How are the best colleges for Criminal Justice ranked?

By the median earnings of Criminal Justice graduates ~10 years after entry, from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard field-of-study data. It measures financial outcomes for that specific field at each school — not overall prestige or how hard it is to get in.

Does a higher rank mean the program is better, or easier to enter?

Neither on its own. It means graduates of that field tend to earn more — which reflects the field, the school, and who enrolls. Admission difficulty is separate: use each school's acceptance rate here, then run your personalized odds. Earnings also lag ~2 years and cover federally-aided graduates.

Why isn't every college listed?

We only rank schools where College Scorecard reports field-of-study earnings for Criminal Justice among the school's programs, so coverage grows as more institutions report. A missing school isn't a judgment — we just don't have verified Criminal Justice earnings for it yet.

Best colleges for Criminal Justice

Ranked by median Criminal Justice graduate earnings (~10 years after entry) from College Scorecard’s field-of-study data — the financial outcome for that specific field, not a prestige ranking. Source-cited; model your own odds and net price at each.

#	College	Location	Criminal Justice earnings	Net price	Accept.
1	Lindenwood University	Saint Charles, MO	$59,883	$19,638	57%
2	Farmingdale State College	Farmingdale, NY	$57,318	$10,867	63%
3	Siena Heights University	Adrian, MI	$55,338	$17,124	69%
4	Bethel University	McKenzie, TN	$50,022	$12,595	60%
5	Saint Mary's University of Minnesota	Winona, MN	$49,631	$11,704	93%
6	Regis University	Denver, CO	$48,823	$18,397	86%
7	Southwestern College	Winfield, KS	$48,432	$29,824	76%
8	Reinhardt University	Waleska, GA	$47,260	$24,425	62%
9	Concordia University-Saint Paul	Saint Paul, MN	$46,087	$18,462	79%
10	Saint Anselm College	Manchester, NH	$45,696	$34,779	78%
11	Thomas More University	Crestview Hills, KY	$45,500	$21,835	90%
12	Lynn University	Boca Raton, FL	$45,198	$44,089	73%
13	Anna Maria College	Paxton, MA	$44,971	$28,333	50%
14	Auburn University at Montgomery	Montgomery, AL	$43,426	$13,224	92%
15	Norwich University	Northfield, VT	$42,682	$22,257	74%
16	Westfield State University	Westfield, MA	$42,123	$16,721	81%
17	University of Massachusetts-Boston	Boston, MA	$42,025	$17,707	84%
18	Baldwin Wallace University	Berea, OH	$41,937	$27,603	76%
19	Bemidji State University	Bemidji, MN	$41,789	$15,261	56%
20	Saint Leo University	Saint Leo, FL	$41,601	$21,293	78%
21	University of Southern Maine	Portland, ME	$41,565	$13,596	79%
22	New England College	Henniker, NH	$41,565	$26,972	92%
23	Madonna University	Livonia, MI	$41,342	$17,755	63%
24	East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania	East Stroudsburg, PA	$40,652	$18,134	92%
25	Worcester State University	Worcester, MA	$40,501	$13,381	88%
26	University of Saint Mary	Leavenworth, KS	$40,281	$22,519	87%
27	Alvernia University	Reading, PA	$39,832	$28,138	58%
28	Southwest Minnesota State University	Marshall, MN	$39,729	$15,291	62%
29	Nichols College	Dudley, MA	$39,729	$33,036	81%
30	Governors State University	University Park, IL	$39,663	$12,329	48%
31	University of Bridgeport	Bridgeport, CT	$39,648	$27,807	83%
32	Elizabethtown College	Elizabethtown, PA	$39,592	$26,598	78%
33	Utica University	Utica, NY	$39,467	$19,108	92%
34	Marian University	Fond Du Lac, WI	$39,369	$21,937	75%
35	Mid-America Christian University	Oklahoma City, OK	$39,369	$16,692	92%
36	North Park University	Chicago, IL	$39,153	$16,948	69%
37	The University of Findlay	Findlay, OH	$39,009	$27,221	83%
38	Minot State University	Minot, ND	$38,829	$12,703	65%
39	Northern Michigan University	Marquette, MI	$38,649	$14,085	84%
40	Thomas University	Thomasville, GA	$38,289	$18,499	38%
41	Averett University	Danville, VA	$38,289	$22,925	57%
42	Fisher College	Boston, MA	$38,289	$26,649	71%
43	Adrian College	Adrian, MI	$38,289	$25,368	73%
44	Husson University	Bangor, ME	$38,289	$21,005	81%
45	CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice	New York, NY	$38,182	$3,203	57%
46	Chaminade University of Honolulu	Honolulu, HI	$38,072	$28,856	91%
47	Fitchburg State University	Fitchburg, MA	$38,048	$14,262	87%
48	Curry College	Milton, MA	$38,018	$29,207	88%
49	University of North Georgia	Dahlonega, GA	$37,826	$9,823	68%
50	University of Illinois Springfield	Springfield, IL	$37,748	$9,833	86%

Quick answers

How are the best colleges for Criminal Justice ranked?: By the median earnings of Criminal Justice graduates ~10 years after entry, from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard field-of-study data. It measures financial outcomes for that specific field at each school — not overall prestige or how hard it is to get in.
Does a higher rank mean the program is better, or easier to enter?: Neither on its own. It means graduates of that field tend to earn more — which reflects the field, the school, and who enrolls. Admission difficulty is separate: use each school's acceptance rate here, then run your personalized odds. Earnings also lag ~2 years and cover federally-aided graduates.
Why isn't every college listed?: We only rank schools where College Scorecard reports field-of-study earnings for Criminal Justice among the school's programs, so coverage grows as more institutions report. A missing school isn't a judgment — we just don't have verified Criminal Justice earnings for it yet.

Model my odds at these →Other majors →

Earnings are field-of-study medians from College Scorecard and lag ~2 years; they cover federally-aided graduates, not every student, and are not a guarantee of individual outcomes.

These outputs are estimates from a baseline model — not guarantees of admission, cost, or outcome.