2023 Best Value Criminology Schools in California
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
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 Value Criminology Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 11 schools in California to see which programs offered the best value experiences for criminology students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 10 Best Criminology Schools
Our 2023 rankings named California State University - Fresno the best value school in California for criminology students. Located in the city of Fresno, Fresno State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Fresno State undergraduate students pay an average of $6,653 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Criminology majors at Fresno State take out an average of $10,017 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Out of the 11 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - San Marcos landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of San Marcos, CSUSM is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSUSM are $7,727 a year. On average, criminology graduates from CSUSM take out $15,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on Criminology at California State University - San Marcos
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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 #3 on this year’s Best Value Criminology Schools in California list. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Jose.
San Jose State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,852 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, San Jose State also did well on our Best Criminology Schools in California list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a great value for criminology students. Located in the large suburb of Pomona, Cal Poly Pomona is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal Poly Pomona are $7,439 a year.
Full Criminology at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Humboldt State University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Criminology Schools in California list. Located in the remote town of Arcata, Humboldt State University is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Humboldt State University are $7,864 a year. While working on their degree, criminology majors at Humboldt State University accumulate an average of around $18,436 in student debt.
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University of California - Irvine landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value criminology programs. UC Irvine is a fairly large public school located in the city of Irvine.
UC Irvine undergraduate students pay an average of $13,775 in in-state tuition and fees each year. 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.
Full Criminology at University of California - Irvine Report
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San Diego State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SDSU are $8,136 per year.
Read full report on Criminology at San Diego State University
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Mount Saint Mary’s University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for criminology students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, MSMU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MSMU are $45,388 per year. Criminology majors at MSMU take out an average of $31,166 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Criminology at Mount Saint Mary’s University Report
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With a ranking of #9, University of La Verne did quite well on this year’s best value schools for criminology students. ULV is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of La Verne.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at ULV are $45,850 per year. 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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With a ranking of #10, Alliant International University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for criminology students. Alliant is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of San Diego.
Alliant undergraduate students pay an average of $16,631 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Full Criminology at Alliant International University Report
Request InformationBest Value Criminology Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Criminology Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 289 |
| Oregon | 12 |
| Nevada | 177 |
More Criminology Rankings in California
Majors Related to Criminology
Criminology is one of 12 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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.
- 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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