San Clemente, California has 39 accredited schools offering paralegal programs, with tuition ranging from $1,150 to $13,494 per year for indexed programs. San Clemente has a population of about 63,510. Median household income is $134,735 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 51.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning paralegal-related role is Lawyer at a median $194,410 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Paralegal Schools to San Clemente
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer paralegal programs near San Clemente, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from San Clemente 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 San Clemente.
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
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
30%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$43,533
Avg net price
$4,606/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
36%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$39,003
Avg net price
$34,483/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:Accreditor: Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
71%
Graduation rate
64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$65,464
Avg net price
$20,161/yr
TuitionIn‑state$49,470
Out‑of‑state$49,470
Key stats- Retention rate: 70%
- Programs offered: 30
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$67,548
Avg net price
$22,878/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 53%
- Programs offered: 53
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$48,414
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
81%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$86,522
Avg net price
$30,365/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 91%
- Programs offered: 29
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California paralegal page.
Paralegal Wages Near San Clemente
San Clemente 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) |
|---|
| Paralegal and Legal Assistant | $77,520 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $68,239 |
| Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant | $62,620 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $55,123 |
| Lawyer | $194,410 | Los 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.
San Clemente at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 63,510 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $134,735 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 51.7% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 113.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other San Clemente-Area Cities With Paralegal Programs
- San Juan Capistrano, CA – 4.4 mi away (36,276 pop)
- Dana Point, CA – 5.2 mi away (34,012 pop)
- Laguna Niguel, CA – 7.7 mi away (65,328 pop)
- Laguna Beach, CA – 10.9 mi away (23,190 pop)
- Laguna Hills, CA – 11.1 mi away (31,509 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited paralegal schools are near San Clemente, CA?
Our directory has 39 accredited schools offering paralegal programs near San Clemente. The closest is University of Massachusetts Global in Irvine, CA (16.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Fremont University (40.2 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying paralegal roles near San Clemente?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying paralegal-related roles near San Clemente 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 San Juan Capistrano instead of San Clemente?
San Juan Capistrano, CA is 4.4 miles from San Clemente and has its own set of local paralegal programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is San Clemente an affordable place to study paralegal?
San Clemente’s median household income of $134,735 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in San Clemente 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 Paralegal Programs
Other Programs Available in San Clemente
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for San Clemente:
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- Artificial Intelligence programs in San Clemente, CA
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- Project Management programs in San Clemente, CA
- Special Education programs in San Clemente, CA
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- Marketing programs in San Clemente, CA
- Finance programs in San Clemente, CA
- Kinesiology programs in San Clemente, CA
- Sports Management programs in San Clemente, CA
- Early Childhood Education programs in San Clemente, CA
- Elementary Education programs in San Clemente, CA
- Biology programs in San Clemente, CA
- Communications programs in San Clemente, CA
- Graphic Design programs in San Clemente, CA
- Human Services programs in San Clemente, CA
- MBA programs in San Clemente, CA
- Criminal Justice programs in San Clemente, CA
- Nursing programs in San Clemente, CA
- Business Administration programs in San Clemente, CA
- Computer Science programs in San Clemente, CA
- Psychology programs in San Clemente, CA
- Education programs in San Clemente, CA
- Engineering programs in San Clemente, CA
- Technology programs in San Clemente, CA
- Liberal Arts programs in San Clemente, CA
- Healthcare programs in San Clemente, CA
- Cybersecurity programs in San Clemente, CA
- Accounting programs in San Clemente, CA
- Healthcare Administration programs in San Clemente, CA
- Social Work programs in San Clemente, CA
- Counseling programs in San Clemente, CA
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.
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