Best Criminal Justice Schools Near Los Banos, CA (2026)

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Los Banos, California has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs. Los Banos has a population of about 46,776. Median household income is $70,893 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 13.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Merced, CA metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Attorney at a median $139,010 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Los Banos

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Los Banos, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Los Banos city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Los Banos. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

Sort:
#1

California State University-Stanislaus

Turlock, CA 32.0 miles from Los Banos
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
80.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,188
Avg net price $6,067/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Programs offered: 48

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Modesto Junior College

Modesto, CA 41.7 miles from Los Banos
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
64.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,368
Avg net price $2,818/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 92

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#3

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA 60.3 miles from Los Banos
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
86.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,988
Avg net price $13,760/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 118

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Fresno City College

Fresno, CA 61.2 miles from Los Banos
  • 4 year
41.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,361
Avg net price $8,069/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 95

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#5

Humphreys University-Stockton and Modesto Campuses

Stockton, CA 70.5 miles from Los Banos
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
58.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,248
Avg net price $5,524/yr
Tuition
In‑state$13,500
Out‑of‑state$13,500
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 14

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

California State University-East Bay

Hayward, CA 78.3 miles from Los Banos
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
79.2 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 97%
Graduation rate 47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,401
Avg net price $9,320/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,583
Out‑of‑state$20,183
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 59

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#7

San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia

Visalia, CA 95.3 miles from Los Banos
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
45.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,317
Avg net price $27,854/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 19

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Skyline College

San Bruno, CA 97.6 miles from Los Banos
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
70.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 27%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,702
Avg net price $1,738/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California criminal justice page.

Criminal Justice Wages Near Los Banos

Los Banos is part of the Merced, CA metro area (BLS area code 32900). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney $139,010 Merced, CA $141,414
Judge or Magistrate N/A CA statewide –
Police Supervisor $121,720 Merced, CA $123,825
Detective or Criminal Investigator $124,840 CA statewide $126,999
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer $82,540 Merced, CA $83,967
Correctional Officer $78,370 Merced, CA $79,725
Probation Officer $103,640 CA statewide $105,432
Forensic Science Technician $102,100 CA statewide $103,866
Paralegal or Legal Assistant $61,320 Merced, CA $62,380
Information Security Analyst $138,570 CA statewide $140,966

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Los Banos at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 46,776 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $70,893 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 13.2% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 98.3 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Los Banos-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Los Banos, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Los Banos. The closest is Merced College in Merced, CA (27.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is San Joaquin Valley College-Modesto (47.3 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminal justice roles near Los Banos?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Los Banos are: Attorney ($139,010), Information Security Analyst ($138,570), Detective or Criminal Investigator ($124,840). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Atwater instead of Los Banos?

Atwater, CA is 24.1 miles from Los Banos and has its own set of local criminal justice programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Los Banos an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Los Banos’s median household income of $70,893 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Los Banos while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Criminal Justice Programs

Other Programs Available in Los Banos

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Los Banos:

Data verified: September 6, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

Back to Best Criminal Justice Schools in California (2026)