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Best Criminal Justice Schools
The top 25 of 569 U.S. colleges offering an undergraduate Criminal Justice degree, ranked by early-career earnings and return on investment — using each school's real, aid-adjusted net price rather than sticker tuition.
Is Criminal Justice worth it?
It absolutely can be, provided you understand how the industry pays. Because most criminal justice graduates end up in public sector roles—local police departments, state corrections, or federal agencies—salaries are heavily regimented by government pay scales and union contracts. You aren't going to negotiate a massive signing bonus out of college. Therefore, the degree's value hinges entirely on keeping your tuition costs rock-bottom. The financial winners in this field are almost always low-cost regional public universities, specialized online programs, and colleges that cater to working adults seeking the bachelor’s degree required for a promotion to detective or federal agent.
| # | School | State | Median earnings | Net price / yr | 10-yr net ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Siena Heights University | MI | $67,009 | $17,124 | +$602K |
| 2 | Saint Mary's University of Minnesota | MN | $64,894 | $11,704 | +$602K |
| 3 | Central Christian College of Kansas | KS | $55,453 | $11,404 | +$509K |
| 4 | California State University-East Bay | CA | $45,387 | $9,320† | +$417K |
| 5 | Herzing University-Minneapolis | MN | $67,229 | $16,670 | +$606K |
| 6 | Colorado State University Global | CO | $61,786 | $16,510† | +$552K |
| 7 | Utah Valley University | UT | $44,051 | $6,376† | +$415K |
| 8 | Ferris State University | MI | $44,897 | $8,624† | +$414K |
| 9 | Herzing University-Akron | OH | $67,229 | $18,934 | +$597K |
| 10 | Bethel University | TN | $54,207 | $12,595 | +$492K |
| 11 | University of Baltimore | MD | $48,991 | $13,868† | +$434K |
| 12 | Trinity Washington University | DC | $47,385 | $9,302 | +$437K |
| 13 | CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice | NY | $37,284 | $3,203† | +$360K |
| 14 | Herzing University-Birmingham | AL | $67,229 | $19,651 | +$594K |
| 15 | Herzing University-Orlando | FL | $67,229 | $19,850 | +$593K |
| 16 | Lamar University | TX | $43,707 | $9,366† | +$400K |
| 17 | San Francisco State University | CA | $42,211 | $12,278† | +$373K |
| 18 | Worcester State University | MA | $41,132 | $13,381† | +$358K |
| 19 | Saint Xavier University | IL | $39,033 | $10,970 | +$346K |
| 20 | California State University-Sacramento | CA | $38,606 | $9,338† | +$349K |
| 21 | Charter Oak State College | CT | $68,956 | $15,815† | +$626K |
| 22 | Herzing University-New Orleans | LA | $67,229 | $21,269 | +$587K |
| 23 | Herzing University-Brookfield | WI | $67,229 | $20,514 | +$590K |
| 24 | Bemidji State University | MN | $49,617 | $15,261† | +$435K |
| 25 | Texas A&M University-Central Texas | TX | $45,976 | $1,300† | +$455K |
Top 10 programs by 10-year net ROI
Why these schools rank where they do
Siena Heights University takes the #1 spot not because it is a traditional prestige powerhouse, but because it operates as a highly efficient machine for law enforcement career advancement. The university has deep, longstanding articulation agreements with police academies and community colleges across Michigan and the Midwest. Many of its graduates are already working professionals in law enforcement who use Siena Heights' flexible degree-completion programs to check the bachelor's box required to earn a promotion to sergeant, lieutenant, or state investigator. They graduate with minimal new debt and step right into an immediate pay bump.
The most surprising takeaway from this ranking is the sheer dominance of Herzing University, which occupies six spots in the top 25 across its various regional campuses. As a career-focused institution, Herzing caters heavily to adult learners and career-switchers who want a fast, pragmatic route into homeland security or local policing without the bloat of a traditional four-year campus experience. Meanwhile, the most famous program in the country—CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice—lands at #13. John Jay is a legendary pipeline into the NYPD, the FBI, and the Secret Service, but it gets edged out of the top ten simply because adult-completion programs at schools like Central Christian College of Kansas and Colorado State University Global offer highly flexible routes for working professionals who are already earning a paycheck in the field.
What is Criminal Justice?
Criminal justice is the study of how society controls crime, focusing on the practical operations of law enforcement, the court system, and corrections. Graduates spend their days doing everything from patrolling communities and investigating crime scenes to managing parolees, securing borders, or analyzing intelligence for federal agencies.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a Criminal Justice degree to become a police officer?
No. Many local police departments only require a high school diploma or an associate degree, and they will put you through their own paid academy. However, a bachelor's degree is increasingly required for federal law enforcement roles (like the FBI, DEA, or ATF) and is usually a hard requirement if you want to climb the ranks into administration, specialized detective units, or police chief roles later in your career.
What is the difference between Criminal Justice and Criminology?
Criminal justice focuses on the system—how police, courts, and prisons operate and enforce the law on a daily basis. Criminology is the sociological and psychological study of why people commit crimes in the first place. If you want to be an officer or federal agent, criminal justice is the standard route. If you want to do academic research, behavioral profiling, or social policy work, criminology is the better fit.
Will this degree help me get into law school?
It can, but it isn't necessarily a golden ticket. Law schools care primarily about your GPA and LSAT score, not your specific major. While criminal justice introduces you to the legal system and constitutional law, many pre-law students find that majors requiring heavy reading, writing, and logical analysis—like philosophy, history, or English—prepare them better for the actual academic rigors of law school.
Why do so many online and adult-focused colleges rank highly for this major?
Law enforcement is a field where on-the-job experience pays dividends. Many of the top-ranking schools on this list specialize in degree-completion programs for adults who are already working in the criminal justice system. These students are leveraging their affordable, flexible degrees to unlock immediate salary bumps and promotions that their employers have already guaranteed, skewing the financial outcomes highly in their favor compared to traditional 18-year-old undergrads starting from scratch.