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2023 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminology in California

11 Ranked Colleges
1,378 Degrees Awarded
$33,631 Avg Salary
Schools for a Bachelor's Highly Focused on Criminology Major in California

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Criminology is the 80th most popular major in the country with 11,039 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, criminology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $33,568 and had an average of $24,453 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 1,459 criminology graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,821 and $20,932 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,378 criminology graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,566 and $21,995 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major in California” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered a degree in criminology. That schools that top this list have a program in criminology in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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The criminology school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major in California”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major in California

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major in California”.

Top 11 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminology in California

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major in California list. California State University - Fresno is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 397 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.

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 low undergrad 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%.

Full California State University - Fresno Criminology Report

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - San Marcos. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major in California. CSUSM is located in San Marcos, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 266 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

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%.

Read full report on Criminology at California State University - San Marcos

3
CLU crest
California Lutheran University
Thousand Oaks, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Lutheran University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major in California. California Lutheran University is located in Thousand Oaks, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 53 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminology at California Lutheran University

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major in California. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 448 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on Criminology at University of California - Irvine

5
HNU crest
Holy Names University
Oakland, California

Out of the 11 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Holy Names University landed the #5 spot on the list. HNU is a small school located in Oakland, California that handed out 8 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad 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%.

Read more about Criminology at Holy Names University

6
MSMU crest
Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, California

Mount Saint Mary’s University ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major in California list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s criminology degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.

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. 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 MSMU

7
Humboldt State University crest
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California

Humboldt State University ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major in California list. Humboldt State University is located in Arcata, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 49 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

Read more about Criminology at Humboldt State University

8
ULV crest
University of La Verne
La Verne, California

University of La Verne did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major in California ranking, coming in at #8. Located in La Verne, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 57 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s criminology students in 2020-2021.

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%.

Full ULV Criminology Report

9
Azusa Pacific crest
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa, California

Azusa Pacific University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major in California ranking. Located in Azusa, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 21 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminology students in 2020-2021.

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.

Read full report on Criminology at Azusa Pacific

10
Fresno Pacific crest
Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, California

Fresno Pacific University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major in California ranking. Fresno, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s criminology degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminology at Fresno Pacific University

11

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major in California ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Pomona, California, this large public school awarded 48 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s criminology students in 2020-2021.

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

Read more about Criminology at Cal Poly Pomona

Notes and References

References

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