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2023 Best Hospitality Management Colleges for Veterans in California

16 Ranked Colleges
1,094 Degrees Awarded
$29,600 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in California for Hospitality

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Hospitality” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 17,689 people earned their degree in hospitality management, making the major the 66th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, hospitality management graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $35,874 and had an average of $22,906 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 1,094 hospitality management graduates with average earnings and debt of $47,477 and $16,085 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Hospitality” ranking analyzed 16 colleges that offered a degree in hospitality management. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality hospitality management programs as well as strong veteran support.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the hospitality management program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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The hospitality school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Hospitality”.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Most Veteran Friendly in California for Hospitality

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Hospitality”.

Top 16 Best Hospitality Management Colleges for Veterans in California

1
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Hospitality list. University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 47 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

USC also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1,311 of the 46,287 students enrolled at USC were GI Bill® students, of which 862 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $20,487. During this same period, 388 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

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2
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Diego State University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Hospitality. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school awarded 109 diplomas to qualified ’s hospitality students in 2020-2021.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 36,334 students enrolled at San Diego State University, 1,433 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 853 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,806. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

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3

Out of the 16 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Hospitality that were part of this year’s ranking, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #3 spot on the list. Cal Poly Pomona is a large school located in Pomona, California that handed out 277 ’s hospitality degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly Pomona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 30,014 students enrolled at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona, 34 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 17 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,486. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal Poly Pomona Veteran Student Life Report

4

Out of the 16 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Hospitality that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #4 spot on the list. CSULB is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 72 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 40,069 students enrolled at CSULB, 822 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 310 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,845. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

[Read full report on veteran student life at CSULB]](/colleges/california-state-university-long-beach/student-life/veterans/)

5
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of San Francisco. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Hospitality list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s hospitality degrees to 25 students in 2020-2021.

USFCA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 10,068 students enrolled at University of San Francisco, 6 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 5 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $19,232. On top of their other funding sources, 2 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full USFCA Veteran Student Life Report

6
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Hospitality ranking, coming in at #6. San Jose State University is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 62 ’s hospitality degrees in 2020-2021.

San Jose State also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 36,208 students enrolled at San Jose State, 660 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 384 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,909. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full San Jose State University Veteran Student Life Report

7
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Hospitality ranking. San Francisco State University is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 67 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california vets studying hospitality list, SFSU has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 27,349 students enrolled at San Francisco State University, 950 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 536 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,581. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. San Francisco State University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

8

California State University - Northridge came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Hospitality ranking. California State University - Northridge is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 67 ’s hospitality degrees to qualified students.

CSUN not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 680 of the 40,381 students enrolled at California State University - Northridge were GI Bill® students, of which 336 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,745. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read More…

9

California State University - Monterey Bay landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Hospitality ranking. California State University - Monterey Bay is a public institution located in Seaside, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUMB, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, California State University - Monterey Bay supports 7,409 students, and 20 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 11 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,369. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at CSUMB]](/colleges/california-state-university-monterey-bay/student-life/veterans/)

10

California State University - East Bay did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Hospitality ranking, coming in at #10. California State University - East Bay is located in Hayward, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 74 ’s hospitality degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State East Bay, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, California State University - East Bay supports 16,253 students, and 32 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 16 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,956. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at California State University - East Bay]](/colleges/california-state-university-east-bay/student-life/veterans/)

11
Mt. SAC crest
Mt. San Antonio College
Walnut, California

Mt. San Antonio College did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Hospitality ranking, coming in at #11. Mt. San Antonio College is located in Walnut, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 37 ’s hospitality degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california vets studying hospitality list, Mt. SAC has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 28,393 students enrolled at Mt. San Antonio College, 581 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 435 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $276. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Mt. San Antonio College]](/colleges/mt-san-antonio-college/student-life/veterans/)

12
San Diego Mesa College crest
San Diego Mesa College
San Diego, California

San Diego Mesa College did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Hospitality ranking, coming in at #12. San Diego Mesa College is a fairly large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 7 ’s hospitality degrees in 2020-2021.

San Diego Mesa College also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, San Diego Mesa College supports 20,693 students, and 982 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 745 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $536. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

[Read full report on veteran student life at San Diego Mesa College]](/colleges/san-diego-mesa-college/student-life/veterans/)

13
Cerritos College crest
Cerritos College
Norwalk, California

Cerritos College ranked #13 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Hospitality list. Cerritos College is a public institution located in Norwalk, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Cerritos College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 20,406 students enrolled at Cerritos College, 248 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 175 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $446. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Read More…

14
Orange Coast College crest
Orange Coast College
Costa Mesa, California

Orange Coast College ranked #14 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Hospitality list. Orange Coast College is a fairly large school located in Costa Mesa, California that handed out 10 ’s hospitality degrees in 2020-2021.

Orange Coast College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 18,125 students enrolled at Orange Coast College, 447 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 324 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $526. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Orange Coast College]](/colleges/orange-coast-college/student-life/veterans/)

15
College of the Canyons crest
College of the Canyons
Santa Clarita, California

College of the Canyons landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Hospitality ranking. Santa Clarita, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s hospitality degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.

College of the Canyons also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 20,573 students enrolled at College of the Canyons, 396 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 270 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $585. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Full College of the Canyons Veteran Student Life Report

16
College of the Desert crest
College of the Desert
Palm Desert, California

College of the Desert did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Hospitality ranking, coming in at #16. This fairly large school is located in Palm Desert, California, and it awarded 14 ’s hospitality degrees in 2020-2021.

College of the Desert also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 10,932 students enrolled at College of the Desert, 203 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 128 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $436. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

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