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2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Policy for a Master’s

7 Ranked Colleges
480 Degrees Awarded
$52,627 Avg Salary
Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Policy for a Master's

With all of the options veterans have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Public Policy for a Master’s” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 6,430 people earned their degree in public policy, making the major the 113th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, public policy graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $49,451 and had an average of $21,866 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 798 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $52,313 and $22,744 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Policy for a Master’s” ranking analyzed 7 colleges that offered a degree in public policy. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great public policy 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 policy program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 Public Policy for a Master’s” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

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

The colleges and universities below are the best for california master’s degree vets studying public policy.

Top 7 Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in California

1
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

Out of the 7 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Policy for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 108 degrees to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2020-2021.

USC also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2.Of the 46,287 students enrolled at USC, 1,311 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 862 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $20,487. To help with additional expenses, 388 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 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 excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, 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…

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Policy for a Master’s. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 70 masters’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

UCLA also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3.Of the 44,589 students enrolled at UCLA, 7 were 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. On top of their other funding sources, 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 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 University of California - Los Angeles Veteran Student Life Report

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Policy for a Master’s list. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 14 masters’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 8 of the 36,303 students enrolled at UC Irvine 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 $3,620. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, 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 University of California - Irvine Veteran Student Life Report

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Riverside. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Policy for a Master’s. UCR is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 18 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UCR also took the #5 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, UCR supports 26,434 students, and 11 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 $2,182. To help with additional expenses, 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 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

5
CLU crest
California Lutheran University
Thousand Oaks, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Lutheran University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Policy for a Master’s list. Located in Thousand Oaks, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 30 diplomas to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2020-2021.

CLU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Among the 4,027 students enrolled at CLU, 166 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 126 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,342. In addition to receiving other benefits, 37 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 CLU Veteran Student Life Report

6
Pepperdine crest
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California

Pepperdine University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Policy for a Master’s ranking. Malibu, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 31 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pepperdine, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 458 of the 9,554 students enrolled at Pepperdine University were GI Bill® students, of which 288 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $19,329. To help with additional expenses, 180 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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 Pepperdine]](/colleges/pepperdine-university/student-life/veterans/)

7
Mills crest
Mills College
Oakland, California

With a ranking of #7, Mills College did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Public Policy for a Master’s list. Mills is located in Oakland, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

Mills also took the #6 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Among the 961 students enrolled at Mills, 15 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 6 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $20,540. During this same period, 1 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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 Mills Veteran Student Life Report

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

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