2023 Best Criminal Justice Colleges for Veterans in Pennsylvania
22
Ranked Colleges
945
Degrees Awarded
$30,500
Avg Cost*
When it comes to choosing a college, veterans have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice” 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.
Across Pennsylvania, there were 945 criminal justice graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice” ranking, we looked at 22 colleges that offer a degree in criminal justice. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great criminal justice programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the criminal justice program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Criminal Justice Schools
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice” list to help you make the college decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important 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.
Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice
The colleges and universities below are the best for pennsylvania vets studying criminal justice.
Top 22 Best Criminal Justice Colleges for Veterans in Pennsylvania
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Waynesburg University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice list. Waynesburg, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s criminal justice degrees to 36 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Waynesburg, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Waynesburg supports 1,576 students, and 32 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 23 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $14,305. On top of their other funding sources, 12 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Waynesburg University Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 22 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice that were part of this year’s ranking, Robert Morris University landed the #2 spot on the list. Moon Township, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s criminal justice degrees to 25 students in 2020-2021.
RMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 192 of the 4,134 students enrolled at RMU were GI Bill® students, of which 153 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $14,324. On top of their other funding sources, 61 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend York College of Pennsylvania. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice list. YCP is located in York, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 52 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
YCP also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 135 of the 4,039 students enrolled at YCP were GI Bill® students, of which 91 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,343. On top of their other funding sources, 5 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. YCP does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pittsburgh - Bradford. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice. Pitt Bradford is located in Bradford, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 18 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
Pitt Bradford also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 45 of the 1,305 students enrolled at Pitt Bradford were GI Bill® students, of which 22 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $10,541. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 University of Pittsburgh - Bradford Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pittsburgh - Greensburg. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice list. This small school is located in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 21 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
Pitt Greensburg also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 58 of the 1,408 students enrolled at Pitt Greensburg were GI Bill® students, of which 24 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,929. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…
Point Park University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice ranking, coming in at #6. Point Park University is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Point Park, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 3,591 students enrolled at Point Park, 110 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 68 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,640. During this same period, 18 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Point Park offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…
Harrisburg Area Community College did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice ranking, coming in at #7. HACC is a public institution located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 60 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
HACC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 15,376 students enrolled at HACC, 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 tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,537. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. HACC offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Read More…
Marywood University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice list. Marywood is a small school located in Scranton, Pennsylvania that handed out 12 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
Marywood also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 60 of the 2,613 students enrolled at Marywood were GI Bill® students, of which 33 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $19,240. On top of their other funding sources, 16 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 full report on veteran student life at Marywood]](/colleges/marywood-university/student-life/veterans/)
Lock Haven University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice ranking. This small school is located in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 67 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
LHU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” 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. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Read More…
Clarion University of Pennsylvania came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice ranking. Clarion University is located in Clarion, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 44 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
Clarion University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 129 of the 4,465 students enrolled at Clarion University of Pennsylvania were GI Bill® students, of which 58 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,077. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Clarion University of Pennsylvania does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Full Clarion University of Pennsylvania Veteran Student Life Report
Mercyhurst University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice ranking. Mercyhurst is located in Erie, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
Mercyhurst did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 2,790 students enrolled at Mercyhurst University, 104 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 69 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $15,325. During this same period, 14 students qualified for 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 Mercyhurst]](/colleges/mercyhurst-college/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #12, Mansfield University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice list. Located in Mansfield, Pennsylvania, this small public school awarded 29 diplomas to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
Mansfield University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 65 of the 1,784 students enrolled at Mansfield University were GI Bill® students, of which 32 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,213. 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.
Read More…
Alvernia University ranked #13 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice list. This small school is located in Reading, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 35 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Alvernia, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Alvernia University supports 2,560 students, and 63 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 32 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,688. On top of their other funding sources, 12 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Alvernia University]](/colleges/alvernia-university/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #14, Lehigh Carbon Community College did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice list. Schnecksville, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminal justice degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at LCCC, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 6,205 students enrolled at Lehigh Carbon Community College, 129 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 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. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Lehigh Carbon Community College offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Full Lehigh Carbon Community College Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #15, Chestnut Hill College did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice list. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s criminal justice degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CHC, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, CHC supports 1,528 students, and 43 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 18 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $10,125. To help with additional expenses, 6 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. CHC offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Read More…
Strayer University - Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Trevose, Pennsylvania, this small private for-profit school handed out 31 degrees to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
Strayer University - Pennsylvania also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 8 of the 2,190 students enrolled at Strayer University - Pennsylvania were GI Bill® students, of which 6 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,822. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Read More…
University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice ranking. University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown is a small school located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania that handed out 10 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pitt Johnstown, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 2,356 students enrolled at Pitt Johnstown, 54 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 25 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,575. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Pitt Johnstown offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
Delaware Valley University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice ranking, coming in at #18. Doylestown, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s criminal justice degrees to 24 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at DelVal, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 2,303 students enrolled at DelVal, 66 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 43 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $13,473. In addition to receiving other benefits, 8 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Read More…
With a ranking of #19, Pennsylvania Highlands Community College did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice list. Located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, this small public school awarded 13 degrees to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our pennsylvania vets studying criminal justice list, Pennsylvania Highlands has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 2,456 students enrolled at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College, 46 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 21 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,074. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Pennsylvania Highlands Community College offers credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Pennsylvania Highlands]](/colleges/pennsylvania-highlands-community-college/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #20, Thiel College did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice list. Thiel College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Greenville, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Thiel College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 14 of the 768 students enrolled at Thiel College were GI Bill® students, of which 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $16,290. During this same period, 2 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Read More…
Widener University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice ranking, coming in at #21. Widener is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chester, Pennsylvania. It awarded 16 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
Widener did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 111 of the 6,150 students enrolled at Widener were GI Bill® students, of which 51 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $14,151. In addition to receiving other benefits, 9 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Widener University]](/colleges/widener-university-main-campus/student-life/veterans/)
South Hills School of Business & Technology ranked #22 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Criminal Justice list. South Hills School of Business & Technology is located in State College, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 21 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
South Hills School of Business & Technology did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 7 of the 307 students enrolled at South Hills School of Business & Technology were GI Bill® students, of which 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $11,470. In addition to receiving other benefits, 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.
[Read full report on veteran student life at South Hills School of Business & Technology]](/colleges/south-hills-school-of-business-and-technology/student-life/veterans/)
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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.
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