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2023 Most Popular Colleges for Criminal Justice Studies in California

31 Ranked Colleges
4,834 Degrees Awarded
$27,700 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California

With all of the options students 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 Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2020-2021, 46,814 people earned their degree in criminal justice studies, making the major the 16th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 4,834 criminal justice studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California” ranking, we looked at 31 colleges that offer a degree in criminal justice studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular criminal justice studies programs in the United States.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Criminal Justice Studies Schools

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california criminal justice studies students.

1

Out of the 31 schools in the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Sacramento landed the #1 spot on the list. California State University - Sacramento is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 493 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Sac State Criminal Justice Studies Report

2
3
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 #3 for the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 391 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full SDSU Criminal Justice Studies Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California list. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminal justice studies degrees to 365 students in 2020-2021.

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 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Fullerton Criminal Justice Studies Report

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Northridge. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California. California State University - Northridge is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 333 ’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at CSUN

6

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California list. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 330 ’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at California State University - Los Angeles

7

California State University - Long Beach ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California list. California State University - Long Beach is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 321 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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.

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

8

California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California list. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large public school situated in Carson, California. It awarded 295 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at CSUDH

9

California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California ranking, coming in at #9. CSUSB is a public institution located in San Bernardino, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 266 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, 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 85%.

Full California State University - San Bernardino Criminal Justice Studies Report

10

With a ranking of #10, California State University - East Bay did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California list. Cal State East Bay is located in Hayward, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 242 ’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal State East Bay Criminal Justice Studies Report

11
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California ranking. San Jose State University is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 237 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at San Jose State University

12
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #12, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California list. San Francisco State University is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 233 ’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad 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 San Francisco State University Criminal Justice Studies Report

13

California State University - Stanislaus landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California ranking. California State University - Stanislaus is located in Turlock, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 193 ’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

14

California State University - Bakersfield came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California ranking. CSUB is a public institution located in Bakersfield, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 189 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at CSUB

15

With a ranking of #15, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California list. Located in Chico, California, this fairly large public school awarded 171 diplomas to qualified ’s criminal justice studies students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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 State University - Chico Criminal Justice Studies Report

16
SSU crest
Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, California

With a ranking of #16, Sonoma State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California list. Located in Rohnert Park, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 79 degrees to qualified ’s criminal justice studies students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 SSU Criminal Justice Studies Report

17
La Sierra crest
La Sierra University
Riverside, California

La Sierra University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California ranking. Riverside, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s criminal justice studies degrees to 60 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at La Sierra

17
Brandman crest
Brandman University
Irvine, California

Brandman University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California ranking. Brandman University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 60 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at Brandman University

19
PLNU crest
Point Loma Nazarene University
San Diego, California

Point Loma Nazarene University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California ranking, coming in at #19. This small school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 37 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Point Loma Nazarene University

20
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California ranking. USC is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 31 ’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

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 impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 about Criminal Justice Studies at University of Southern California

21
MCU crest
Marymount California University
Rancho Palos Verdes, California

Marymount California University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California ranking, coming in at #21. MCU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 25 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Marymount California University

22
Platt College - Ontario crest
Platt College - Ontario
Ontario, California

Platt College - Ontario did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California ranking, coming in at #22. Platt College - Ontario is a small private for-profit school situated in Ontario, California. It awarded 17 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Platt College - Ontario

23
Platt College - Riverside crest
Platt College - Riverside
Riverside, California

With a ranking of #23, Platt College - Riverside did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California list. This small school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 18 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at Platt College - Riverside

24
Platt College - Los Angeles crest
Platt College - Los Angeles
Alhambra, California

With a ranking of #24, Platt College - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California list. This small school is located in Alhambra, California, and it awarded 9 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%.

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

25
Platt College - Anaheim crest
Platt College - Anaheim
Anaheim, California

Platt College - Anaheim came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major in California ranking. Platt College - Anaheim is located in Anaheim, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 ’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Platt College - Anaheim Criminal Justice Studies Report

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