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2023 Best Criminal Justice Studies Colleges for Veterans in California

17 Ranked Colleges
4,834 Degrees Awarded
$26,100 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in California for Criminal Justice Studies

Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Criminal Justice Studies” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Criminal Justice Studies is the 16th most popular major in the country with 46,814 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

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

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Criminal Justice Studies” ranking looked at 17 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in criminal justice studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality criminal justice studies programs as well as strong veteran support.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the criminal justice studies program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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

Most Veteran Friendly in California for Criminal Justice Studies

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Criminal Justice Studies”.

Top 17 Best Criminal Justice Studies Colleges for Veterans in California

1
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

Out of the 17 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Criminal Justice Studies that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the #1 spot on the list. San Diego State University is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 391 ’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california vets studying criminal justice studies list, SDSU has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, San Diego State University supports 36,334 students, and 1,433 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 853 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,806. On top of their other funding sources, 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 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 San Diego State University Veteran Student Life Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Criminal Justice Studies list. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 321 degrees to qualified ’s criminal justice studies students in 2020-2021.

CSULB also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 40,069 students enrolled at California State University - Long Beach, 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. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, 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%.

Read More…

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Sacramento. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Criminal Justice Studies. California State University - Sacramento is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 493 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Sac State 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 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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,555. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. California State University - Sacramento 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%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Sac State]](/colleges/california-state-university-sacramento/student-life/veterans/)

4
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

Out of the 17 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Criminal Justice Studies that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the #4 spot on the list. 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, San Jose State supports 36,208 students, and 660 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 384 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,909. 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 86%, 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 San Jose State Veteran Student Life Report

5
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Francisco State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Criminal Justice Studies list. SFSU 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.

SFSU also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 950 of the 27,349 students enrolled at San Francisco State University were GI Bill® students, of which 536 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,581. 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 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…

6

California State University - Chico came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Criminal Justice Studies ranking. Chico State is located in Chico, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 171 ’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california vets studying criminal justice studies list, Chico State has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 354 of the 16,746 students enrolled at Chico State were GI Bill® students, of which 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. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Chico State 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%.

Full California State University - Chico Veteran Student Life Report

7

California State University - Los Angeles landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Criminal Justice Studies ranking. California State University - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 330 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal State LA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, Cal State LA supports 26,745 students, and 3 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $2,700. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Cal State LA offers 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%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Cal State LA]](/colleges/california-state-university-los-angeles/student-life/veterans/)

8

California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Criminal Justice Studies ranking, coming in at #8. California State University - Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 365 ’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

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. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read More…

9

With a ranking of #9, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Criminal Justice Studies list. California State University - San Bernardino 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.

CSUSB also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, CSUSB supports 19,689 students, and 400 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 170 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,274. 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 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full California State University - San Bernardino Veteran Student Life Report

10

California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Criminal Justice Studies ranking, coming in at #10. California State University - Dominguez Hills is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 295 ’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUDH, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 18,687 students enrolled at California State University - Dominguez Hills, 267 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 96 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,463. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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 California State University - Dominguez Hills]](/colleges/california-state-university-dominguez-hills/student-life/veterans/)

11

With a ranking of #11, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Criminal Justice Studies list. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large school located in Turlock, California that handed out 193 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Stan State 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 11,163 students enrolled at California State University - Stanislaus, 163 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 67 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,287. 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 87%, 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 full report on veteran student life at Stan State]](/colleges/california-state-university-stanislaus/student-life/veterans/)

12

California State University - East Bay ranked #12 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Criminal Justice Studies list. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 242 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal State East Bay also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Cal State East Bay supports 16,253 students, and 32 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 16 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,956. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Cal State East Bay 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%.

Read More…

13
SSU crest
Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, California

Sonoma State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Criminal Justice Studies ranking, coming in at #13. Sonoma State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Rohnert Park, California. It awarded 79 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.

SSU 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 145 of the 8,018 students enrolled at SSU were GI Bill® students, of which 64 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,268. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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 SSU]](/colleges/sonoma-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

14

California State University - Bakersfield did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Criminal Justice Studies ranking, coming in at #14. California State University - Bakersfield is a public institution located in Bakersfield, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 189 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 11,745 students enrolled at CSUB, 210 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 103 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,437. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. CSUB does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Read More…

15
La Sierra crest
La Sierra University
Riverside, California

With a ranking of #15, La Sierra University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Criminal Justice Studies list. La Sierra University is located in Riverside, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 60 ’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

La Sierra did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, La Sierra University supports 1,993 students, and 32 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 21 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $13,413. To help with additional expenses, 6 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…

16
Platt College - Ontario crest
Platt College - Ontario
Ontario, California

Platt College - Ontario did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Criminal Justice Studies ranking, coming in at #16. 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.

Platt College - Ontario also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Of the 522 students enrolled at Platt College - Ontario, 65 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 60 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $16,208. On top of their other funding sources, 8 students qualified for 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%.

Full Platt College - Ontario Veteran Student Life Report

17
Platt College - Riverside crest
Platt College - Riverside
Riverside, California

Platt College - Riverside did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Criminal Justice Studies ranking, coming in at #17. Platt College - Riverside is located in Riverside, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 18 ’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

Platt College - Riverside also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 512 students enrolled at Platt College - Riverside, 46 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 33 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $13,275. On top of their other funding sources, 2 students received funds 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%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Platt College - Riverside]](/colleges/platt-college-riverside/student-life/veterans/)

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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