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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice Studies in California

19 Ranked Colleges
4,278 Degrees Awarded
$13,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in California

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Criminal Justice Studies is the 16th most popular major in the country with 46,252 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across California, there were 4,565 criminal justice studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,278 criminal justice studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking analyzed 19 colleges that offered a degree in criminal justice studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great criminal justice studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the criminal justice studies program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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.

Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California.

Top 19 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice Studies in California

#9 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to 208 students in 2019-2020.

CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at CSULB

#12 in overall quality

Out of the 19 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - San Bernardino landed the #3 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 294 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend CSUSB is $7,342 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at CSUSB

#13 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Stanislaus. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in Turlock, California, this fairly large public school handed out 223 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice studies students in 2019-2020.

Stan State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $6,019 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Stan State Criminal Justice Studies Report

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Sacramento. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 494 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Sac State is $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at California State University - Sacramento

#8 in overall quality

California State University - East Bay landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. California State University - East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 204 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State East Bay not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - East Bay is $11,116 for california bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at California State University - East Bay

#10 in overall quality

California State University - Chico ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Chico State is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 173 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students list, Chico State has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,017 for california bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students per year to attend California State University - Chico.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at California State University - Chico

#8

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#7 in overall quality

San Francisco State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. SFSU is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 253 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $15,113 for california bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at SFSU

#4 in overall quality

California State University - Fullerton landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Cal State Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 334 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton also took the #4 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, 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 89%.

Full Cal State Fullerton Criminal Justice Studies Report

#6 in overall quality

California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #10. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 307 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

Cal State LA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $2,768 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal State LA Criminal Justice Studies Report

#11

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California
#11 in overall quality

Sonoma State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. SSU is a public institution located in Rohnert Park, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 85 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SSU also took the #11 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SSU is $17,478 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Sonoma State University Criminal Justice Studies Report

#12

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#2 in overall quality

San Diego State University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. SDSU is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 317 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU also made our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full San Diego State University Criminal Justice Studies Report

#13

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#5 in overall quality

San Jose State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. San Jose State is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 174 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also took the #5 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $14,928 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, 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 86%.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at San Jose State

#14 in overall quality

California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #14. CSUDH is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 203 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

CSUDH also took the #14 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUDH is $4,215 for california bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 Criminal Justice Studies at California State University - Dominguez Hills

#15 in overall quality

California State University - Bakersfield ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. California State University - Bakersfield is a fairly large public school situated in Bakersfield, California. It awarded 159 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $5,318 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students per year to attend California State University - Bakersfield.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at California State University - Bakersfield

#16

La Sierra University

Riverside, California
#16 in overall quality

La Sierra University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. This small school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 49 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at La Sierra, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for La Sierra is $24,046 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full La Sierra University Criminal Justice Studies Report

#17

Platt College - Ontario

Ontario, California
#17 in overall quality

Platt College - Ontario came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in Ontario, California, this small private for-profit school awarded 12 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice studies students in 2019-2020.

Platt College - Ontario not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Platt College - Ontario is $23,287 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Platt College - Ontario

#18

Platt College - Los Angeles

Alhambra, California
#18 in overall quality

Platt College - Los Angeles came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Platt College - Los Angeles is located in Alhambra, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students list, Platt College - Los Angeles has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $22,710 for california bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students per year to attend Platt College - Los Angeles.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at Platt College - Los Angeles

#19

Platt College - Riverside

Riverside, California
#19 in overall quality

Platt College - Riverside ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in Riverside, California, this small private for-profit school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice studies students in 2019-2020.

Platt College - Riverside also made our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #19. The estimated yearly cost for Platt College - Riverside is $25,812 for california bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students.

Full Platt College - Riverside Criminal Justice Studies Report

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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