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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections in California (With Aid)

26 Ranked Colleges
4,874 Degrees Awarded
$14,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Criminal Justice & Corrections is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 6th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 113,581 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2017-2018, criminal justice and corrections graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $31,952 and had an average of $24,936 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 16,534 criminal justice and corrections graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,495 and $19,443 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,874 criminal justice and corrections graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 26 colleges that offered a degree in criminal justice and corrections. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great criminal justice and corrections 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 and corrections program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools

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

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

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

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections in California (With Aid)

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 307 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State LA, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Los Angeles is $2,768 for california bachelor’s degree criminal justice students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Cal State LA

Out of the 26 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #2 spot on the list. CSUDH is a fairly large public school situated in Carson, California. It awarded 203 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUDH also took the #16 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Dominguez Hills is $4,215 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at CSUDH

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students with aid.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at California State University - Fullerton

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Stanislaus. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Turlock, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 223 students in 2019-2020.

Stan State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $6,019 for california bachelor’s degree criminal justice students with aid.

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%. 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 & Corrections at California State University - Stanislaus

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - San Bernardino. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - San Bernardino is located in San Bernardino, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 294 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

CSUSB also took the #14 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $7,342 for california bachelor’s degree criminal justice students with aid per year to attend CSUSB.

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

Full California State University - San Bernardino Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

California State University - Sacramento landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Sacramento is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 494 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

Sac State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $9,979 for california bachelor’s degree criminal justice students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Sac State

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 208 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree criminal justice students with aid list, CSULB has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $9,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at California State University - Long Beach

California State University - Bakersfield came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Bakersfield is a public institution located in Bakersfield, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 159 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree criminal justice students with aid list, CSUB has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $5,318 for california bachelor’s degree criminal justice students with aid per year to attend California State University - Bakersfield.

Full CSUB Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#9

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. San Diego State University is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 317 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students with aid per year to attend SDSU.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its 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%.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at San Diego State University

#10

University of Phoenix - California

Costa Mesa, California

University of Phoenix - California ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. UOPX - California is a private for-profit institution located in Costa Mesa, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 123 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UOPX - California, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UOPX - California is $12,664 for california bachelor’s degree criminal justice students with aid.

Full UOPX - California Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

California State University - East Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. Hayward, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 204 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State East Bay, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - East Bay is $11,116 for california bachelor’s degree criminal justice students with aid.

Full California State University - East Bay Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#12

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. San Francisco State University is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 253 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $15,113 for california bachelor’s degree criminal justice students with aid.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at SFSU

#13

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Jose State is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 174 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also took the #7 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections 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 students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at San Jose State

California State University - Chico did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. This fairly large school is located in Chico, California, and it awarded 173 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Chico State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Chico is $15,017 for california bachelor’s degree criminal justice students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Chico State

#15

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California

Sonoma State University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Sonoma State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Rohnert Park, California. It awarded 85 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree criminal justice students with aid list, SSU has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Sonoma State University is $17,478 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Sonoma State University

With a ranking of #16, The University of Arizona Global Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 483 students in 2019-2020.

UAGC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $20,510 for california bachelor’s degree criminal justice students with aid per year to attend The University of Arizona Global Campus.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at UAGC

Humphreys University - Stockton and Modesto Campuses came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Humphreys University - Stockton and Modesto Campuses is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Stockton, California. It awarded 10 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Humphreys University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Humphreys University is $11,055 for california bachelor’s degree criminal justice students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.

Full Humphreys University - Stockton and Modesto Campuses Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#18

National University

La Jolla, California

National University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 105 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

National University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at National University

#19

University of Antelope Valley

Lancaster, California

University of Antelope Valley ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Lancaster, California, this small private for-profit school handed out 18 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

UAV did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list.

The low student loan default rate of 3.2% 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 & Corrections at UAV

#20

La Sierra University

Riverside, California

With a ranking of #20, La Sierra University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. La Sierra is a small school located in Riverside, California that handed out 49 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree criminal justice students with aid list, La Sierra has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $24,046 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students with aid per year to attend La Sierra.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at La Sierra University

#21

California Baptist University

Riverside, California

California Baptist University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cal Baptist is a fairly large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 62 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Baptist also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #18. It costs about $24,707 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students with aid per year to attend California Baptist University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal Baptist Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#22

DeVry University - California

Pomona, California

DeVry University - California ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. DeVry University - California is a private for-profit institution located in Pomona, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

DeVry University - California also took the #17 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend DeVry University - California is $26,056 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students with aid.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at DeVry University - California

Santa Barbara Business College - Bakersfield did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. Santa Barbara Business College - Bakersfield is a small school located in Bakersfield, California that handed out 11 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Santa Barbara Business College - Bakersfield, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Santa Barbara Business College - Bakersfield is $15,877 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students with aid.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Santa Barbara Business College - Bakersfield Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#24

Platt College - Ontario

Ontario, California
#23 in overall quality

Platt College - Ontario came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Ontario, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.

Platt College - Ontario also took the #23 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Platt College - Ontario is $23,287 for california bachelor’s degree criminal justice students with aid.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Platt College - Ontario

#25

Platt College - Riverside

Riverside, California

Platt College - Riverside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #25. Riverside, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Platt College - Riverside is $25,812 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students with aid.

Full Platt College - Riverside Criminal Justice & Corrections 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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