Other Rancho Santa Margarita-Area Cities With Medical Assistant Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited medical assistant schools are near Rancho Santa Margarita, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering medical assistant programs near Rancho Santa Margarita. The closest is Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, CA (6.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Santa Ana College (18.8 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying medical assistant roles near Rancho Santa Margarita?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying medical assistant-related roles near Rancho Santa Margarita are: Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant ($51,410), Healthcare Support Worker ($49,130), Medical Assistant ($47,760). 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 medical assistant 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 medical assistant?

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 Medical Assistant Programs

Other Programs Available in Rancho Santa Margarita

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

Data verified: August 25, 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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