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2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geography

20 Ranked Colleges
786 Degrees Awarded
$26,900 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geography

When it comes to choosing a college, veterans have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geography” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 4,954 people earned their degree in geography, making the major the 159th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 786 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geography” ranking, we looked at 20 colleges that offer a degree in geography. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality geography programs as well as strong veteran support.

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

More Ways to Rank Geography Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
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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 “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geography” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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 Geography

The colleges and universities below are the best for california vets studying geography.

Top 20 Best Geography Colleges for Veterans in California

1

Out of the 20 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geography that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 81 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

UCLA also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 44,589 students enrolled at University of California - Los Angeles, 7 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,071. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, 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%.

Read More…

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geography list. California State University - Long Beach is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 58 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 822 of the 40,069 students enrolled at CSULB were GI Bill® students, of which 310 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,845. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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 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 More…

3
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geography list. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 44 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

SDSU also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1,433 of the 36,334 students enrolled at San Diego State University were GI Bill® students, of which 853 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,806. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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 San Diego State University]](/colleges/san-diego-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Barbara. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geography list. UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 32 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

UCSB also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,510. To help with additional expenses, 3 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 91%, 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 UCSB]](/colleges/university-of-california-santa-barbara/student-life/veterans/)

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Northridge. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geography. CSUN is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 44 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUN not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 680 of the 40,381 students enrolled at California State University - Northridge were GI Bill® students, of which 336 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,745. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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 CSUN Veteran Student Life Report

6
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #6, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geography list. San Francisco State University is a large public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 41 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

SFSU also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 27,349 students enrolled at San Francisco State University, 950 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 536 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,581. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at San Francisco State University]](/colleges/san-francisco-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

7

California State University - Sacramento ranked #7 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geography list. Sac State is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 37 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Sac State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 32,293 students enrolled at California State University - Sacramento, 34 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 23 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,555. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. California State University - Sacramento offers credit for military training for eligible students.

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%.

Full California State University - Sacramento Veteran Student Life Report

8

With a ranking of #8, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geography list. Cal Poly Pomona is located in Pomona, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 24 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california vets studying geography list, Cal Poly Pomona has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 30,014 students enrolled at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona, 34 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 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. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

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 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Cal Poly Pomona]](/colleges/california-state-polytechnic-university-pomona/student-life/veterans/)

9

California State University - Chico ranked #9 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geography list. Chico State is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Chico State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 16,746 students enrolled at Chico State, 354 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 166 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,098. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Chico State offers credit for military training for eligible students.

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%.

Read More…

10
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 Geography ranking, coming in at #10. San Jose State University is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 660 of the 36,208 students enrolled at San Jose State were GI Bill® students, of which 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. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read More…

11

With a ranking of #11, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geography list. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 39 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal State Fullerton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” 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 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 excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

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

12

With a ranking of #12, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geography list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 12 degrees to qualified ’s geography students in 2020-2021.

Cal State LA also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, California State University - Los Angeles supports 26,745 students, and 3 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $2,700. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. California State University - Los Angeles 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%.

Read More…

13
Humboldt State University crest
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California

Humboldt State University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geography ranking. Humboldt State University is located in Arcata, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 23 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

Humboldt State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 177 of the 6,612 students enrolled at Humboldt State University were GI Bill® students, of which 68 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,772. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Humboldt State University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Read More…

14
SSU crest
Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, California

Sonoma State University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geography list. Sonoma State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Rohnert Park, California. It awarded 45 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california vets studying geography list, SSU has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 145 of the 8,018 students enrolled at SSU were GI Bill® students, of which 64 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,268. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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 Sonoma State University Veteran Student Life Report

15

California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geography ranking, coming in at #15. Turlock, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geography degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.

Stan State also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 163 of the 11,163 students enrolled at California State University - Stanislaus were GI Bill® students, of which 67 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,287. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Stan State]](/colleges/california-state-university-stanislaus/student-life/veterans/)

16

California State University - San Bernardino ranked #16 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geography list. CSUSB is located in San Bernardino, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

CSUSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 400 of the 19,689 students enrolled at CSUSB were GI Bill® students, of which 170 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,274. 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.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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%.

Read More…

17

California State University - East Bay came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geography ranking. Located in Hayward, California, this fairly large public school awarded 9 degrees to qualified ’s geography students in 2020-2021.

Cal State East Bay did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, Cal State East Bay supports 16,253 students, and 32 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 16 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,956. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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%.

Full California State University - East Bay Veteran Student Life Report

18

California State University - Fresno came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geography ranking. Fresno State is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

Fresno State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 25,497 students enrolled at California State University - Fresno, 471 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 211 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,324. On top of their other funding sources, 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 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 [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 - Fresno]](/colleges/california-state-university-fresno/student-life/veterans/)

19

California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geography ranking. Located in Carson, California, this fairly large public school handed out 15 degrees to qualified ’s geography students in 2020-2021.

CSUDH not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, CSUDH supports 18,687 students, and 267 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 96 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,463. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. CSUDH 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%.

Read More…

20
East Los Angeles College crest
East Los Angeles College
Monterey Park, California

East Los Angeles College ranked #20 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geography list. This large school is located in Monterey Park, California, and it awarded 6 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

East Los Angeles College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 198 of the 33,397 students enrolled at East Los Angeles College were GI Bill® students, of which 139 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $377. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Full East Los Angeles College Veteran Student Life Report

Notes and References

References

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