Best Political Science Schools Near Orange, CA (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Orange, California has 5 accredited schools offering political science programs, with tuition ranging from $1,180 to $20,070 per year for indexed programs. Orange has a population of about 138,723. Median household income is $116,945 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 40.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning political science-related role is Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary at a median $119,590 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Political Science Schools to Orange

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer political science programs near Orange, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Orange 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 Orange. 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

Chapman University

Orange, CA 1.9 miles from Orange
  • 4 year
61.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 82%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $70,070
Avg net price $46,555/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Programs offered: 77

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Santiago Canyon College

Orange, CA 3.2 miles from Orange
  • 2 year
56.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,956
Avg net price $2,129/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 60

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Political Science Wages Near Orange

Orange 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)
Political Scientists N/A CA statewide –
Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary $119,590 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $105,273
Management Analysts $104,930 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $92,368
Public Relations Specialists $79,860 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $70,299
Survey Researchers $83,520 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $73,521
Paralegals and Legal Assistants $77,520 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $68,239
Compliance Officers $94,810 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $83,460
Social and Community Service Managers $87,100 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $76,673

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.

Orange at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 138,723 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $116,945 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 40.1% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 113.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Orange-Area Cities With Political Science Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited political science schools are near Orange, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering political science programs near Orange. The closest is Chapman University in Orange, CA (1.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Fullerton College (7.4 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying political science roles near Orange?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying political science-related roles near Orange are: Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary ($119,590), Management Analysts ($104,930), Compliance Officers ($94,810). 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 Anaheim instead of Orange?

Anaheim, CA is 3.2 miles from Orange and has its own set of local political science programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Orange an affordable place to study political science?

Orange’s median household income of $116,945 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Orange 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 Political Science Programs

Other Programs Available in Orange

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

Data verified: September 5, 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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