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2024 Best Criminology Bachelor's Degree Schools

127 Colleges in the United States
9,710 Bachelor's Degrees
$32,876 Avg Early-Career Salary
Criminology is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #53 most popular bachelor's degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 127 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Criminology Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 9,710 bachelor's degrees in criminology to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Criminology School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Criminology Bachelor's Degree Schools Your choice of criminology for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for criminology students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Criminology Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Criminology Bachelor's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.


 

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Criminology in the United States

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for criminology students seeking a a bachelor's degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

19 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Criminology

1
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
31 Annual Graduates

University of Pennsylvania is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in criminology. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from University of Pennsylvania

2
335 Annual Graduates
$36,992 Median Starting Salary
$19,500 Median Student Debt

It is hard to beat University of Maryland - College Park if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in criminology. Located in the large suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Those criminology students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Maryland - College Park earn $4,116 more than the typical criminology graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from University of Maryland - College Park

3
448 Annual Graduates
$29,048 Median Starting Salary
$15,865 Median Student Debt

University of California - Irvine is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in criminology. Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population.

After graduating, criminology bachelor's recipients usually earn around $29,048 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from University of California - Irvine

4
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
174 Annual Graduates
$29,868 Median Starting Salary
$19,500 Median Student Debt

University of Florida is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in criminology. UF is a fairly large public university located in the city of Gainesville.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the criminology program make an average of $29,868 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from University of Florida

5
135 Annual Graduates
$33,603 Median Starting Salary
$23,685 Median Student Debt

Located in the large suburb of Newark, UD is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the criminology program make around $33,603 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from University of Delaware

6
151 Annual Graduates
$35,727 Median Starting Salary
$20,500 Median Student Debt

UMN Twin Cities is a very large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis.

Bachelor's recipients from the criminology program at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities earn $2,851 above the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

7
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
97 Annual Graduates
$35,879 Median Starting Salary
$23,250 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population.

Those criminology students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Iowa earn $3,003 more than the typical criminology graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from University of Iowa

8
405 Annual Graduates
$31,310 Median Starting Salary
$20,302 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Tampa, USF Tampa is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the criminology program report average early career wages of $31,310.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from University of South Florida - Main Campus

9
147 Annual Graduates
$33,830 Median Starting Salary
$21,922 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the criminology program report average early career earnings of $33,830.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from Ohio State University - Main Campus

10
62 Annual Graduates
$38,438 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

UNH is a large public university located in the suburb of Durham.

Criminology bachelor's degree recipients from University of New Hampshire - Main Campus receive an earnings boost of about $5,562 over the average income of criminology graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from University of New Hampshire - Main Campus

11
St. Anselm College crest
Saint Anselm College
Manchester, NH
51 Annual Graduates
$41,099 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Manchester, St. Anselm College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the criminology major at Saint Anselm College earn $8,223 more than the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from Saint Anselm College

12
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
57 Annual Graduates
$29,138 Median Starting Salary
$16,500 Median Student Debt

U Miami is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Coral Gables.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the criminology program report average early career wages of $29,138.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from University of Miami

13
281 Annual Graduates
$32,280 Median Starting Salary
$20,000 Median Student Debt

NAU is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Flagstaff.

Soon after graduation, criminology bachelor's recipients usually earn about $32,280 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from Northern Arizona University

14
Marquette crest
Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI
78 Annual Graduates
$35,632 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

Marquette is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Milwaukee.

Those criminology students who get their bachelor's degree from Marquette University make $2,756 more than the average criminology graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from Marquette University

15
260 Annual Graduates

UA is a very large public university located in the city of Tuscaloosa.More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from The University of Alabama

16
Stonehill crest
Stonehill College
Easton, MA
44 Annual Graduates
$40,224 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

Stonehill is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Easton.

Those criminology students who get their bachelor's degree from Stonehill College receive $7,348 more than the typical criminology student.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from Stonehill College

17
46 Annual Graduates
$37,919 Median Starting Salary
$23,887 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Duluth, UMN Duluth is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.

Criminology bachelor's degree recipients from University of Minnesota - Duluth earn a boost of around $5,043 over the typical income of criminology graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from University of Minnesota - Duluth

18
Gonzaga crest
Gonzaga University
Spokane, WA
28 Annual Graduates
$34,393 Median Starting Salary
$20,994 Median Student Debt

Gonzaga is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Spokane.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the criminology program state that they receive average early career wages of $34,393.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from Gonzaga University

19
397 Annual Graduates
$30,453 Median Starting Salary
$10,773 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Fresno, Fresno State is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the criminology program make an average of $30,453 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from California State University - Fresno

Rest of the Top Best Criminology Bachelor's Degree Schools

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Criminology students that almost earned our Best Criminology Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
20 Washington State University Pullman, WA
21 John Jay College of Criminal Justice New York, NY
22 Stockton University Galloway, NJ
23 Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA
24 University of Denver Denver, CO
25 Southern Illinois University Carbondale Carbondale, IL

Criminology by Region

View the Best Criminology Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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Criminology Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Criminology 9,710

Notes and References

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