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Best Criminology Schools in California

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2023 Best Criminology Schools in California

11 Colleges
$37,821 Avg Salary
$20,932 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Criminology School for You

In 2020-2021, 1,459 degrees and certificates were awarded to criminology students who went to a California college or university. This makes it the #73 most popular major in the state.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Criminology Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 11 schools in California to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Criminology Schools in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Criminology Colleges.

Top 10 Best Criminology Schools

Our analysis found University of California - Irvine to be the best school for criminology students who want to pursue a degree in California. UC Irvine is a very large public school located in the large city of Irvine.

On average, criminology graduates from UC Irvine take out $15,995 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $188.

Read full report on Criminology at University of California - Irvine

The excellent programs at California State University - San Marcos helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best criminology schools in California. Located in the suburb of San Marcos, CSUSM is a public college with a fairly large student population.

On average, criminology graduates from CSUSM take out $15,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

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The excellent programs at California State University - Fresno helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best criminology schools in California. Located in the large city of Fresno, Fresno State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Criminology majors at Fresno State take out an average of $10,017 in student loans while working on their egree.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Criminology Schools in California list. San Jose State is a very large public school located in the city of San Jose.

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#5

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mount Saint Mary’s University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Criminology Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, MSMU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Criminology majors at MSMU take out an average of $31,166 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#6

University of La Verne

La Verne, CA

University of La Verne ranked #6 on this year’s Best Criminology Schools in California list. ULV is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of La Verne.

On average, criminology graduates from ULV take out $26,493 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $453, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for criminology students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Pomona, Cal Poly Pomona is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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Azusa Pacific University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best criminology programs. Azusa Pacific is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Azusa.

Full Criminology at Azusa Pacific University Report

#9

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA

With a ranking of #9, San Diego State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for criminology students. Located in the large city of San Diego, SDSU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Criminology at San Diego State University

Humboldt State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Criminology Schools in California list. Located in the town of Arcata, Humboldt State University is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

While working on their degree, criminology majors at Humboldt State University accumulate an average of around $18,436 in student debt.

Read More…

Best Criminology Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Criminology Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 289
Oregon 12
Nevada 177

Criminology is one of 12 different types of programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 49,282
Economics 49,055
Sociology 38,475
General Social Sciences 18,997
International Relations & National Security 14,306

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 11 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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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