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2026 Best Value Criminology Schools in District of Columbia

[Criminology](/majors/social-sciences/criminology/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong criminology education at a price that pays off.

For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 2 schools to find the best return on investment for criminology students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Criminology Schools in District of Columbia

2026 Best Value Criminology Schools in District of Columbia

If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the criminology degrees they offer, see the list below.

Best Value Criminology Schools

1

Catholic University Of America
Washington, DC

$58,378 In-State Tuition & Fees

$25,771 Avg Student Debt

$73,250 Median Earnings (10yr)

Catholic University Of America tops our 2026 list of the best value criminology schools in District of Columbia. Catholic University Of America is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington. In-state tuition and fees average $58,378. Criminology graduates carry a median of $25,771 in student loans. Soon after graduation, criminology degree recipients from Catholic University Of America generally make around $65,120. Set against $25,771 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 83% of applicants are accepted.

2

George Washington University
Washington, DC

$67,710 In-State Tuition & Fees

$22,910 Avg Student Debt

$90,873 Median Earnings (10yr)

Students looking for strong value in criminology will find it at George Washington University, which ranked #2. Located in the city of Washington, George Washington University is a very large private not-for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $67,710 in tuition and fees. Criminology graduates carry a median of $22,910 in student loans. Criminology graduates of George Washington University earn a median of $73,749 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $22,910 median debt. George Washington University admits about 47% of applicants.

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Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 2 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.

• 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.