Best Public Administration Schools Near Santa Ana, CA (2026)

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

Santa Ana, California has 5 accredited schools offering public administration programs, with tuition ranging from $7,350 to $35,325 per year for indexed programs. Santa Ana has a population of about 311,639. Median household income is $88,354 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 18.0% 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 Santa Ana

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

California State University-Fullerton

Fullerton, CA 10.0 miles from Santa Ana
  • 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

#2

Touro University Worldwide

Los Alamitos, CA 11.3 miles from Santa Ana
  • 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

#3

California State University-Long Beach

Long Beach, CA 13.6 miles from Santa Ana
  • 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

#4

University of Massachusetts Global

Aliso Viejo, CA 13.8 miles from Santa Ana
  • 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

#5

California State Polytechnic University-Pomona

Pomona, CA 22.5 miles from Santa Ana
  • 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 State University-Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA 23.2 miles from Santa Ana
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
70.1 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 93%
Graduation rate 45%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,162
Avg net price $8,615/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,449
Out‑of‑state$20,049
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 69%
  • Programs offered: 63

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

#7

University of La Verne

La Verne, CA 25.9 miles from Santa Ana
  • 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

#8

Los Angeles Pacific University

San Dimas, CA 26.0 miles from Santa Ana
  • 4 year
  • Exclusively online
35.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 48%
Avg net price $22,677/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 48%
  • Programs offered: 17

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Public Administration Wages Near Santa Ana

Santa Ana 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.

Santa Ana at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population311,639Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$88,354Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+18.0%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)113.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Santa Ana-Area Cities With Public Administration Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public administration schools are near Santa Ana, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering public administration programs near Santa Ana. The closest is Santiago Canyon College in Orange, CA (7.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Massachusetts Global (13.8 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying public administration roles near Santa Ana?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public administration-related roles near Santa Ana 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 Santa Ana?

Tustin, CA is 4.1 miles from Santa Ana 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 Santa Ana an affordable place to study public administration?

Santa Ana’s median household income of $88,354 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Santa Ana 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 Santa Ana

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

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.

Back to Best Public Administration Schools in California (2026)