Major Rankings

Best Colleges for Criminal Justice and Corrections

Ranked by graduate earnings. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard — updated 2026.

Programs tracked: 629

Avg grad salary: $45,571

Total graduates: 74,019

Top Colleges for Criminal Justice and Corrections — Ranked by Graduate Earnings

Showing schools with reported earnings data. Earnings reflect median graduate salary 4 years after graduation (or 1 year where 4-year data is unavailable).

#	School	Median Salary (4yr)	Starting Salary (1yr)	Graduates	Median Debt	Admit Rate
1	Charter Oak State College New Britain, CT	N/A	$68,956	19	$23,000	N/A
2	George Washington University Washington, DC	$66,524	$51,256	35	$20,500	43.5%
3	Elmhurst University Elmhurst, IL	$66,495	$38,352	22	$27,000	75.7%
4	Norwich University Northfield, VT	$64,050	$43,523	157	$26,000	73.6%
5	Concordia University-Saint Paul Saint Paul, MN	$64,015	$42,607	25	$28,076	74.9%
6	Caldwell University Caldwell, NJ	$62,974	$22,939	16	$27,000	65.4%
7	Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH	$62,737	$45,836	562	$31,000	96.1%
8	Central Christian College of Kansas McPherson, KS	$62,469	$55,453	61	$36,076	N/A
9	Endicott College Beverly, MA	$62,266	$38,900	42	$27,000	72.3%
10	Reinhardt University Waleska, GA	N/A	$62,019	18	$27,475	55.2%
11	University of Scranton Scranton, PA	$61,836	$32,300	40	$27,000	84.4%
12	George Mason University Fairfax, VA	$61,608	$43,612	439	$20,761	88.8%
13	Colorado State University Global Denver, CO	$61,489	$61,786	69	$38,276	92.9%
14	American Public University System Charles Town, WV	$61,351	$57,409	334	$19,000	N/A
15	American University Washington, DC	$61,255	$37,147	69	$23,250	47.4%
16	Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX	$61,238	$34,556	31	$20,429	42.6%
17	Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL	$61,200	$38,953	74	$25,000	81.4%
18	Springfield College Springfield, MA	$60,848	$41,441	23	$25,500	70.2%
19	Springfield College-Regional Online and Continuing Education Springfield, MA	$60,848	$41,441	23	$25,500	N/A
20	Marymount University Arlington, VA	$60,710	$35,642	32	$25,000	80.5%
21	Westfield State University Westfield, MA	$60,570	$42,228	301	$24,422	80.7%
22	Utica University Utica, NY	$60,355	$45,521	92	$26,000	87.2%
23	Columbia Southern University Orange Beach, AL	$60,062	$60,461	170	$30,204	N/A
24	Frostburg State University Frostburg, MD	$59,575	$40,844	80	$25,000	89.4%
25	Northeastern University Boston, MA	$59,550	$51,363	45	$22,809	9.9%
26	University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD	$59,490	$55,479	225	$25,062	N/A
27	Oakland City University Oakland City, IN	$59,489	$46,038	28	$24,657	68.2%
28	SUNY Oneonta Oneonta, NY	$59,313	$32,043	138	$19,740	70.2%
29	Missouri Baptist University Saint Louis, MO	$59,300	$42,555	40	$23,187	64.1%
30	Herzing University-Akron Akron, OH	$58,875	$67,229	73	$28,399	94.0%
31	Herzing University-Atlanta Atlanta, GA	$58,875	$67,229	73	$28,399	94.1%
32	Herzing University-Birmingham Birmingham, AL	$58,875	$67,229	73	$28,399	94.5%
33	Herzing University-Brookfield Brookfield, WI	$58,875	$67,229	73	$28,399	90.8%
34	Herzing University-Kenosha Kenosha, WI	$58,875	$67,229	73	$28,399	89.4%
35	Herzing University-Madison Madison, WI	$58,875	$67,229	73	$28,399	94.2%
36	Herzing University-Minneapolis St. Louis Park, MN	$58,875	$67,229	73	$28,399	93.8%
37	Herzing University-New Orleans Metairie, LA	$58,875	$67,229	73	$28,399	89.1%
38	Herzing University-Orlando Winter Park, FL	$58,875	$67,229	73	$28,399	89.9%
39	Lynn University Boca Raton, FL	$58,830	$39,496	24	$19,500	74.0%
40	Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Winona, MN	$58,646	$64,894	19	$28,708	88.8%
41	Iona University New Rochelle, NY	$58,268	$31,283	51	$27,000	91.1%
42	Aurora University Aurora, IL	$58,259	$44,150	98	$23,635	85.1%
43	Michigan State East Lansing, MI	$58,230	$40,390	180	$26,000	83.9%
44	University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI	$58,148	$39,394	59	$25,000	86.7%
45	Thomas University Thomasville, GA	$58,064	$52,991	26	$45,464	43.2%
46	Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, CA	$58,007	$38,444	72	$20,000	94.7%
47	California State University-East Bay Hayward, CA	$57,898	$45,387	174	$15,500	96.8%
48	Siena Heights University Adrian, MI	$57,804	$67,009	57	$22,250	66.6%
49	Bowie State University Bowie, MD	$57,571	$41,367	69	$29,750	83.5%
50	California Baptist University Riverside, CA	$57,399	$35,960	73	$26,372	73.6%
51	St. John's University-New York Queens, NY	$57,367	$34,686	188	$26,719	79.7%
52	Worcester State University Worcester, MA	$57,354	$41,132	127	$24,953	89.9%
53	Winona State University Winona, MN	$57,296	$48,861	58	$26,012	68.5%
54	Widener University Chester, PA	$57,188	$31,663	33	$27,000	84.0%
55	Western Illinois University Macomb, IL	$57,113	$40,898	433	$26,000	75.0%
56	Utah Valley University Orem, UT	$56,791	$44,051	87	$18,016	N/A
57	Dominican University New York Orangeburg, NY	$56,685	$28,893	33	$27,000	78.8%
58	Franklin Pierce University Rindge, NH	$56,648	$39,031	45	$27,000	90.2%
59	Saint Xavier University Chicago, IL	$56,487	$39,033	59	$27,000	85.8%
60	San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA	$56,243	$42,211	283	$13,518	96.2%

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are median among graduates who received federal financial aid.

Choosing the Best Criminal Justice and Corrections Program

Graduate Earnings

Median salary 4 years post-graduation measures the long-term ROI of a program. Higher earnings with lower debt means better financial outcomes.

Program Size

Graduate count signals program maturity. Larger programs often have stronger alumni networks and more job placement resources.

Debt-to-Earnings Ratio

Compare median debt against starting salary. A ratio below 1x means most graduates can repay loans within a year of earnings.

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