2023 Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in California
16
Ranked Colleges
568
Degrees Awarded
$27,480
Avg Salary
With all of the options veterans have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 6,966 people earned their degree in area studies, making the major the 115th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, area studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $33,127 and had an average of $20,927 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 880 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,544 and $17,829 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 568 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,566 and $21,995 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s” ranking looked at 16 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in area studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality area studies programs as well as strong veteran support.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the area studies program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s”.
Top 16 Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in California
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 92 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list.Our most recent data shows that 7 of the 44,589 students enrolled at University of California - Los Angeles were GI Bill® students, of which 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,071. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.
UCSD also took the #6 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, UCSD supports 39,576 students, and 112 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 54 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $1,596. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Diego State University. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s. San Diego State University is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Of the 36,334 students enrolled at San Diego State University, 1,433 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 853 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,806. In addition to receiving other benefits, 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 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 San Diego State University]](/colleges/san-diego-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s list. California State University - Long Beach is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 42 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
CSULB also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #8.Among the 40,069 students enrolled at CSULB, 822 are 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. 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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…
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 12 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list.Among the 15,953 students enrolled at Stanford University, 188 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 118 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,909. To help with additional expenses, 61 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Stanford University Veteran Student Life Report
University of California - Irvine landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of California - Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 35 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Irvine also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #7.According to our most recent data, UC Irvine supports 36,303 students, and 8 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 5 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,620. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, 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%.
Read More…
University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #7 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s list. UCSB is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 37 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list.Among the 26,179 students enrolled at University of California - Santa Barbara, 286 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 $9,510. To help with additional expenses, 3 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of California - Santa Barbara offers 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read More…
University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #8. University of California - Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 34 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list.Of the 39,074 students enrolled at UC Davis, 31 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 23 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,489. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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%.
Read More…
University of San Francisco ranked #9 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s list. University of San Francisco is located in San Francisco, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
USFCA also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #10.Of the 10,068 students enrolled at University of San Francisco, 6 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 5 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $19,232. During this same period, 2 students received scholarships through 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%.
Full University of San Francisco Veteran Student Life Report
University of California - Riverside came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school handed out 19 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
UCR also took the #12 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 11 of the 26,434 students enrolled at UCR were GI Bill® students, of which 5 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $2,182. 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.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, 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 UCR Veteran Student Life Report
California State University - Fullerton landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking. California State University - Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 51 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal State Fullerton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list.Among the 42,051 students enrolled at Cal State Fullerton, 748 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 342 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,729. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Cal State Fullerton does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Read More…
California State University - Chico came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking. This fairly large school is located in Chico, California, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Chico State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list.Of the 16,746 students enrolled at California State University - Chico, 354 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 166 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,098. During this same period, 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 impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Chico State Veteran Student Life Report
University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking. UC Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Santa Cruz, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 273 of the 19,161 students enrolled at UC Santa Cruz were GI Bill® students, of which 114 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,631. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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 UC Santa Cruz Veteran Student Life Report
California State University - Northridge came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school awarded 6 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree vets studying area studies list, CSUN has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 680 of the 40,381 students enrolled at CSUN were GI Bill® students, of which 336 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,745. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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 - Northridge]](/colleges/california-state-university-northridge/student-life/veterans/)
California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #15. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Sac State also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #17.Our most recent data shows that 34 of the 32,293 students enrolled at California State University - Sacramento were GI Bill® students, of which 23 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,555. 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 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 Sac State]](/colleges/california-state-university-sacramento/student-life/veterans/)
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