Best colleges for criminal justice in California
Sonoma State University ranks first in California for criminal justice value (#1 nationally, value score 87.1): graduates earn $66,892 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $10,759 a year.
Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition · Source: College Scorecard field of study, reporting year 2025 · 18 California colleges ranked · Updated November 4, 2026
Best criminal justice colleges in California
Sonoma State University ranks first in California for criminal justice value (#1 nationally, value score 87.1): graduates earn $66,892 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $10,759 a year. 18 California colleges qualify. At the median one, criminal justice graduates earn $58,096 and the average net price is $9,615 a year.
Source: U.S. College Scorecard field of study, 2025
What the data shows
Key findings
- 18 California colleges qualify. At the median one, criminal justice graduates earn $58,096 and the average net price is $9,615 a year.
- The highest criminal justice earnings in the state are at National University-California ($81,299), ranked #14 in the state once cost, debt and graduation rate count.
- The lowest average net price among them is at California State University-Los Angeles: $2,385 a year.
- Median earnings
- $58,096
- National: $55,481
- Median net price
- $9,615
- National: $16,222
- Median federal debt
- $13,375
- criminal justice graduates
- Public colleges
- 14 of 18
- in this list
18 colleges
The California ranking
Ordered by the national value score; the national rank is shown with each college. Earnings are medians 4 years after the bachelor's degree.
- Earnings
- $66,892
- Net price
- $10,759
- Federal debt
- $12,500
- Graduation rate
- 55%
- Rank in California 2
California State University-East Bay
Hayward, CA · Public · #2 nationally
85.3Value- Earnings
- $64,835
- Net price
- $6,858
- Federal debt
- $13,750
- Graduation rate
- 49%
- Rank in California 3
California State University-Long Beach
Long Beach, CA · Public · #6 nationally
83.2Value- Earnings
- $58,513
- Net price
- $9,426
- Federal debt
- $11,000
- Graduation rate
- 70%
- Rank in California 4
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA · Public · #7 nationally
83.0Value- Earnings
- $63,764
- Net price
- $9,803
- Federal debt
- $15,000
- Graduation rate
- 50%
- Rank in California 5
California State University-Sacramento
Sacramento, CA · Public · #10 nationally
82.4Value- Earnings
- $62,583
- Net price
- $11,186
- Federal debt
- $14,000
- Graduation rate
- 54%
- Rank in California 6
California State University-Fullerton
Fullerton, CA · Public · #14 nationally
80.5Value- Earnings
- $57,135
- Net price
- $5,115
- Federal debt
- $12,250
- Graduation rate
- 68%
- Earnings
- $57,510
- Net price
- $13,243
- Federal debt
- $12,500
- Graduation rate
- 78%
- Rank in California 8
California State University-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA · Public · #39 nationally
72.1Value- Earnings
- $54,695
- Net price
- $2,385
- Federal debt
- $11,000
- Graduation rate
- 55%
- Earnings
- $58,464
- Net price
- $14,157
- Federal debt
- $16,001
- Graduation rate
- 60%
- Rank in California 10
California State University-Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA · Public · #42 nationally
71.8Value- Earnings
- $57,727
- Net price
- $7,244
- Federal debt
- $11,250
- Graduation rate
- 42%
- Rank in California 11
California State University-Northridge
Northridge, CA · Public · #50 nationally
70.6Value- Earnings
- $54,169
- Net price
- $6,346
- Federal debt
- $12,500
- Graduation rate
- 57%
- Rank in California 12
California State University-San Bernardino
San Bernardino, CA · Public · #57 nationally
69.4Value- Earnings
- $54,275
- Net price
- $3,946
- Federal debt
- $13,899
- Graduation rate
- 53%
- Rank in California 13
California State University-Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA · Public · #74 nationally
66.5Value- Earnings
- $53,715
- Net price
- $4,001
- Federal debt
- $10,514
- Graduation rate
- 48%
- Rank in California 14
National University-California
La Jolla, CA · Private nonprofit · #84 nationally
64.8Value- Earnings
- $81,299
- Net price
- $24,008
- Federal debt
- $25,000
- Graduation rate
- 43%
- Rank in California 15
Riverside, CA · Private nonprofit · #91 nationally
63.7Value- Earnings
- $65,603
- Net price
- $24,138
- Federal debt
- $23,250
- Graduation rate
- 60%
- Rank in California 16
California State University-Stanislaus
Turlock, CA · Public · #100 nationally
62.7Value- Earnings
- $51,740
- Net price
- $3,565
- Federal debt
- $13,000
- Graduation rate
- 52%
- Rank in California 17
Point Loma Nazarene University
San Diego, CA · Private nonprofit · #130 nationally
59.1Value- Earnings
- $59,183
- Net price
- $40,555
- Federal debt
- $18,750
- Graduation rate
- 77%
- Rank in California 18
Riverside, CA · Private nonprofit · #307 nationally
32.6Value- Earnings
- $53,902
- Net price
- $22,767
- Federal debt
- $27,000
- Graduation rate
- 52%
Method: the same value score as the national criminal justice ranking (earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate, each a national percentile). Data: College Scorecard, reporting year 2025; 2026–27 edition, verified Nov 2026.
Questions about criminal justice colleges in California
What are the best colleges for criminal justice in California?
By CollegesRef value score, the top 3 California colleges for criminal justice are Sonoma State University (value score 87.1), California State University-East Bay (value score 85.3) and California State University-Long Beach (value score 83.2). The score weighs graduate earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate.
Which California college has the highest earnings for criminal justice graduates?
National University-California: its criminal justice graduates have median earnings of $81,299 4 years after the bachelor's degree.
What is the most affordable criminal justice college in California on this list?
California State University-Los Angeles has the lowest average net price of the ranked California colleges, $2,385 a year after grants. A family's own price depends on income and aid.
How many California colleges are ranked for criminal justice?
18 California colleges have a criminal justice bachelor's program with enough graduates and reported earnings, plus a published net price and graduation rate. Ranks shown are national; the state rank is their order within California.