College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Best Value Colleges for Criminology (Income $0-$30k) in California

9 Ranked Colleges
1,459 Degrees Awarded
$15,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Criminology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Criminology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 11,039 people earned their degree in criminology, making the major the 76th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 1,459 criminology graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Criminology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 9 colleges that offer a degree in criminology. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality criminology programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the criminology program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Criminology Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Criminology Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Criminology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Criminology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Criminology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 9 Best Value Colleges for Criminology (Income $0-$30k) in California

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Criminology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. California State University - Fresno is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 404 ’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california criminology students whose families make $0-$30k list, Fresno State has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Criminology Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $3,859 for California Criminology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Criminology at California State University - Fresno

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Criminology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school handed out 498 diplomas to qualified ’s criminology students in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Criminology Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $6,540 for California Criminology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminology at UC Irvine

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - San Marcos. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Criminology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. CSUSM is a public institution located in San Marcos, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 266 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUSM also made our “Best Criminology Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend CSUSM is $9,397 for california criminology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Read full report on Criminology at CSUSM

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Criminology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a public institution located in Pomona, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 48 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly Pomona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Criminology Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly Pomona is $10,349 for California Criminology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Criminology at Cal Poly Pomona

5
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Criminology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Jose State University is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12 ’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Criminology Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State University is $12,158 for California Criminology students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Read full report on Criminology at San Jose State

6
Humboldt State University crest
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California

Humboldt State University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Criminology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Humboldt State University is a public institution located in Arcata, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 49 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Humboldt State University also took the #7 spot in our “Best Criminology Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Humboldt State University is $11,473 for california criminology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Criminology at Humboldt State University

7
ULV crest
University of La Verne
La Verne, California

University of La Verne ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Criminology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of La Verne is located in La Verne, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 57 ’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

ULV did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Criminology Schools in California” list. It costs about $28,256 for California Criminology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend ULV.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminology at ULV

8
Azusa Pacific crest
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa, California

Azusa Pacific University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Criminology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Azusa, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 21 diplomas to qualified ’s criminology students in 2020-2021.

Azusa Pacific also made our “Best Criminology Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for Azusa Pacific is $26,548 for California Criminology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%. 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.

Read more about Criminology at Azusa Pacific University

9
MSMU crest
Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, California

Mount Saint Mary’s University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. MSMU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 21 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

MSMU also made our “Best Criminology Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for Mount Saint Mary’s University is $29,531 for california criminology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Mount Saint Mary’s University Criminology Report

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options