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2023 Best Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in California

15 Ranked Colleges
4,150 Degrees Awarded
$68,237 Avg Salary
Most Veteran Friendly in California for Legal Professions for a Doctorate

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, veterans have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Legal Professions for a Doctorate” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 61,055 people earned their degree in legal professions, making the major the 16th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, legal professions graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $47,649 and had an average of $28,699 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 7,816 legal professions graduates with average earnings and debt of $61,809 and $19,221 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Legal Professions for a Doctorate” ranking analyzed 15 colleges that offered a degree in legal professions. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent legal professions programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the legal professions program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Legal Professions for a Doctorate” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

The colleges and universities below are the best for california doctor’s degree vets studying legal professions.

1
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Legal Professions for a Doctorate. University of Southern California is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 193 doctorate’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree vets studying legal professions list, USC has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1,311 of the 46,287 students enrolled at University of Southern California 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 received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Southern California offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 91%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Southern California]](/colleges/university-of-southern-california/student-life/veterans/)

2
Loyola Marymount crest
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Loyola Marymount University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Legal Professions for a Doctorate list. Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 305 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Loyola Marymount also took the #6 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, Loyola Marymount supports 9,686 students, and 15 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 5 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $11,741. To help with additional expenses, 6 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

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3

Out of the 15 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Legal Professions for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 344 doctorate’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

UCLA also took the #4 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Among the 44,589 students enrolled at UCLA, 7 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,071. During this same period, 0 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UCLA Veteran Student Life Report

4

Out of the 15 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Legal Professions for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #4 spot on the list. UC Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 210 doctorate’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine also made our “Best Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #10.According to our most recent data, University of California - 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 tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,620. During this same period, 0 students qualified for 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…

5
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

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 Legal Professions for a Doctorate list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 189 doctorate’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

Stanford also took the #2 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Of the 15,953 students enrolled at Stanford University, 188 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 118 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $18,909. During this same period, 61 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

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 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

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6

University of California - Hastings College of Law landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Legal Professions for a Doctorate ranking. This small school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 284 doctorate’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree vets studying legal professions list, UC Hastings has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Of the 1,026 students enrolled at University of California - Hastings College of Law, 38 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 20 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $29,809. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 UC Hastings]](/colleges/university-of-california-hastings-college-of-law/student-life/veterans/)

7

Golden Gate University - San Francisco came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Legal Professions for a Doctorate ranking. San Francisco, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s legal professions degrees to 174 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Golden Gate University - San Francisco, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1,009 of the 2,472 students enrolled at Golden Gate University - San Francisco were GI Bill® students, of which 816 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,556. To help with additional expenses, 75 students qualified for 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 More…

8

University of California - Davis ranked #8 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Legal Professions for a Doctorate list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s legal professions degrees to 201 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree vets studying legal professions list, UC Davis has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 31 of the 39,074 students enrolled at UC Davis were GI Bill® students, of which 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. To help with additional expenses, 0 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Full University of California - Davis Veteran Student Life Report

9
USD crest
University of San Diego
San Diego, California

With a ranking of #9, University of San Diego did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Legal Professions for a Doctorate list. This medium-sized school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 227 doctorate’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USD, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Among the 8,861 students enrolled at USD, 44 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 28 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $22,598. During this same period, 17 students qualified for 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%.

Read More…

10
ULV crest
University of La Verne
La Verne, California

University of La Verne landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Legal Professions for a Doctorate ranking. University of La Verne is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in La Verne, California. It awarded 84 doctorate’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

ULV not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list.Of the 6,983 students enrolled at University of La Verne, 10 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 3 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $11,536. On top of their other funding sources, 1 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…

11
Pacific crest
University of the Pacific
Stockton, California

University of the Pacific ranked #11 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Legal Professions for a Doctorate list. Located in Stockton, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 180 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s legal professions students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pacific, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Of the 6,263 students enrolled at Pacific, 10 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 8 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $21,238. To help with additional expenses, 5 students received scholarships through 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 87%, 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%.

Read More…

12
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California

Santa Clara University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Legal Professions for a Doctorate ranking. SCU is a medium-sized school located in Santa Clara, California that handed out 217 doctorate’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

SCU also took the #5 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, SCU supports 8,616 students, and 106 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 68 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $13,898. On top of their other funding sources, 38 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, 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…

13
Chapman crest
Chapman University
Orange, California

Chapman University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Legal Professions for a Doctorate ranking. Located in Orange, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 145 degrees to qualified doctorate’s legal professions students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree vets studying legal professions list, Chapman has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Among the 9,761 students enrolled at Chapman University, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, 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 Chapman University Veteran Student Life Report

14

California Western School of Law ranked #14 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Legal Professions for a Doctorate list. California Western School of Law is located in San Diego, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 207 doctorate’s legal professions degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree vets studying legal professions list, California Western has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Among the 796 students enrolled at California Western School of Law, 37 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 19 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $25,967. In addition to receiving other benefits, 21 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 California Western Veteran Student Life Report

15
Southwestern Law School crest
Southwestern Law School
Los Angeles, California

Southwestern Law School came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Legal Professions for a Doctorate ranking. Southwestern Law School is a small school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 227 doctorate’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

Southwestern Law School also made our “Best Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #17.Our most recent data shows that 13 of the 886 students enrolled at Southwestern Law School 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 $18,827. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read More…

Notes and References

References

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