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Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in California

2023 Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in California

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

66 Colleges
$2,095 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$32,381 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections School for You

Criminal Justice & Corrections is one of the most popular subjects to study in California. With 13,151 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 8th out of all the majors we track in the state.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 66 schools in California to see which programs offered the best value experiences for criminal justice students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Top 10 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools

#1

Moreno Valley College

Moreno Valley, CA
$1,420 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Moreno Valley College the best value school in California for criminal justice and corrections students. Located in the large suburb of Moreno Valley, Moreno Valley College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Moreno Valley College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,420 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, criminal justice majors at Moreno Valley College accumulate an average of around $19,500 in student debt.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Moreno Valley College Report

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$1,150 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Napa Valley College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in California list. Napa Valley College is a small public school located in the small city of Napa.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Napa Valley College are $1,150 per year.

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#3

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, CA
$1,328 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Santa Rosa Junior College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in California list. Located in the midsize city of Santa Rosa, SRJC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SRJC are $1,328 per year. After completing their degree, criminal justice graduates from SRJC carry an average student debtload of $13,875.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, SRJC also is in the top 10% of our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in California ranking.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Santa Rosa Junior College Report

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#4

Golden West College

Huntington Beach, CA
$1,186 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Golden West College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in California list. Golden West College is a large public school located in the large suburb of Huntington Beach.

Golden West College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,186 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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#5

Santa Ana College

Santa Ana, CA
$1,180 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Santa Ana College is a great value for criminal justice and corrections students. SAC is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Santa Ana.

SAC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,180 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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#6

Southwestern College

Chula Vista, CA
$1,342 Average Tuition & Fees

Southwestern College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in California ranking. Located in the large city of Chula Vista, SWC Chula Vista is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SWC Chula Vista are $1,342 a year.

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#7

East Los Angeles College

Monterey Park, CA
$1,238 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, East Los Angeles College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for criminal justice and corrections students. Located in the large suburb of Monterey Park, East Los Angeles College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at East Los Angeles College are $1,238 per year.

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#8

Riverside City College

Riverside, CA
$1,420 Average Tuition & Fees

Riverside City College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value criminal justice and corrections programs. Riverside City College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Riverside.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Riverside City College are $1,420 a year.

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#9

El Camino College

Torrance, CA
$1,144 Average Tuition & Fees

El Camino College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for criminal justice and corrections students. It came in at #9 on the list. El Camino College is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Torrance.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at El Camino College are $1,144 a year.

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#10

Sacramento City College

Sacramento, CA

Sacramento City College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Sacramento, Sacramento City is a public college with a large student population.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Sacramento City College Report

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Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great value schools for Criminal Justice & Corrections students in the state of California seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in California award.

Rank College Location
11 West Hills College-Lemoore Lemoore, CA
12 College of the Desert Palm Desert, CA
13 Ventura College Ventura, CA

Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 553
Oregon 477
Nevada 684
Hawaii 173
Alaska 73

Criminal Justice & Corrections is one of 4 different types of programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fire Protection 13,766
Homeland Security 7,140
Security Science and Technology 6,888
Other Homeland Security 1,695

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • 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 the rest 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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