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2023 Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in California

16 Ranked Colleges
163 Degrees Awarded
$31,600 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in California for Political Science for a Master's

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Political Science for a Master’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 49,282 people earned their degree in political science and government, making the major the 20th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, political science and government graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,387 and had an average of $23,175 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 8,530 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,769 and $19,462 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Political Science for a Master’s” ranking looked at 16 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in political science and government. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality political science and government programs as well as strong veteran support.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the political science and government program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Political Science & Government Schools

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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 Political Science for a Master’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. 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 Political Science for a Master’s

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

Top 16 Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in California

1

Out of the 16 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Political Science for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 masters’s political science degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 7 of the 44,589 students enrolled at UCLA were GI Bill® students, of which 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. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, 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 University of California - Los Angeles Veteran Student Life Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Political Science for a Master’s list. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 5 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.According to our most recent data, University of California - Irvine supports 36,303 students, and 8 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 5 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,620. To help with additional expenses, 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at University of California - Irvine]](/colleges/university-of-california-irvine/student-life/veterans/)

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Political Science for a Master’s list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s political science degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSD, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Of the 39,576 students enrolled at UCSD, 112 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 54 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $1,596. 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 94%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at UCSD]](/colleges/university-of-california-san-diego/student-life/veterans/)

4
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Political Science for a Master’s. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s political science degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $18,909. In addition to receiving other benefits, 61 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 [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…

5
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Diego State University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Political Science for a Master’s. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s political science degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.

SDSU also made our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #8.Among the 36,334 students enrolled at SDSU, 1,433 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 853 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,806. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, 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 San Diego State University]](/colleges/san-diego-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

6

With a ranking of #6, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Political Science for a Master’s list. UCR is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 6 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree vets studying political science list, UCR has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 11 of the 26,434 students enrolled at University of California - Riverside were GI Bill® students, of which 5 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $2,182. 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 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 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read More…

7

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Political Science for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #7. UCSB is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 10 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Among the 26,179 students enrolled at University of California - Santa Barbara, 286 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 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. During this same period, 3 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read More…

8

With a ranking of #8, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Political Science for a Master’s list. California State University - Long Beach is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 6 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

CSULB also made our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #14.According to our most recent data, California State University - Long Beach supports 40,069 students, and 822 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 310 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,845. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. California State University - Long Beach 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read More…

9
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Political Science for a Master’s ranking. San Francisco State University is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 10 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,581. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through 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 SFSU]](/colleges/san-francisco-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

10

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Political Science for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school handed out 11 degrees to qualified masters’s political science students in 2020-2021.

Sac State also made our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #12.Our most recent data shows that 34 of the 32,293 students enrolled at California State University - Sacramento were GI Bill® students, of which 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. 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%.

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

11

California State University - Northridge ranked #11 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Political Science for a Master’s list. California State University - Northridge is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 12 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUN, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Among the 40,381 students enrolled at CSUN, 680 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 336 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,745. On top of their other funding sources, 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%.

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

12

With a ranking of #12, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Political Science for a Master’s list. Chico State is a fairly large public school situated in Chico, California. It awarded 8 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

Chico State also took the #13 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.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 tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,098. 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 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 - Chico Veteran Student Life Report

13

California State University - Los Angeles came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Political Science for a Master’s ranking. Cal State LA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 9 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State LA, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 3 of the 26,745 students enrolled at Cal State LA were GI Bill® students, of which 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. In addition to receiving other benefits, 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%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Cal State LA]](/colleges/california-state-university-los-angeles/student-life/veterans/)

14

California State University - Fullerton came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Political Science for a Master’s ranking. California State University - Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal State Fullerton also took the #15 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Of the 42,051 students enrolled at California State University - Fullerton, 748 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 342 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,729. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. California State University - Fullerton 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Cal State Fullerton Veteran Student Life Report

15

University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Political Science for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #15. University of California - Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Cruz, California. It awarded 3 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Santa Cruz not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Our most recent data shows that 273 of the 19,161 students enrolled at University of California - Santa Cruz were GI Bill® students, of which 114 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,631. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

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

16
Claremont Graduate University crest
Claremont Graduate University
Claremont, California

Claremont Graduate University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Political Science for a Master’s ranking. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s political science degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Claremont Graduate University, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, Claremont Graduate University supports 1,949 students, and 24 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 15 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $11,312. During this same period, 7 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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…

Notes and References

References

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