San Diego State University Criminal Justice: earnings, debt & careers

Criminal Justice graduates of San Diego State University earn a median $57,510 four years after graduating ($33,261 after one year), with median federal loan debt of $12,998. That is $2,302 above the U.S. median for Criminal Justice graduates ($55,208 across 584 colleges), and ranks 13th of 21 California colleges.

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Earnings, 4 years after graduating
$57,510

U.S. median for this major: $55,208.

College Scorecard field of study

Earnings, 1 year after
$33,261

Median for graduates who received federal aid.

College Scorecard field of study

Median debt at graduation
$12,998

About 23% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $26,000.

College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)

What your family pays
$15,364 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $27,780. College Scorecard.

Criminal Justice at California colleges

Every California college we cover that reports Criminal Justice graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants.

RankCollegeEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debtAvg. net priceGraduation
1National University$81,299$28,014$22,87843%
2Sonoma State University$66,892$20,000$12,88558%
3California Baptist University$65,603$26,372$26,28562%
4California State University-East Bay$64,835$15,500$9,32048%
5San Francisco State University$63,764$13,518$12,27850%
6California Lutheran University$63,433$20,000$30,10970%
7California State University-Sacramento$62,583$13,745$9,33856%
8Humphreys University-Stockton and Modesto Campuses$60,478—$5,52462%
9Point Loma Nazarene University$59,183$14,000$38,72977%
10California State University-Long Beach$58,513$15,000$10,44069%
11California State University-Chico$58,464$16,331$14,48063%
12California State University-Dominguez Hills$57,727$12,256$8,61543%
13San Diego State University$57,510$12,998$15,36476%
14California State University-Fullerton$57,135$11,000$6,55570%
15California State University-Los Angeles$54,695$11,679$3,96753%
16California State University-San Bernardino$54,275$14,917$4,56455%
17California State University-Northridge$54,169$11,000$7,02157%
18La Sierra University$53,902$31,000$45,56660%
19California State University-Bakersfield$53,715—$5,65250%
20California State University-Fresno$53,438$13,889$7,00057%
21California State University-Stanislaus$51,740$12,500$6,06753%

9 more California colleges offer Criminal Justice but have too few graduates to report earnings.

Careers for Criminal Justice graduates

Police officer

San Diego area$110,400
California$118,880
U.S.$76,210

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +3.5% by 2035. Typical entry: high school diploma or equivalent.

Compliance Officers

San Diego area$101,230
California$96,980
U.S.$80,730

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +3.8% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

Child, Family, and School Social Workers

San Diego area$59,770
California$65,200
U.S.$59,550

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +4.4% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35. Careers from the federal major-to-occupation crosswalk.

What families pay at San Diego State University, by income

School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.

College Scorecard

About San Diego State University

Related majors at San Diego State University

San Diego State University Criminal Justice questions

How much do San Diego State University Criminal Justice graduates earn?

Criminal Justice graduates of San Diego State University earn a median $57,510 four years after graduating and $33,261 one year after. The U.S. median for Criminal Justice graduates across 584 colleges is $55,208.

How much debt do San Diego State University Criminal Justice graduates have?

The median federal loan debt for Criminal Justice graduates of San Diego State University is $12,998, about 23% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $26,000.

Where does San Diego State University rank for Criminal Justice in California?

Of 21 California colleges reporting Criminal Justice graduate earnings, San Diego State University ranks 13th. The highest is National University at $81,299.

What jobs do Criminal Justice graduates get?

A common career is police officer, with a median wage of $110,400 in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA area and $76,210 nationally. Others include compliance officers and child, family, and school social workers.

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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (field of study: median earnings and federal loan debt of graduates who received federal aid); BLS. How we score
Data: JSON · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “San Diego State University Criminal Justice: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/san-diego-state-university/majors/criminal-justice (College Scorecard and BLS data).