by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 32,891 people earned their degree in criminal justice, making the major the 27th most popular in the United States.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major” ranking looked at 703 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in criminal justice. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in criminal justice.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 “Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major”.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend John Jay College of Criminal Justice. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major list. John Jay College of Criminal Justice is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,483 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 703 schools in the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Phoenix - Arizona landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Phoenix - Arizona is a private for-profit institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 976 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Criminal Justice at University of Phoenix - Arizona
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major list. Edinburg, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminal justice degrees to 542 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Criminal Justice at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Out of the 703 schools in the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Skysong landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Scottsdale, Arizona, and it awarded 433 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Criminal Justice at Arizona State University - Skysong
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend East Los Angeles College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major list. Located in Monterey Park, California, this large public school awarded 489 diplomas to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
Arizona State University - Tempe came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major ranking. Arizona State University - Tempe is a public institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 373 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Arizona State University - Tempe Criminal Justice Report
National University College ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major list. National University College is a private for-profit institution located in Bayamon, . The school has a large population, and it awarded 351 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Criminal Justice at National University College
University of Massachusetts - Lowell did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major ranking, coming in at #8. University of Massachusetts - Lowell is a public institution located in Lowell, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 348 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Criminal Justice at University of Massachusetts - Lowell
Western Illinois University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Macomb, Illinois, and it awarded 305 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
Monroe College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major ranking. Monroe College is a private for-profit institution located in Bronx, New York. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 283 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Queensborough Community College landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major ranking. Queensborough Community College is a fairly large public school situated in Bayside, New York. It awarded 260 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Queensborough Community College Criminal Justice Report
Walden University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major ranking. Walden University is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 258 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #13, LaGuardia Community College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major list. LaGuardia is located in Long Island City, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 235 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
University of New Haven did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major ranking, coming in at #14. University of New Haven is a medium-sized school located in West Haven, Connecticut that handed out 233 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of South Carolina - Columbia came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major ranking. University of South Carolina - Columbia is located in Columbia, South Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 223 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Bronx Community College ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major list. Located in Bronx, New York, this medium-sized public school handed out 214 diplomas to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Criminal Justice at Bronx Community College
Bakersfield College landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major ranking. Bakersfield, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminal justice degrees to 210 students in 2020-2021.
St John’s University - New York ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major list. Located in Queens, New York, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 209 diplomas to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Kingsborough Community College ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major list. KCC is a public institution located in Brooklyn, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 197 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Criminal Justice at Kingsborough Community College
Imperial Valley College ranked #20 on this year’s Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major list. Located in Imperial, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 218 diplomas to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #21, Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major list. VCU is a large public school situated in Richmond, Virginia. It awarded 193 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Virginia Commonwealth University Criminal Justice Report
Columbia College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major ranking. Located in Columbia, Missouri, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 187 diplomas to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
Southwestern College ranked #23 on this year’s Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major list. This fairly large school is located in Chula Vista, California, and it awarded 184 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Criminal Justice at Southwestern College
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major ranking. UCCS is a public institution located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 184 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Michigan State University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major ranking. This large school is located in East Lansing, Michigan, and it awarded 180 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | University of San Diego | San Diego, CA |
| 52 | Ventura College | Ventura, CA |
| 53 | University of Central Missouri | Warrensburg, MO |
| 53 | Middle Tennessee State University | Murfreesboro, TN |
| 55 | College of the Sequoias | Visalia, CA |
| 56 | Cerritos College | Norwalk, CA |
| 57 | Colorado State University - Global Campus | Greenwood Village, CO |
| 58 | College of the Canyons | Santa Clarita, CA |
| 58 | San Diego Miramar College | San Diego, CA |
| 58 | Riverside City College | Riverside, CA |
| 58 | Pasadena City College | Pasadena, CA |
| 62 | Hostos Community College | Bronx, NY |
| 63 | Hillsborough Community College | Tampa, FL |
| 63 | Grossmont College | El Cajon, CA |
| 65 | University of Memphis | Memphis, TN |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 91 | University of Puerto Rico - Carolina | Carolina, PR |
| 92 | Mercy College | Dobbs Ferry, NY |
| 93 | Hartnell College | Salinas, CA |
| 94 | North Carolina Wesleyan College | Rocky Mount, NC |
| 94 | College of the Desert | Palm Desert, CA |
| 96 | University of Georgia | Athens, GA |
| 97 | Evergreen Valley College | San Jose, CA |
| 98 | Rowan College of South Jersey Gloucester Campus | Sewell, NJ |
| 98 | Union County College | Cranford, NJ |
| 100 | Santa Ana College | Santa Ana, CA |
| 101 | Arizona Western College | Yuma, AZ |
| 101 | Tidewater Community College | Norfolk, VA |
| 103 | Butte College | Oroville, CA |
| 103 | Merrimack College | North Andover, MA |
| 103 | Strayer University - Virginia | Arlington, VA |
| 103 | Solano Community College | Fairfield, CA |
| 103 | Husson University | Bangor, ME |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies