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Most Popular Schools for Criminal Justice & Corrections

2026 Most Popular Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools

There are 1,884 colleges that offer a degree in Criminal Justice & Corrections. Learn more about the most popular schools below:

Finding the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections School for You

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for Criminal Justice & Corrections students. With more and more schools offering online options, you’re no longer limited to schools in your local area.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Most Popular Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools ranking. This report analyzed 1,884 schools in the United States to see which Criminal Justice & Corrections programs were the most popular. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from each school’s program.

Check out the Criminal Justice & Corrections programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the United States.

Our 2026 rankings named Southern New Hampshire University the most popular school in the U.S. for Criminal Justice & Corrections majors. Southern New Hampshire University is a private nonprofit school located in Manchester, NH. This school awarded 2,029 degrees in Criminal Justice & Corrections in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $54,644. Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Southern New Hampshire University Report

#2

Rio Salado College

Tempe, AZ

Rio Salado College landed the #2 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools ranking. Located in Tempe, AZ, this is a public institution. This school awarded 1,773 degrees in Criminal Justice & Corrections in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $47,539. Read More…

CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice comes in at #3 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections majors. Located in New York, NY, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,686 people earned their degree in Criminal Justice & Corrections from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $38,864. Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice

University of Phoenix-Arizona comes in at #4 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections majors. Located in Phoenix, AZ, this is a private for-profit institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,359 people earned their degree in Criminal Justice & Corrections from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $52,226. Read More…

#5

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

Liberty University landed the #5 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools ranking. Located in Lynchburg, VA, this is a private nonprofit institution. This school awarded 1,196 degrees in Criminal Justice & Corrections in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $44,414. Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Liberty University Report

#6

Purdue University Global

West Lafayette, IN

Purdue University Global comes in at #6 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections majors. Purdue University Global is a public school located in West Lafayette, IN. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,044 people earned their degree in Criminal Justice & Corrections from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $45,209. Read More…

Sam Houston State University landed the #7 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools ranking. Sam Houston State University is a public school located in Huntsville, TX. During the most recent year for which we have data, 931 people earned their degree in Criminal Justice & Corrections from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $41,979. Read More…

#8

Santa Ana College

Santa Ana, CA

Santa Ana College comes in at #8 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections majors. Santa Ana College is a public school located in Santa Ana, CA. This school awarded 915 degrees in Criminal Justice & Corrections in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $36,951. Read More…

American Public University System comes in at #9 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections majors. Located in Charles Town, WV, this is a private for-profit institution. This school awarded 864 degrees in Criminal Justice & Corrections in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $57,877. Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at American Public University System

#10

University of Virginia-Main Campus

Charlottesville, VA

University of Virginia-Main Campus comes in at #10 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections majors. Located in Charlottesville, VA, this is a public institution. This school awarded 728 degrees in Criminal Justice & Corrections in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $64,471. Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at University of Virginia-Main Campus

#11

East Los Angeles College

Monterey Park, CA

East Los Angeles College comes in at #11 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections majors. East Los Angeles College is a public school located in Monterey Park, CA. This school awarded 713 degrees in Criminal Justice & Corrections in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $35,502. Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at East Los Angeles College Report

#12

Ivy Tech Community College

Indianapolis, IN

Ivy Tech Community College comes in at #12 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections majors. Located in Indianapolis, IN, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 704 people earned their degree in Criminal Justice & Corrections from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $46,027. Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Ivy Tech Community College Report

Eastern Gateway Community College landed the #13 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools ranking. Located in Steubenville, OH, this is a public institution. This school awarded 697 degrees in Criminal Justice & Corrections in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $36,178. Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Eastern Gateway Community College Report

Trinity Valley Community College landed the #14 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools ranking. Trinity Valley Community College is a public school located in Athens, TX. This school awarded 687 degrees in Criminal Justice & Corrections in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $32,017. Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Trinity Valley Community College Report

#15

Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL

Florida State University landed the #15 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools ranking. Florida State University is a public school located in Tallahassee, FL. This school awarded 657 degrees in Criminal Justice & Corrections in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $40,895. Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Florida State University Report

American InterContinental University System comes in at #16 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections majors. Located in Chandler, AZ, this is a private for-profit institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 628 people earned their degree in Criminal Justice & Corrections from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $40,254. Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at American InterContinental University System

California State University-Sacramento comes in at #17 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections majors. California State University-Sacramento is a public school located in Sacramento, CA. During the most recent year for which we have data, 564 people earned their degree in Criminal Justice & Corrections from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $42,434. Read More…

#18

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA

San Diego State University comes in at #18 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections majors. Located in San Diego, CA, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 547 people earned their degree in Criminal Justice & Corrections from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $42,235. Read More…

Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs landed the #19 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools ranking. Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs is a private for-profit school located in Colorado Springs, CO. During the most recent year for which we have data, 542 people earned their degree in Criminal Justice & Corrections from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $50,071. Read More…

#20

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, CA

Santa Rosa Junior College landed the #20 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools ranking. Located in Santa Rosa, CA, this is a public institution. This school awarded 540 degrees in Criminal Justice & Corrections in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $61,436. Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Santa Rosa Junior College

University of Central Florida landed the #21 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools ranking. University of Central Florida is a public school located in Orlando, FL. This school awarded 531 degrees in Criminal Justice & Corrections in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $41,960. Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at University of Central Florida

