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2023 Best Value Colleges for Criminology in California (With Aid)

9 Ranked Colleges
1,459 Degrees Awarded
$18,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Criminology Schools in California For Those Getting Aid

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Criminology Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

Criminology is the 76th most popular major in the country with 11,039 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

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

This year’s “Best Value Criminology Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 9 colleges that offered a degree in criminology. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent criminology programs, but they also 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 “Best Value Criminology Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to 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.

Best Value Criminology Schools in California For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for california criminology students with aid.

Top 9 Best Value Colleges for Criminology in California (With Aid)

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Criminology Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Fresno is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 404 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.

Fresno State also made our “Best Criminology Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $6,230 for california criminology students with aid.

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 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%.

Read full report on Criminology at Fresno State

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 Getting Aid. University of California - Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 498 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine also took the #1 spot in our “Best Criminology Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,209 for California Criminology students with aid per year to attend University of California - Irvine.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 UC Irvine Criminology Report

3

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Criminology Schools 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. California State University - San Marcos 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.

In addition to being on our california criminology students with aid list, CSUSM has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Criminology Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Marcos is $13,218 for california criminology students with aid.

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 more about Criminology at California State University - San Marcos

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Criminology Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a large school located in Pomona, California that handed out 48 ’s criminology 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 California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $14,304 for California Criminology students with aid.

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 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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 Getting Aid list. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school awarded 12 degrees to qualified ’s criminology students in 2020-2021.

San Jose State also took the #4 spot in our “Best Criminology Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State University is $16,542 for california criminology students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 Criminology at San Jose State University

6
Humboldt State University crest
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California

With a ranking of #6, Humboldt State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Criminology Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Humboldt State University is located in Arcata, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 49 ’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

Humboldt State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Criminology Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Humboldt State University is $14,956 for California Criminology students with aid.

Read full report on 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 Getting Aid list. Located in La Verne, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 57 degrees to qualified ’s criminology students in 2020-2021.

ULV also made our “Best Criminology Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $28,260 for California Criminology students with aid 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 full report on 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 Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. Azusa Pacific is a medium-sized school located in Azusa, California that handed out 21 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Azusa Pacific, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Criminology Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $30,744 for California Criminology students with aid per year to attend Azusa Pacific.

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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Azusa Pacific Criminology Report

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

Mount Saint Mary’s University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Criminology Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Mount Saint Mary’s University is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 21 ’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

MSMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Criminology Schools in California” list. It costs about $30,938 for california criminology students with aid per year to attend Mount Saint Mary’s University.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Mount Saint Mary’s University Criminology Report

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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