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2023 Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in California

21 Ranked Colleges
1,469 Degrees Awarded
$28,800 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Admin for a Master's

Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Admin for a Master’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2020-2021, 16,897 people earned their degree in public administration, making the major the 49th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 1,883 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Admin for a Master’s” ranking analyzed 21 colleges that offered a degree in public administration. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great public administration programs and a strong support system for 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 public administration program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools 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.

Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Admin for a Master’s

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

Top 21 Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in California

1
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Admin for a Master’s list. USC is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 164 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

USC also took the #1 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1,311 of the 46,287 students enrolled at USC were GI Bill® students, of which 862 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $20,487. During this same period, 388 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read More…

2
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 #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Admin for a Master’s list. San Diego State University is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 66 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Among the 36,334 students enrolled at San Diego State University, 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.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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/)

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Golden Gate University - San Francisco. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Admin for a Master’s. This small school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 29 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Golden Gate University - San Francisco did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Our most recent data shows that 1,009 of the 2,472 students enrolled at Golden Gate University - San Francisco were GI Bill® students, of which 816 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,556. To help with additional expenses, 75 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 Golden Gate University - San Francisco]](/colleges/golden-gate-university-san-francisco/student-life/veterans/)

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Admin for a Master’s. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 106 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

CSULB also took the #5 spot in our “Best Public Administration 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. 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 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 More…

5

Out of the 21 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Admin for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Northridge landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 242 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUN also made our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3.Our most recent data shows that 680 of the 40,381 students enrolled at CSUN were GI Bill® students, of which 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. 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 CSUN Veteran Student Life Report

6
National University crest
National University
La Jolla, California

National University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Admin for a Master’s ranking. La Jolla, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 94 students in 2020-2021.

National University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Among the 18,070 students enrolled at National University, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. 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.

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…

7
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #7, University of San Francisco did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Admin for a Master’s list. USFCA is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 78 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

USFCA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Among the 10,068 students enrolled at University of San Francisco, 6 are 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 $19,232. During this same period, 2 students received scholarships 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%.

Full USFCA Veteran Student Life Report

8
ULV crest
University of La Verne
La Verne, California

University of La Verne landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Admin for a Master’s ranking. ULV is a private not-for-profit institution located in La Verne, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 23 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at ULV, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, ULV supports 6,983 students, and 10 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 3 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $11,536. To help with additional expenses, 1 students received funds 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 ULV]](/colleges/university-of-la-verne/student-life/veterans/)

9
Cal Baptist crest
California Baptist University
Riverside, California

California Baptist University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Admin for a Master’s ranking. Riverside, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 27 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Baptist, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Among the 11,317 students enrolled at Cal Baptist, 532 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 390 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $15,716. To help with additional expenses, 162 students qualified for 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 Baptist University Veteran Student Life Report

10
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Admin for a Master’s ranking. San Jose State University is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 16 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

San Jose State also made our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #14.Among the 36,208 students enrolled at San Jose State, 660 are 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 qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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%.

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

11

California State University - Fullerton came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Admin for a Master’s ranking. California State University - Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 33 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal State Fullerton also made our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #8.Among the 42,051 students enrolled at Cal State Fullerton, 748 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 342 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,729. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Cal State Fullerton 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read More…

12

California State University - Sacramento ranked #12 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Admin for a Master’s list. Sac State is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 26 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Sac State also took the #18 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Of the 32,293 students enrolled at Sac State, 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. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Sac State 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%.

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

13
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University ranked #13 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Admin for a Master’s list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 32 students in 2020-2021.

SFSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.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. To help with additional expenses, 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%.

Full San Francisco State University Veteran Student Life Report

14

With a ranking of #14, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Admin for a Master’s list. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large school located in Carson, California that handed out 82 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree vets studying public admin list, CSUDH has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 267 of the 18,687 students enrolled at California State University - Dominguez Hills were GI Bill® students, of which 96 were 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 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 More…

15

With a ranking of #15, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Admin for a Master’s list. Fresno State is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 21 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Fresno State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.According to our most recent data, Fresno State supports 25,497 students, and 471 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 211 are 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 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 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

16

California State University - Los Angeles landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Admin for a Master’s ranking. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 39 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State LA, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 3 of the 26,745 students enrolled at California State University - Los Angeles were GI Bill® students, of which 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $2,700. To help with additional expenses, 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%.

Full Cal State LA Veteran Student Life Report

17

California State University - San Bernardino landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Admin for a Master’s ranking. California State University - San Bernardino is a public institution located in San Bernardino, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 81 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUSB also took the #17 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, CSUSB supports 19,689 students, and 400 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 170 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,274. 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.

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 85%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at CSUSB]](/colleges/california-state-university-san-bernardino/student-life/veterans/)

18

California State University - Stanislaus landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Admin for a Master’s ranking. Stan State is a fairly large school located in Turlock, California that handed out 20 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Stan State also took the #22 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Among the 11,163 students enrolled at Stan State, 163 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 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. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships 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 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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 - Stanislaus Veteran Student Life Report

19

California State University - Bakersfield came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Admin for a Master’s ranking. Bakersfield, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 42 students in 2020-2021.

CSUB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Among the 11,745 students enrolled at CSUB, 210 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 103 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,437. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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

20

California State University - East Bay did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Admin for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #20. California State University - East Bay is a fairly large public school situated in Hayward, California. It awarded 66 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal State East Bay did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.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. To help with additional expenses, 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 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…

21

Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey ranked #21 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Admin for a Master’s list. Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Monterey, California. It awarded 17 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Middlebury Institute also took the #13 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, Middlebury Institute supports 686 students, and 36 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 34 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,444. During this same period, 24 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

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

Full Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey Veteran Student Life Report

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

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