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2025 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor's Degree Schools

535 Colleges in the United States
48,312 Bachelor's Degrees
$38,699 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #7 most popular program in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 535 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 48,312 bachelor's degrees in criminal justice & corrections during the <nil> academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Criminal Justice & Corrections School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor's Degree Schools The criminal justice bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for criminal justice & corrections students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Criminal Justice Rankings Other Ranking Categories

The criminal justice school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor's Degree Schools.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Criminal Justice & Corrections in the United States

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Criminal Justice

1

Union Institute & University is a wonderful decision for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections. Union is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Cincinnati.

Bachelor's recipients from the criminal justice & corrections program at Union Institute & University make $85,537 above the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Union Institute & University

2
362 Annual Graduates
$43,612 Median Starting Salary
$45,292 Median Student Debt

George Mason University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the criminal justice & corrections degree program at George Mason University earn $4,913 above the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from George Mason University

3
330 Annual Graduates
$42,187 Median Starting Salary
$30,799 Median Student Debt

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections needs to look into Arizona State University - Tempe. Located in the midsize city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the criminal justice & corrections major at Arizona State University - Tempe make $3,488 above the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Arizona State University - Tempe

4

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections has to take a look at George Washington University. Located in the large city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Criminal Justice & Corrections bachelor's degree recipients from George Washington University get an earnings boost of approximately $12,557 over the typical earnings of criminal justice & corrections graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from George Washington University

5
1,454 Annual Graduates
$37,284 Median Starting Salary
$13,120 Median Student Debt

John Jay is a large public college located in the city of New York.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the criminal justice program earn an average of $37,284 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from John Jay College of Criminal Justice

6
University of New Haven crest
University of New Haven
West Haven, CT
247 Annual Graduates
$36,455 Median Starting Salary
$73,300 Median Student Debt

University of New Haven is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of West Haven.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the criminal justice program earn around $36,455 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from University of New Haven

7

Located in the large city of Boston, Northeastern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Criminal Justice & Corrections bachelor's degree recipients from Northeastern University receive an earnings boost of about $12,664 above the average earnings of criminal justice & corrections majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Northeastern University

8
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
554 Annual Graduates
$34,922 Median Starting Salary
$20,142 Median Student Debt

Florida State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Tallahassee.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the criminal justice program state that they receive average early career wages of $34,922.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Florida State University

9
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
232 Annual Graduates
$40,390 Median Starting Salary
$37,900 Median Student Debt

Michigan State is a very large public university located in the city of East Lansing.

After graduation, criminal justice bachelor's recipients typically earn an average of $40,390 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Michigan State University

10
238 Annual Graduates
$42,187 Median Starting Salary
$30,799 Median Student Debt

ASU - Skysong is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Scottsdale.

Bachelor's recipients from the criminal justice & corrections degree program at Arizona State University - Skysong get $3,488 above the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Arizona State University - Skysong

11

American Military University is a very large private for-profit university located in the town of Charles Town.

Criminal Justice & Corrections bachelor's degree recipients from American Public University System receive an earnings boost of around $18,710 above the typical earnings of criminal justice & corrections graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from American Public University System

12
888 Annual Graduates
$37,792 Median Starting Salary
$16,734 Median Student Debt

SHSU is a very large public university located in the town of Huntsville.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the criminal justice program make around $37,792 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Sam Houston State University

13
629 Annual Graduates
$47,987 Median Starting Salary
$13,194 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Phoenix, UOPX - Arizona is a private for-profit university with a very large student population.

Criminal Justice & Corrections bachelor's degree recipients from University of Phoenix - Arizona earn a boost of about $9,288 above the typical income of criminal justice & corrections majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from University of Phoenix - Arizona

14
197 Annual Graduates
$40,557 Median Starting Salary
$34,513 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Cincinnati, UC is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Soon after graduating, criminal justice bachelor's recipients usually earn around $40,557 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

15

Minnesota State Mankato is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Mankato.

Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their bachelor's degree from Minnesota State University - Mankato make $10,320 more than the standard criminal justice grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Minnesota State University - Mankato

16
75 Annual Graduates
$40,390 Median Starting Salary
$19,480 Median Student Debt

Located in the midsize city of Fort Lauderdale, Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

After graduation, criminal justice bachelor's recipients usually make around $40,390 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale

17
210 Annual Graduates
$41,938 Median Starting Salary
$17,608 Median Student Debt

UMass Lowell is a large public university located in the suburb of Lowell.

Criminal Justice & Corrections bachelor's degree recipients from University of Massachusetts - Lowell get an earnings boost of approximately $3,239 over the average earnings of criminal justice & corrections graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from University of Massachusetts - Lowell

18

Columbia Southern University is a fairly large private for-profit university located in the town of Orange Beach.

Criminal Justice & Corrections bachelor's degree recipients from Columbia Southern University earn a boost of about $21,762 above the average income of criminal justice & corrections majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Columbia Southern University

19
223 Annual Graduates
$35,781 Median Starting Salary
$31,348 Median Student Debt

Located in the midsize city of Columbia, UofSC is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Soon after graduation, criminal justice bachelor's recipients generally earn an average of $35,781 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from University of South Carolina - Columbia

20
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA
572 Annual Graduates
$48,855 Median Starting Salary
$38,000 Median Student Debt

Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Lynchburg.

Criminal Justice & Corrections bachelor's degree recipients from Liberty University earn a boost of around $10,156 above the average earnings of criminal justice & corrections majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Liberty University

21
196 Annual Graduates
$34,686 Median Starting Salary
$49,256 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Queens, STJ is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the criminal justice program report average early career income of $34,686.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from St John’s University - New York

22
120 Annual Graduates
$35,572 Median Starting Salary
$22,618 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the criminal justice program earn about $35,572 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Indiana University - Bloomington

23
236 Annual Graduates
$38,495 Median Starting Salary
$26,789 Median Student Debt

VCU is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Richmond.

After graduation, criminal justice bachelor's recipients generally make about $38,495 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Virginia Commonwealth University

24
98 Annual Graduates
$45,356 Median Starting Salary
$37,735 Median Student Debt

RWU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Bristol.

Bachelor's recipients from the criminal justice & corrections program at Roger Williams University earn $6,657 above the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Roger Williams University

25
Rowan crest
Rowan University
Glassboro, NJ
246 Annual Graduates
$33,254 Median Starting Salary
$20,946 Median Student Debt

Rowan is a large public university located in the suburb of Glassboro.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the criminal justice program state that they receive average early career income of $33,254.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Rowan University

Rest of the Top 50 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor's Degree Schools

26
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, TX
27
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC
28
29
Purdue University Global crest
Purdue University Global
West Lafayette, IN
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32
St. Leo University crest
Saint Leo University
Saint Leo, FL

