by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 11,039 people earned their degree in criminology, making the major the 80th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, criminology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $33,568 and had an average of $24,453 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major” ranking analyzed 226 colleges that offered a degree in criminology. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their criminology program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
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 “Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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. 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 criminology students.
Out of the 226 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Lasell University landed the #1 spot on the list. Lasell University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Newton, Massachusetts. It awarded 96 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lycoming College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. Lycoming is a small school located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania that handed out 29 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 226 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Union University landed the #3 spot on the list. Virginia Union University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Richmond, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 35 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major. Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Mayaguez, . It awarded 23 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez Criminology Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Coker University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major. Coker University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Hartsville, South Carolina. It awarded 26 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
William Peace University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. This small school is located in Raleigh, North Carolina, and it awarded 22 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
Saint Anselm College landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. Manchester, New Hampshire is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s criminology degrees to 51 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Texas A&M University - San Antonio did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking, coming in at #8. Texas A&M University - San Antonio is a medium-sized school located in San Antonio, Texas that handed out 118 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
Johnson C Smith University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. JCSU is a small school located in Charlotte, North Carolina that handed out 20 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #10, Stockton University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. Located in Galloway, New Jersey, this medium-sized public school awarded 191 degrees to qualified ’s criminology students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 190 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus Criminology Report
Howard Payne University ranked #12 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. Located in Brownwood, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 16 degrees to qualified ’s criminology students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Saint Vincent College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. Saint Vincent is located in Latrobe, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 33 ’s criminology degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Davis & Elkins College ranked #14 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. D&E is a small school located in Elkins, West Virginia that handed out 14 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
Delaware State University ranked #15 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. Delaware State University is a medium-sized school located in Dover, Delaware that handed out 52 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
California State University - Fresno did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking, coming in at #16. California State University - Fresno is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 404 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Cabrini University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking, coming in at #17. Cabrini University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Radnor, Pennsylvania. It awarded 30 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
California State University - San Marcos landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. Located in San Marcos, California, this fairly large public school handed out 266 diplomas to qualified ’s criminology students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.
Stonehill College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking, coming in at #19. Stonehill is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Easton, Massachusetts. It awarded 44 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
The University of Tampa came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. The University of Tampa is a private not-for-profit institution located in Tampa, Florida. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 143 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Niagara University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. Niagara University, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s criminology degrees to 65 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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%.
Eastern Connecticut State University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. Located in Willimantic, Connecticut, this small public school handed out 60 degrees to qualified ’s criminology students in 2020-2021.
Saint Joseph’s University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking, coming in at #23. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s criminology degrees to 140 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, 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 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
McMurry University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. Abilene, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s criminology degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.
Indiana State University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. Located in Terre Haute, Indiana, this medium-sized public school handed out 136 degrees to qualified ’s criminology students in 2020-2021.
Not only did these schools make the top 34 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
