2023 Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Colleges for Veterans in Pennsylvania
7
Ranked Colleges
190
Degrees Awarded
$24,300
Avg Cost*
With all of the options veterans have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice for an Associate” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Criminal Justice is the 27th most popular major in the country with 32,891 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
Across Pennsylvania, there were 945 criminal justice graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 190 criminal justice graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,360 and $19,957 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice for an Associate” ranking, we looked at 7 colleges that offer a degree in criminal justice. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent criminal justice programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the criminal justice program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice for an Associate” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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.
Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice for an Associate
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice for an Associate”.
Top 7 Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Colleges for Veterans in Pennsylvania
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harrisburg Area Community College. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice for an Associate. Harrisburg Area Community College is a fairly large public school situated in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It awarded 60 associates’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
HACC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list.Among the 15,376 students enrolled at Harrisburg Area Community College, 624 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 367 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,537. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Harrisburg Area Community College]](/colleges/harrisburg-area-community-college-harrisburg/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lock Haven University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice for an Associate. Lock Haven University is a small school located in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania that handed out 7 associates’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
LHU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list.Our most recent data shows that 129 of the 3,163 students enrolled at LHU were GI Bill® students, of which 53 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,581. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mansfield University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice for an Associate list. Mansfield University is a small school located in Mansfield, Pennsylvania that handed out 10 associates’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
Mansfield University also took the #4 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking.Among the 1,784 students enrolled at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, 65 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 32 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,213. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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Out of the 7 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice for an Associate that were part of this year’s ranking, Clarion University of Pennsylvania landed the #4 spot on the list. Clarion, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s criminal justice degrees to 12 students in 2020-2021.
Clarion University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list.According to our most recent data, Clarion University of Pennsylvania supports 4,465 students, and 129 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 58 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,077. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Clarion University of Pennsylvania offers credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Clarion University of Pennsylvania]](/colleges/clarion-university-of-pennsylvania/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lehigh Carbon Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice for an Associate list. LCCC is located in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 associates’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
LCCC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list.Our most recent data shows that 129 of the 6,205 students enrolled at LCCC were GI Bill® students, of which 74 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $2,230. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Full LCCC Veteran Student Life Report
Pennsylvania Highlands Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice for an Associate ranking. This small school is located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 13 associates’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pennsylvania Highlands, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking.According to our most recent data, Pennsylvania Highlands Community College supports 2,456 students, and 46 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 21 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,074. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Full Pennsylvania Highlands Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #7, South Hills School of Business & Technology did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice for an Associate list. Located in State College, Pennsylvania, this small private for-profit school handed out 21 diplomas to qualified associates’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at South Hills School of Business & Technology, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking.Among the 307 students enrolled at South Hills School of Business & Technology, 7 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $11,470. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.