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2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid

48 Ranked Colleges
15,960 Degrees Awarded
$6,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.

With 113,121 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, criminal justice and corrections is the 7th most popular major in the United States. In 2019-2020, criminal justice and corrections graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $35,465 and had an average of $25,425 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 15,960 criminal justice and corrections graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,381 and $19,225 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 48 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in criminal justice and corrections. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent criminal justice and corrections programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the criminal justice and corrections program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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The criminal justice school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid”.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for california criminal justice students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections in California (With Aid)

1
Golden West College crest
Golden West College
Huntington Beach, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Golden West College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. Golden West College is located in Huntington Beach, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 170 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

Golden West College also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $4,024 for California Criminal Justice students with aid per year to attend Golden West College.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Golden West College

2

Out of the 48 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #2 spot on the list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminal justice degrees to 330 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california criminal justice students with aid list, Cal State LA has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $3,302 for California Criminal Justice students with aid per year to attend Cal State LA.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Los Angeles Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

3
SWC Chula Vista crest
Southwestern College
Chula Vista, California

Out of the 48 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Southwestern College landed the #3 spot on the list. Southwestern College is a public institution located in Chula Vista, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 208 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

SWC Chula Vista not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in California” list. It costs about $4,877 for california criminal justice students with aid per year to attend SWC Chula Vista.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at SWC Chula Vista

4
Fresno City College crest
Fresno City College
Fresno, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Fresno City College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. Fresno City College is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 162 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california criminal justice students with aid list, Fresno City College has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $2,584 for California Criminal Justice students with aid per year to attend Fresno City College.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Fresno City College

5
College of the Sequoias crest
College of the Sequoias
Visalia, California

Out of the 48 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, College of the Sequoias landed the #5 spot on the list. College of the Sequoias is a fairly large school located in Visalia, California that handed out 199 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend College of the Sequoias is $1,222 for California Criminal Justice students with aid.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at College of the Sequoias

6
Moreno Valley College crest
Moreno Valley College
Moreno Valley, California

Moreno Valley College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. Moreno Valley College is a public institution located in Moreno Valley, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 215 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Moreno Valley College also took the #11 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Moreno Valley College is $5,818 for California Criminal Justice students with aid.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Moreno Valley College

7
SRJC crest
Santa Rosa Junior College
Santa Rosa, California

Santa Rosa Junior College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Santa Rosa Junior College is located in Santa Rosa, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 173 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

SRJC also took the #5 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Santa Rosa Junior College is $6,585 for California Criminal Justice students with aid.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Santa Rosa Junior College

8

California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Dominguez Hills is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 295 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

CSUDH did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Dominguez Hills is $4,026 for California Criminal Justice students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at California State University - Dominguez Hills

9
Mt. SAC crest
Mt. San Antonio College
Walnut, California

Mt. San Antonio College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Mt. SAC is a public institution located in Walnut, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 112 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Mt. San Antonio College is $3,144 for California Criminal Justice students with aid.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Mt. SAC

10

California State University - Fullerton came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminal justice degrees to 365 students in 2020-2021.

Cal State Fullerton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $8,003 for California Criminal Justice students with aid.

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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal State Fullerton Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

11
Sacramento City crest
Sacramento City College
Sacramento, California

Sacramento City College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Sacramento City is located in Sacramento, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 132 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

Sacramento City did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Sacramento City College is $5,785 for california criminal justice students with aid.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Sacramento City College

12
Ventura College crest
Ventura College
Ventura, California

Ventura College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. Ventura College is located in Ventura, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 206 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $1,590 for California Criminal Justice students with aid per year to attend Ventura College.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Ventura College

13

California State University - Long Beach ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminal justice degrees to 321 students in 2020-2021.

CSULB also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $10,054 for california criminal justice students with aid.

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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at California State University - Long Beach

14

With a ranking of #14, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Stanislaus is a public institution located in Turlock, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 193 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Stan State also took the #23 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Stanislaus is $6,566 for california criminal justice students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Stan State Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

15

California State University - San Bernardino came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - San Bernardino is a fairly large school located in San Bernardino, California that handed out 266 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUSB also took the #16 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,107 for California Criminal Justice students with aid per year to attend CSUSB.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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 Criminal Justice & Corrections at CSUSB

16
SAC crest
Santa Ana College
Santa Ana, California

Santa Ana College landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Santa Ana College is a large public school situated in Santa Ana, California. It awarded 87 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.

SAC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend SAC is $4,745 for California Criminal Justice students with aid.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at SAC

17

California State University - Sacramento landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Sac State is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 493 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.

Sac State also took the #8 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $11,178 for California Criminal Justice students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Sac State

18
Riverside City College crest
Riverside City College
Riverside, California

With a ranking of #18, Riverside City College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Riverside City College is a fairly large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 143 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Riverside City College is $6,593 for California Criminal Justice students with aid.

Full Riverside City College Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

19
San Diego Miramar College crest
San Diego Miramar College
San Diego, California

With a ranking of #19, San Diego Miramar College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. San Diego Miramar College is located in San Diego, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 123 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $4,886 for California Criminal Justice students with aid per year to attend San Diego Miramar College.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at San Diego Miramar College

20
East Los Angeles College crest
East Los Angeles College
Monterey Park, California

East Los Angeles College landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. East Los Angeles College is a public institution located in Monterey Park, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 738 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at East Los Angeles College, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend East Los Angeles College is $11,028 for california criminal justice students with aid.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at East Los Angeles College

21

California State University - Bakersfield landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Bakersfield, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminal justice degrees to 189 students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend CSUB is $7,454 for California Criminal Justice students with aid.

Full CSUB Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

22
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school handed out 392 diplomas to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.

SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $13,845 for california criminal justice students with aid.

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 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at SDSU

23
Reedley College crest
Reedley College
Reedley, California

Reedley College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. Reedley College is a medium-sized school located in Reedley, California that handed out 90 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $4,892 for California Criminal Justice students with aid per year to attend Reedley College.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Reedley College

24

With a ranking of #24, California State University - East Bay did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 242 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal State East Bay also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in California” list, coming in at #18. The yearly cost to attend California State University - East Bay is $13,298 for california criminal justice students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Cal State East Bay

25
Antelope Valley College crest
Antelope Valley College
Lancaster, California

Antelope Valley College landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Antelope Valley College is located in Lancaster, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 140 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Antelope Valley College is $9,277 for California Criminal Justice students with aid.

Full Antelope Valley College Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

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References

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