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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminology in California (With Aid)

9 Ranked Colleges
1,342 Degrees Awarded
$19,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 10,182 people earned their degree in criminology, making the major the 79th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 1,416 criminology graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,342 criminology graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 9 colleges that offered a degree in criminology. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great criminology 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 criminology program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” 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 for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree criminology students with aid.

Top 9 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminology in California (With Aid)

#3 in overall quality

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 for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school awarded 430 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminology students in 2019-2020.

Fresno State also took the #3 spot in our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $5,464 for california bachelor’s degree criminology students with aid.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read more about Criminology at Fresno State

#1 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #2 spot on the list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminology degrees to 429 students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Criminology at University of California - Irvine

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - San Marcos landed the #3 spot on the list. CSUSM is located in San Marcos, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 278 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree criminology students with aid list, CSUSM has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Marcos is $13,399 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students with aid.

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 Criminology at California State University - San Marcos

#4

Humboldt State University

Arcata, California
#9 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Humboldt State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Humboldt State University is located in Arcata, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 55 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

Humboldt State University also made our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for Humboldt State University is $14,692 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students with aid.

Full Humboldt State University Criminology Report

#5

Holy Names University

Oakland, California
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Holy Names University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. HNU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Oakland, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

HNU also made our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend HNU is $23,034 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Criminology at HNU

#6

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, California
#8 in overall quality

Mount Saint Mary’s University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. MSMU is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree criminology students with aid list, MSMU has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Mount Saint Mary’s University is $29,214 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students with aid.

The impressive 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. The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 Criminology at Mount Saint Mary’s University

#7

California Lutheran University

Thousand Oaks, California
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, California Lutheran University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. CLU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Thousand Oaks, California. It awarded 53 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree criminology students with aid list, CLU has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $26,489 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students with aid per year to attend California Lutheran University.

The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%.

Read more about Criminology at California Lutheran University

#8

University of La Verne

La Verne, California
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, University of La Verne did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in La Verne, California, and it awarded 55 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

ULV not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $25,780 for California Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students with aid per year to attend University of La Verne.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminology at University of La Verne

#9

Azusa Pacific University

Azusa, California
#7 in overall quality

Azusa Pacific University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Azusa, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s criminology degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree criminology students with aid list, Azusa Pacific has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Azusa Pacific University is $26,293 for california bachelor’s degree criminology students with aid.

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

Read full report on Criminology at Azusa Pacific University

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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