Academic Index Last updated: June 23, 2026

7 Best Universities in California for Criminology and Criminal Justice

We ranked the top 7 universities for Criminology and Criminal Justice in California based on strict academic metrics. Based on 2.23M scholarly articles and 115.93M peer-reviewed citations, we reveal the best research labs driving innovation in Criminology and Criminal Justice. This targeted approach bypasses general university reputation, directly revealing the strongest programs.

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Ranking Methodology Notice

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Field of Study

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1

Berkeley

University of California – Berkeley

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#2 in United States #3 in North America

11% Acceptance

26,133 Enrollment

1175 Avg SAT

1868 Founded

2

Los Angeles

University of California – Los Angeles

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#17 in United States #18 in North America

9% Acceptance

37,297 Enrollment

1500 Avg SAT

1919 Founded

3

Stanford

Stanford University

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#21 in United States #23 in North America

4% Acceptance

47,335 Enrollment

1545 Avg SAT

1885 Founded

4

Irvine

University of California – Irvine

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#22 in United States #24 in North America

29% Acceptance

47,335 Enrollment

1500 Avg SAT

1965 Founded

5

Los Angeles

University of Southern California

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#38 in United States #42 in North America

10% Acceptance

47,335 Enrollment

1500 Avg SAT

1880 Founded

6

Davis

University of California – Davis

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#51 in United States #58 in North America

42% Acceptance

25,685 Enrollment

1545 Avg SAT

1905 Founded

7

San Francisco

University of California – San Francisco

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#56 in United States #63 in North America

13% Acceptance

2,942 Enrollment

1100 Avg SAT

1864 Founded