Best Public Administration Schools Near Irvine, CA (2026)

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

Irvine, California has 5 accredited schools offering public administration programs, with tuition ranging from $7,350 to $35,325 per year for indexed programs. Irvine has a population of about 308,160. Median household income is $129,647 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 70.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning public administration-related role is General and Operations Manager at a median $125,830 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Public Administration Schools to Irvine

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

University of Massachusetts Global

Aliso Viejo, CA 7.0 miles from Irvine
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
44.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $65,703
Avg net price $32,654/yr
Tuition
In‑state$12,540
Out‑of‑state$12,540
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 52%
  • Programs offered: 41

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

California State University-Fullerton

Fullerton, CA 15.5 miles from Irvine
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
85.3 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 91%
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,951
Avg net price $6,555/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,470
Out‑of‑state$20,070
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 78

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Touro University Worldwide

Los Alamitos, CA 18.7 miles from Irvine
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
39.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,803
Avg net price $19,058/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 21

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

California State University-Long Beach

Long Beach, CA 20.8 miles from Irvine
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
86.2 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 46%
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,403
Avg net price $10,440/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,350
Out‑of‑state$19,950
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 121

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

California State Polytechnic University-Pomona

Pomona, CA 26.4 miles from Irvine
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
86.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 75%
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,902
Avg net price $11,531/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,780
Out‑of‑state$20,380
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 88%
  • Programs offered: 64

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

California Baptist University

Riverside, CA 26.5 miles from Irvine
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
56.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,504
Avg net price $26,285/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 98

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Claremont Lincoln University

Claremont, CA 29.0 miles from Irvine
  • 4 year
  • Exclusively online
  • Accredited
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 7

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

University of La Verne

La Verne, CA 29.3 miles from Irvine
  • 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 public administration page.

Public Administration Wages Near Irvine

Irvine 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)
Social and Community Service Manager$87,100Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$76,673
Urban and Regional Planner$111,380Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$98,046
General and Operations Manager$125,830Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$110,766
Management Analyst$104,930Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$92,368

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.

Irvine at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population308,160Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$129,647Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+70.6%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)113.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Irvine-Area Cities With Public Administration Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public administration schools are near Irvine, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering public administration programs near Irvine. The closest is University of Massachusetts Global in Aliso Viejo, CA (7.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is California State University-Long Beach (20.8 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying public administration roles near Irvine?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public administration-related roles near Irvine are: General and Operations Manager ($125,830), Urban and Regional Planner ($111,380), Management Analyst ($104,930). 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 Tustin instead of Irvine?

Tustin, CA is 4.3 miles from Irvine and has its own set of local public administration programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Irvine an affordable place to study public administration?

Irvine’s median household income of $129,647 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Irvine 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 Public Administration Programs

Other Programs Available in Irvine

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

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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