2023 Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in California
10
Ranked Colleges
129
Degrees Awarded
$48,121
Avg Salary
When it comes to choosing a college, veterans have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Master’s” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 6,966 people earned their degree in area studies, making the major the 115th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, area studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $33,127 and had an average of $20,927 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 880 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,544 and $17,829 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Master’s” ranking analyzed 10 colleges that offered a degree in area studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent area studies programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the area studies program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 Area Studies 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Master’s
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Master’s”.
Top 10 Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Master’s list. UCLA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 11 masters’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Among the 44,589 students enrolled at UCLA, 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 tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,071. During this same period, 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 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 UCLA]](/colleges/university-of-california-los-angeles/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Master’s. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 5 masters’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSD also took the #4 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 112 of the 39,576 students enrolled at University of California - San Diego were GI Bill® students, of which 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. 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
[Read full report on veteran student life at UCSD]](/colleges/university-of-california-san-diego/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 28 degrees to qualified masters’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Area Studies 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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $18,909. On top of their other funding sources, 61 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 86%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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…
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Master’s list. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 1 masters’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Area Studies 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 tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,806. 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full San Diego State University Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Master’s. CSULB is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
CSULB also made our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #9.Among the 40,069 students enrolled at CSULB, 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.
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 More…
University of San Francisco did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #6. This fairly large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 17 masters’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
USFCA also took the #5 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Among the 10,068 students enrolled at USFCA, 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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $19,232. During this same period, 2 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. USFCA 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 USFCA Veteran Student Life Report
University of California - Davis landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Master’s ranking. University of California - Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 1 masters’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Davis also took the #6 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, UC Davis supports 39,074 students, and 31 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 23 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,489. 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 93%. 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 University of California - Davis]](/colleges/university-of-california-davis/student-life/veterans/)
University of California - Riverside landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Master’s ranking. UCR is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UCR also took the #10 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 11 of the 26,434 students enrolled at UCR 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. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. UCR offers credit for military training for eligible students.
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 More…
University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Master’s ranking. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 1 masters’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california master’s degree vets studying area studies list, UCSB has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.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 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of California - Santa Barbara Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #10, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Area Studies for a Master’s list. California State University - Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 8 masters’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal State Fullerton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.According to our most recent data, Cal State 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. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Cal State Fullerton does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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/)
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