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2023 Best Economics Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in California

20 Ranked Colleges
532 Degrees Awarded
$58,064 Avg Salary
Most Veteran Friendly in California for Economics for a Master's

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, veterans 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 “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Economics for a Master’s” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 49,055 people earned their degree in economics, making the major the 19th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, economics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $48,736 and had an average of $22,046 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 10,520 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $48,538 and $16,731 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Economics for a Master’s” ranking, we looked at 20 colleges that offer a degree in economics. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent economics programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the economics program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Economics for a Master’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Most Veteran Friendly in California for Economics for a Master’s

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Economics for a Master’s”.

Top 20 Best Economics Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in California

1
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Economics for a Master’s. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 118 degrees to qualified masters’s economics students in 2020-2021.

USC also made our “Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1.According to our most recent data, USC supports 46,287 students, and 1,311 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 862 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $20,487. On top of their other funding sources, 388 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. USC offers credit for military training for eligible students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full USC Veteran Student Life Report

2

Out of the 20 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Economics for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #2 spot on the list. UCLA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 72 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UCLA also made our “Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3.According to our most recent data, University of California - Los Angeles supports 44,589 students, and 7 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 4 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,071. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 96%.

Read More…

3

Out of the 20 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Economics for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #3 spot on the list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s economics degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree vets studying economics list, UC Irvine has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Of the 36,303 students enrolled at UC Irvine, 8 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 5 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,620. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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%.

Full UC Irvine Veteran Student Life Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Economics for a Master’s list. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 masters’s economics degrees to qualified students.

UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Our most recent data shows that 112 of the 39,576 students enrolled at UCSD were GI Bill® students, of which 54 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $1,596. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UCSD Veteran Student Life Report

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Economics for a Master’s. Located in Davis, California, this large public school handed out 21 diplomas to qualified masters’s economics students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree vets studying economics list, UC Davis has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Among the 39,074 students enrolled at UC Davis, 31 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 23 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,489. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at UC Davis]](/colleges/university-of-california-davis/student-life/veterans/)

6
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Stanford University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Economics for a Master’s ranking. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 9 diplomas to qualified masters’s economics students in 2020-2021.

Stanford also took the #2 spot in our “Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Of the 15,953 students enrolled at Stanford, 188 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 118 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,909. In addition to receiving other benefits, 61 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full Stanford University Veteran Student Life Report

7
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Economics for a Master’s list. San Diego State University is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 19 masters’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.

SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.According to our most recent data, San Diego State University supports 36,334 students, and 1,433 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 853 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,806. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. San Diego State University offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full SDSU Veteran Student Life Report

8

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Economics for a Master’s ranking. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s economics degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.

UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Our most recent data shows that 286 of the 26,179 students enrolled at UCSB were GI Bill® students, of which 128 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $9,510. To help with additional expenses, 3 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UCSB offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Santa Barbara Veteran Student Life Report

9
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California

University of San Francisco ranked #9 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Economics for a Master’s list. This fairly large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 30 masters’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USFCA, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 6 of the 10,068 students enrolled at USFCA were GI Bill® students, of which 5 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $19,232. During this same period, 2 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. USFCA offers credit for military training for eligible students.

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

Full University of San Francisco Veteran Student Life Report

10

With a ranking of #10, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Economics for a Master’s list. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Cruz, California. It awarded 57 masters’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Santa Cruz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.According to our most recent data, UC Santa Cruz supports 19,161 students, and 273 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 114 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,631. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 85%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at University of California - Santa Cruz]](/colleges/university-of-california-santa-cruz/student-life/veterans/)

11

California State University - Long Beach ranked #11 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Economics for a Master’s list. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 4 masters’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree vets studying economics list, CSULB has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Among the 40,069 students enrolled at California State University - Long Beach, 822 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 310 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,845. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 89%.

Read More…

12
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Economics for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #12. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school awarded 8 diplomas to qualified masters’s economics students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Of the 36,208 students enrolled at San Jose State University, 660 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 384 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,909. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 86%.

Read More…

13
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Economics for a Master’s ranking. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 4 masters’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, SFSU supports 27,349 students, and 950 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 536 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,581. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. SFSU offers credit for military training for eligible students.

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

Full San Francisco State University Veteran Student Life Report

14

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Economics for a Master’s ranking. Pomona, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s economics degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly Pomona, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 34 of the 30,014 students enrolled at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona were GI Bill® students, of which 17 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,486. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona]](/colleges/california-state-polytechnic-university-pomona/student-life/veterans/)

15

With a ranking of #15, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Economics for a Master’s list. Sac State is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 5 masters’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree vets studying economics list, Sac State has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, California State University - Sacramento supports 32,293 students, and 34 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 23 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,555. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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

[Read full report on veteran student life at California State University - Sacramento]](/colleges/california-state-university-sacramento/student-life/veterans/)

16

California State University - Fullerton ranked #16 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Economics for a Master’s list. Cal State Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 7 masters’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal State Fullerton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.According to our most recent data, California State University - Fullerton supports 42,051 students, and 748 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 342 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,729. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal State Fullerton Veteran Student Life Report

17

California State University - Los Angeles landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Economics for a Master’s ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s economics degrees to 12 students in 2020-2021.

Cal State LA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Among the 26,745 students enrolled at Cal State LA, 3 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $2,700. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Cal State LA does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

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

Full California State University - Los Angeles Veteran Student Life Report

18

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Economics for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #18. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large public school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 13 masters’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree vets studying economics list, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Among the 22,440 students enrolled at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo, 268 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 128 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,027. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo]](/colleges/california-polytechnic-state-university-san-luis-obispo/student-life/veterans/)

19

California State University - East Bay came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Economics for a Master’s ranking. This fairly large school is located in Hayward, California, and it awarded 13 masters’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal State East Bay also took the #14 spot in our “Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 32 of the 16,253 students enrolled at California State University - East Bay were GI Bill® students, of which 16 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,956. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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

Full California State University - East Bay Veteran Student Life Report

20
Claremont Graduate University crest
Claremont Graduate University
Claremont, California

Claremont Graduate University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Economics for a Master’s ranking. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 12 masters’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.

Claremont Graduate University also took the #12 spot in our “Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Among the 1,949 students enrolled at Claremont Graduate University, 24 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 15 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $11,312. To help with additional expenses, 7 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Claremont Graduate University Veteran Student Life Report

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