2023 Best International Studies Colleges for Veterans in California
13
Ranked Colleges
1,569
Degrees Awarded
$35,800
Avg Cost*
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 International Studies” ranking is part of that endeavor.
International Studies is the 100th most popular major in the country with 7,368 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, international studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,198 and had an average of $21,594 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 1,569 international studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,635 and $16,885 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in California for International Studies” ranking, we looked at 13 colleges that offer a degree in international studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great international studies programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the international studies program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank International Studies Schools
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in California for International Studies” list to help you make the college 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 International Studies
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in California for International Studies”.
Top 13 Best International Studies Colleges for Veterans in 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 International Studies list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 23 ’s international studies degrees in 2020-2021.
USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 46,287 students enrolled at USC, 1,311 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 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. On top of their other funding sources, 388 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 91%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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 Southern California Veteran Student Life Report
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 International Studies. UCSD is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 585 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSD also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, University of California - San Diego supports 39,576 students, and 112 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 54 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $1,596. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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 University of California - San Diego Veteran Student Life Report
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 International Studies list. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school handed out 172 diplomas to qualified ’s international studies students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 36,303 students enrolled at UC Irvine, 8 were 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 $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%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of California - Irvine]](/colleges/university-of-california-irvine/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for International Studies list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s international studies degrees to 42 students in 2020-2021.
UCLA also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].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 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.
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…
Out of the 13 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for International Studies that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school awarded 293 diplomas to qualified ’s international studies students in 2020-2021.
UCSB 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, UCSB supports 26,179 students, and 286 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 128 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,510. In addition to receiving other benefits, 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, 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 - Santa Barbara Veteran Student Life Report
California State University - Long Beach landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for International Studies ranking. CSULB is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 44 ’s international studies degrees to qualified students.
CSULB also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].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 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%.
Full California State University - Long Beach Veteran Student Life Report
San Jose State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for International Studies ranking, coming in at #7. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school handed out 14 degrees to qualified ’s international studies students 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.According to our most recent data, San Jose State supports 36,208 students, and 660 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 384 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,909. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read More…
University of California - Riverside landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for International Studies ranking. UCR is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 27 ’s international studies degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california vets studying international studies list, UCR has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” 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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $2,182. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. UCR 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 91%. 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 University of California - Riverside]](/colleges/university-of-california-riverside/student-life/veterans/)
University of San Francisco landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for International Studies ranking. San Francisco, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s international studies degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.
USFCA 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, USFCA supports 10,068 students, and 6 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 5 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $19,232. On top of their other funding sources, 2 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 University of San Francisco Veteran Student Life Report
Humboldt State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for International Studies ranking, coming in at #10. Humboldt State University is a medium-sized school located in Arcata, California that handed out 17 ’s international studies degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california vets studying international studies list, Humboldt State University has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 6,612 students enrolled at Humboldt State University, 177 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 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 qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Humboldt State University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Full Humboldt State University Veteran Student Life Report
California State University - Monterey Bay landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for International Studies ranking. CSUMB is located in Seaside, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 ’s international studies degrees to qualified students.
CSUMB 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, CSUMB supports 7,409 students, and 20 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 11 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,369. 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 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 - Monterey Bay]](/colleges/california-state-university-monterey-bay/student-life/veterans/)
Concordia University, Irvine landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for International Studies ranking. Concordia University, Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 15 ’s international studies degrees to qualified students.
Concordia University, Irvine also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 113 of the 4,071 students enrolled at Concordia University, Irvine were GI Bill® students, of which 82 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $10,273. To help with additional expenses, 12 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Concordia University, Irvine 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…
Pepperdine University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for International Studies ranking. This fairly large school is located in Malibu, California, and it awarded 46 ’s international studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Pepperdine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 9,554 students enrolled at Pepperdine, 458 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 288 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $19,329. In addition to receiving other benefits, 180 students received funds 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 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Pepperdine]](/colleges/pepperdine-university/student-life/veterans/)
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
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