by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 113,121 criminal justice and corrections students received their degree, making the major the 7th most popular in the country. In 2019-2020, criminal justice and corrections graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $35,465 and had an average of $25,425 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southeast region, there were 30,364 criminal justice and corrections graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,051 and $28,418 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region” ranking, we looked at 512 colleges that offer a degree in criminal justice and corrections. To top this list, a school must have a successful criminal justice and corrections program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for southeast region criminal justice students.
Out of the 512 schools in the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Liberty University landed the #1 spot on the list. Liberty University is located in Lynchburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,235 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
Full Liberty University Criminal Justice & Corrections Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American Public University System. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region list. This large school is located in Charles Town, West Virginia, and it awarded 912 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%.
Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at American Public University System
Out of the 512 schools in the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Florida State University landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Tallahassee, Florida, and it awarded 646 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Florida State
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Florida International University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region. This large school is located in Miami, Florida, and it awarded 643 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Florida International University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Central Florida. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region list. Located in Orlando, Florida, this large public school awarded 646 degrees to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Saint Leo University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #6. St. Leo University is a medium-sized school located in Saint Leo, Florida that handed out 571 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at St. Leo University
Columbia Southern University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region list. Located in Orange Beach, Alabama, this fairly large private for-profit school handed out 494 diplomas to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
Full Columbia Southern University Criminal Justice & Corrections Report
George Mason University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region list. GMU is located in Fairfax, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 399 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at George Mason University
With a ranking of #9, Florida Atlantic University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region list. Florida Atlantic University is a large public school situated in Boca Raton, Florida. It awarded 335 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region ranking. UNC Charlotte is located in Charlotte, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 266 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 Criminal Justice & Corrections at University of North Carolina at Charlotte
With a ranking of #11, East Carolina University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region list. ECU is located in Greenville, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 241 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at East Carolina University
Troy University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in Troy, Alabama, this fairly large public school awarded 230 diplomas to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Troy University
University of South Carolina - Columbia landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Columbia, South Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminal justice degrees to 223 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Full University of South Carolina - Columbia Criminal Justice & Corrections Report
University of North Florida ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region list. Located in Jacksonville, Florida, this fairly large public school awarded 220 diplomas to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 & Corrections at University of North Florida
Eastern Kentucky University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #15. Eastern Kentucky University is a public institution located in Richmond, Kentucky. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 254 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Eastern Kentucky University
Northern Virginia Community College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Northern Virginia Community College is a large school located in Annandale, Virginia that handed out 220 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Northern Virginia Community College
With a ranking of #17, Bethel University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region list. Bethel is a small school located in McKenzie, Tennessee that handed out 198 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Bethel University Criminal Justice & Corrections Report
Virginia Commonwealth University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Richmond, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminal justice degrees to 193 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 Criminal Justice & Corrections at Virginia Commonwealth University
Kennesaw State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Kennesaw State University is a large public school situated in Kennesaw, Georgia. It awarded 180 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Kennesaw State University Criminal Justice & Corrections Report
With a ranking of #20, Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region list. Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 178 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale Criminal Justice & Corrections Report
Grambling State University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in Grambling, Louisiana, this medium-sized public school awarded 172 diplomas to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #21, Georgia State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region list. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, this large public school awarded 172 degrees to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Georgia State University
University of Mississippi ranked #23 on this year’s Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region list. University of Mississippi is located in University, Mississippi and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 167 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
University of Louisville did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #24. UofL is a large school located in Louisville, Kentucky that handed out 238 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 Louisville Criminal Justice & Corrections Report
With a ranking of #25, University of North Carolina at Pembroke did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southeast Region list. University of North Carolina at Pembroke is a public institution located in Pembroke, North Carolina. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 159 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 | Polk State College | Winter Haven, FL |
| 52 | Arkansas Tech University | Russellville, AR |
| 52 | North Carolina Wesleyan College | Rocky Mount, NC |
| 54 | University of Georgia | Athens, GA |
| 54 | The University of West Florida | Pensacola, FL |
| 56 | ECPI University | Virginia Beach, VA |
| 57 | American InterContinental University - Atlanta | Atlanta, GA |
| 57 | Nova Southeastern University | Fort Lauderdale, FL |
| 57 | Tidewater Community College | Norfolk, VA |
| 57 | Bethune - Cookman University | Daytona Beach, FL |
| 61 | Strayer University - Virginia | Arlington, VA |
| 61 | Southeastern Louisiana University | Hammond, LA |
| 63 | Broward College | Fort Lauderdale, FL |
| 64 | Fairmont State University | Fairmont, WV |
| 65 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette | Lafayette, LA |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | Tennessee State University | Nashville, TN |
| 67 | Citadel Military College of South Carolina | Charleston, SC |
| 68 | University of South Carolina - Upstate | Spartanburg, SC |
| 68 | Northern Kentucky University | Highland Heights, KY |
| 70 | University of Southern Mississippi | Hattiesburg, MS |
| 70 | Valdosta State University | Valdosta, GA |
| 70 | Fayetteville Technical Community College | Fayetteville, NC |
| 73 | Columbia College | Columbia, SC |
| 74 | McNeese State University | Lake Charles, LA |
| 74 | Strayer University - Georgia | Atlanta, GA |
| 74 | University of Mount Olive | Mount Olive, NC |
| 77 | Albany State University | Albany, GA |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies