2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies
16
Ranked Colleges
880
Degrees Awarded
$33,800
Avg Cost*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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.
For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies” ranking, we looked at 16 colleges that offer a degree in area studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great area studies programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the area studies program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies”.
Top 16 Best Area Studies 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. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 103 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.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. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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%.
Full University of California - Los Angeles Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 16 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #2 spot on the list. University of California - San Diego is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 22 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSD also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].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. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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%.
Full University of California - San Diego Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies list. SDSU is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 13 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
SDSU also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 36,334 students enrolled at SDSU, 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 received scholarships 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Read More…
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies. CSULB is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 48 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california vets studying area studies list, CSULB has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.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 tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,845. 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 excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, 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…
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 43 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Stanford also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].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. On top of their other funding sources, 61 students received funds 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Stanford]](/colleges/stanford-university/student-life/veterans/)
University of California - Irvine landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies ranking. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school awarded 35 degrees to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 36,303 students enrolled at UC Irvine, 8 were 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 $3,620. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at UC Irvine]](/colleges/university-of-california-irvine/student-life/veterans/)
University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies ranking. UCSB is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 38 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california vets studying area studies list, UCSB has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, UCSB supports 26,179 students, and 286 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 128 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $9,510. During this same period, 3 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UCSB 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UCSB Veteran Student Life Report
University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies ranking, coming in at #8. University of California - Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 35 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california vets studying area studies list, UC Davis has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, University of California - Davis supports 39,074 students, and 31 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 23 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,489. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of California - Davis]](/colleges/university-of-california-davis/student-life/veterans/)
University of San Francisco did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies ranking, coming in at #9. USFCA is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 31 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california vets studying area studies list, USFCA has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 10,068 students enrolled at USFCA, 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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $19,232. During this same period, 2 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. USFCA 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 full report on veteran student life at University of San Francisco]](/colleges/university-of-san-francisco/student-life/veterans/)
University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies ranking, coming in at #10. UCR is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 21 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
UCR 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 26,434 students enrolled at UCR, 11 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 $2,182. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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%.
Full UCR Veteran Student Life Report
California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies ranking, coming in at #11. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 59 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal State Fullerton also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 748 of the 42,051 students enrolled at California State University - Fullerton were GI Bill® students, of which 342 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,729. 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.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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…
California State University - Chico landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies ranking. California State University - Chico is a fairly large school located in Chico, California that handed out 11 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Chico State 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 16,746 students enrolled at Chico State, 354 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 166 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school 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 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 Cruz came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies ranking. UC Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
UC Santa Cruz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 273 of the 19,161 students enrolled at University of California - Santa Cruz were GI Bill® students, of which 114 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,631. On top of their other funding sources, 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 University of California - Santa Cruz Veteran Student Life Report
California State University - Northridge ranked #14 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies list. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 6 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
CSUN also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 40,381 students enrolled at California State University - Northridge, 680 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 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. 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 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 CSUN Veteran Student Life Report
California State University - Sacramento landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies ranking. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Sac State, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 32,293 students enrolled at California State University - Sacramento, 34 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 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. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships 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%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at California State University - Sacramento]](/colleges/california-state-university-sacramento/student-life/veterans/)
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