33
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA

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Additional Award Winners

This section represents the rest of the colleges awarded a Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 20% of the 535 different United States criminal justice & corrections schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ
52 Salve Regina University Newport, RI
53 Northern Michigan University Marquette, MI
54 Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI
55 Siena Heights University Adrian, MI
56 Ball State University Muncie, IN
57 Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI
58 Iowa State University Ames, IA
59 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
60 University of Wisconsin - Platteville Platteville, WI
61 Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA
62 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
63 School Removed
64 University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE
65 California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA
66 Monroe College Bronx, NY
67 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
68 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC
69 California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA
70 Hilbert College Hamburg, NY
71 University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, MO
72 Simpson College Indianola, IA
73 University of Scranton Scranton, PA
74 Robert Morris University Moon Township, PA
75 University of Georgia Athens, GA
76 Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX
77 University of North Texas Denton, TX
78 East Carolina University Greenville, NC
79 American InterContinental University - Online Chandler, AZ
80 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
81 Citadel Military College of South Carolina Charleston, SC
82 North Dakota State University - Main Campus Fargo, ND
83 Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO
84 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
85 Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN
86 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
87 SUNY Oneonta Oneonta, NY
88 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA
89 Salem State University Salem, MA
90 Rutgers University - Camden Camden, NJ
91 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX
92 University of Central Oklahoma Edmond, OK
93 Anna Maria College Paxton, MA
94 Marist College Poughkeepsie, NY
95 Portland State University Portland, OR
96 Lake Superior State University Sault Ste Marie, MI
97 Seattle University Seattle, WA
98 Tarleton State University Stephenville, TX
99 Boise State University Boise, ID
100 Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Shippensburg, PA
101 Radford University Radford, VA
102 Endicott College Beverly, MA
103 University of Toledo Toledo, OH
104 Norwich University Northfield, VT
105 California State University - Chico Chico, CA
106 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI
107 The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
108 University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston, MA
109 Curry College Milton, MA
110 Waldorf University Forest City, IA
111 Appalachian State University Boone, NC
112 Columbia College Columbia, MO
113 Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers, FL
114 Fitchburg State University Fitchburg, MA
115 Mississippi College Clinton, MS
116 California State University - East Bay Hayward, CA
117 Johnson & Wales University - Providence Providence, RI
118 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Edwardsville, IL
119 Aurora University Aurora, IL
120 Utah Valley University Orem, UT
121 Madonna University Livonia, MI
122 University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO
123 The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX
124 SUNY Oswego Oswego, NY
125 Sacred Heart University Fairfield, CT
126 University of Houston - Downtown Houston, TX
127 National University San Diego, CA
128 University of Baltimore Baltimore, MD
129 Indian River State College Fort Pierce, FL
130 Utica College Utica, NY
131 California State University - Stanislaus Turlock, CA
132 Missouri Southern State University Joplin, MO
133 University at Albany Albany, NY
134 Tiffin University Tiffin, OH
135 Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, PA
136 Mercyhurst University Erie, PA
137 Lewis University Romeoville, IL
138 DeSales University Center Valley, PA
139 University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL
140 Washburn University Topeka, KS
141 Calumet College of Saint Joseph Whiting, IN
142 Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA
143 Xavier University Cincinnati, OH
144 Kean University Union, NJ
145 William Paterson University of New Jersey Wayne, NJ
146 Winona State University Winona, MN
147 Bellevue University Bellevue, NE
148 Georgia State University Atlanta, GA
149 Widener University Chester, PA
150 Chaminade University of Honolulu Honolulu, HI
151 Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC
152 Iona College New Rochelle, NY
153 SUNY Plattsburgh Plattsburgh, NY
154 University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Norman, OK
155 University of North Georgia Dahlonega, GA
156 University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI
157 Champlain College Burlington, VT
158 The College at Brockport Brockport, NY
159 Plymouth State University Plymouth, NH
159 Merrimack College North Andover, MA
161 Park University Parkville, MO
162 University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL
163 The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX
164 Marymount University Arlington, VA
165 Bemidji State University Bemidji, MN
166 Prairie View A & M University Prairie View, TX
167 Rhode Island College Providence, RI
168 Colorado Mesa University Grand Junction, CO
169 Youngstown State University Youngstown, OH
170 Vincennes University Vincennes, IN
171 Stevenson University Owings Mills, MD
172 Bethel University McKenzie, TN
173 Frostburg State University Frostburg, MD
174 LIU Post Brookville, NY
175 The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN
176 Wayne State University Detroit, MI
177 University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO
178 York College of Pennsylvania York, PA

Criminal Justice & Corrections by Region

View the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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One of 4 majors within the Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting area of study, Criminal Justice & Corrections has other similar majors worth exploring.

Criminal Justice Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Criminal Justice Studies 29,542
Criminal Justice 13,153
Criminal Justice & Police Science 2,270
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice 1,855
Criminal Justice and Corrections, General 768
Securities Services Administration/Management 319
Corrections 257
Corrections Administration 68
Law Enforcement Investigation & Interviewing 40
Security & Loss Prevention Services 35

Majors Similar to Criminal Justice

Related Major Annual Graduates
Security Science and Technology 3,362
Homeland Security 2,851
Fire Protection 1,502
Other Homeland Security 665

Notes and References

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