Best value colleges for Criminal Justice in California.2026 Rankings
With 41 Criminal Justice programs spread across California, narrowing your list takes real data. Our algorithm ranks each school on six factors — admission rate, graduation rate, net price, median graduate earnings, student-faculty ratio, and major breadth — so you can compare apples to apples before you apply.
California offers 16 public and 14 private Criminal Justice programs in this ranking. Public universities average $19,092 for in-state students, making them a strong value option. The most competitive school on the list — Alliant International University-San Diego — accepts 0% of applicants. Early-career earnings for Criminal Justice graduates average $38,391, with a state-wide graduation rate of 54% for ranked programs.
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ranked by value score
| # | College | Value Score | Admit Rate | Grad Rate | Net Price | Median Earnings | Student:Faculty | Majors Offered | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fresno Pacific UniversityPrivate | Great· 39 | 58% | 56% | $11,116 | $42,313 | 8:1 | 62 | 1,614 |
| 2 | Great· 38 | 47% | 70% | $9,063 | $34,247 | 19:1 | 84 | 34,131 | |
| 3 | Strong· 36 | 34% | 78% | $14,205 | $33,261 | 22:1 | 79 | 33,654 | |
| 4 | William Jessup UniversityPrivate | Strong· 36 | 77% | 61% | $18,555 | $39,364 | 9:1 | 28 | 1,021 |
| 5 | Azusa Pacific UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 79% | 64% | $20,848 | $40,091 | 10:1 | 48 | 2,977 |
| 6 | Strong· 34 | 89% | 74% | $23,759 | $43,122 | 13:1 | 38 | 2,374 | |
| 7 | Strong· 34 | 80% | 65% | $12,948 | $58,993 | 18:1 | 90 | 26,757 | |
| 8 | Good· 33 | 88% | 49% | $6,183 | $38,105 | 16:1 | 40 | 8,183 | |
| 9 | Good· 33 | 91% | 47% | $4,942 | $36,092 | 18:1 | 59 | 12,642 | |
| 10 | Good· 33 | 87% | 69% | $5,438 | $34,570 | 22:1 | 60 | 36,956 | |
| 11 | Good· 33 | 97% | 58% | $6,347 | $34,806 | 16:1 | 38 | 8,564 | |
| 12 | Sonoma State UniversityPublic | Good· 33 | 95% | 61% | $12,751 | $38,444 | 15:1 | 38 | 5,374 |
| 13 | Good· 32 | 96% | 55% | $7,220 | $32,257 | 18:1 | 83 | 21,070 | |
| 14 | Good· 32 | 92% | 53% | $5,373 | $32,974 | 19:1 | 61 | 21,478 | |
| 15 | Good· 32 | 98% | 55% | $6,381 | $35,029 | 19:1 | 63 | 15,771 | |
| 16 | La Sierra UniversityPrivate | Good· 32 | 93% | 68% | $25,297 | $34,885 | 11:1 | 50 | 1,155 |
| 17 | Woodbury UniversityPrivate | Good· 32 | 73% | 55% | $25,615 | $39,998 | 9:1 | 21 | 825 |
| 18 | Good· 31 | 97% | 46% | $11,087 | $45,387 | 17:1 | 44 | 10,422 | |
| 19 | Good· 31 | 96% | 50% | $12,916 | $42,211 | 16:1 | 86 | 20,033 | |
| 20 | Good· 30 | 94% | 64% | $13,937 | $36,045 | 20:1 | 83 | 13,057 | |
| 21 | Good· 30 | 93% | 56% | $8,897 | $34,870 | 21:1 | 76 | 32,357 | |
| 22 | Good· 30 | 94% | 56% | $10,861 | $38,606 | 21:1 | 58 | 27,867 | |
| 23 | Good· 30 | 82% | 74% | $49,500 | $45,022 | 13:1 | 58 | 3,132 | |
| 24 | San Diego Christian CollegePrivate | Average· 29 | 63% | 24% | $30,336 | $34,809 | 10:1 | 15 | 91 |
| 25 | Average· 28 | 74% | 60% | $23,799 | $35,960 | 20:1 | 78 | 7,914 | |
| 26 | Average· 26 | — | 50% | $2,534 | $50,201 | 5:1 | 8 | 178 | |
| 27 | Fair· 25 | 35% | 46% | $33,153 | $35,979 | 13:1 | 17 | 549 | |
| 28 | Fair· 23 | 0% | 22% | $13,918 | $63,266 | 10:1 | 9 | 355 | |
| 29 | DeVry University-CaliforniaPrivate | Weak· 21 | 43% | 43% | $33,875 | $43,091 | 18:1 | 14 | 2,081 |
| 30 | Ashford UniversityPrivate | Weak· 20 | — | 9% | $26,377 | $47,869 | 16:1 | 55 | 23,734 |