Community College of Baltimore County comes in at #22 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections majors. Located in Baltimore, MD, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 512 people earned their degree in Criminal Justice & Corrections from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $47,951. Read More…

#23

Columbia Southern University

Orange Beach, AL

Columbia Southern University comes in at #23 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections majors. Located in Orange Beach, AL, this is a private for-profit institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 499 people earned their degree in Criminal Justice & Corrections from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $68,574. Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Columbia Southern University

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #24 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools ranking. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a public school located in Edinburg, TX. During the most recent year for which we have data, 494 people earned their degree in Criminal Justice & Corrections from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $34,758. Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Report

Florida International University landed the #25 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools ranking. Located in Miami, FL, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 488 people earned their degree in Criminal Justice & Corrections from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,919. Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Florida International University

#26

Broward College

Fort Lauderdale, FL
#27

Camden County College

Blackwood, NJ
#28

Southwestern Illinois College

Belleville, IL
#29

University of New Haven

West Haven, CT
#30

Ashford University

San Diego, CA
#31

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, AZ
#36

Saint Leo University

Saint Leo, FL
#37

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA
#38

San Bernardino Valley College

San Bernardino, CA
#40

Dallas College

Dallas, TX
#43

Valencia College

Orlando, FL
#44

Texas State University

San Marcos, TX
#45

Moreno Valley College

Moreno Valley, CA

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for this major that just missed the list above.

Rank College Location
51 University of Nevada-Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
52 Tallahassee State College Tallahassee, FL
53 Fayetteville Technical Community College Fayetteville, NC
54 South Texas College McAllen, TX
55 Sinclair Community College Dayton, OH
56 Hillsborough Community College Tampa, FL
57 Eastern Kentucky University Richmond, KY
58 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
59 Polk State College Winter Haven, FL
60 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
61 The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX
62 California State University-San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA
63 University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE
64 Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA
65 Miami Dade College Miami, FL
66 CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College New York, NY
67 Texas A & M International University Laredo, TX
68 Rio Hondo College Whittier, CA
69 NUC University Bayamon, PR
70 Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI
71 University of Louisville Louisville, KY
72 Rowan University Glassboro, NJ
73 University of North Texas Denton, TX
74 Indian River State College Fort Pierce, FL
75 Golden West College Huntington Beach, CA
76 University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia, SC
77 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
78 Central Texas College Killeen, TX
79 Walters State Community College Morristown, TN
80 East Texas A&M University Commerce, TX
81 Imperial Valley College Imperial, CA
82 Monroe University Bronx, NY
83 Tarleton State University Stephenville, TX
84 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC
85 Texas Southmost College Brownsville, TX
86 Walden University Minneapolis, MN
87 Estrella Mountain Community College Avondale, AZ
88 Columbus State University Columbus, GA
89 Central Community College Grand Island, NE
90 Central State University Wilberforce, OH
91 Fort Myers Technical College Fort Myers, FL
92 Post University Waterbury, CT
93 Kean University Union, NJ
94 University at Albany Albany, NY
95 Western Illinois University Macomb, IL
96 Butte College Oroville, CA
97 California State University-Dominguez Hills Carson, CA
98 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
99 Lamar University Beaumont, TX
100 Rutgers University-Newark Newark, NJ
101 University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL
102 Hennepin Technical College Brooklyn Park, MN
103 Lone Star College System The Woodlands, TX
104 Northern Virginia Community College Annandale, VA
105 Fresno City College Fresno, CA
106 Central Georgia Technical College Warner Robins, GA
107 El Paso Community College El Paso, TX
108 Missouri Southern State University Joplin, MO
109 Triton College River Grove, IL
110 California State University-Stanislaus Turlock, CA
111 Franklin University Columbus, OH
112 St. John’s University-New York Queens, NY
113 Temple University Philadelphia, PA
114 Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA
115 Fox Valley Technical College Appleton, WI
116 Westfield State University Westfield, MA
117 College of Southern Nevada Las Vegas, NV
118 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
119 Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN
120 Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
121 Illinois State University Normal, IL
122 Pima Community College Tucson, AZ
123 Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale, FL
124 University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL
125 Oakland Community College Auburn Hills, MI
126 Weber State University Ogden, UT
127 Southwestern College Chula Vista, CA
128 The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX
129 Florida State College at Jacksonville Jacksonville, FL
130 West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA
131 College of the Sequoias Visalia, CA
132 Ventura College Ventura, CA
133 Victor Valley College Victorville, CA
134 San Jacinto Community College Pasadena, TX
135 Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC
136 Georgia State University Atlanta, GA
137 New Mexico State University-Main Campus Las Cruces, NM
138 University of Colorado Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO
139 William Paterson University of New Jersey Wayne, NJ
140 American University Washington, DC
141 Mesa Community College Mesa, AZ
142 Pikes Peak State College Colorado Springs, CO
143 Citrus College Glendora, CA
144 Gateway Technical College Kenosha, WI
145 Grambling State University Grambling, LA
146 Suffolk County Community College Selden, NY
147 Stockton University Galloway, NJ
148 South Georgia Technical College Americus, GA
149 University of Nevada-Reno Reno, NV
150 CUNY LaGuardia Community College Long Island City, NY
151 Allan Hancock College Santa Maria, CA
152 University of Mississippi University, MS
153 Troy University Troy, AL
154 Northeastern University Boston, MA
155 Bakersfield College Bakersfield, CA
156 National University San Diego, CA
157 Wayne State University Detroit, MI
158 California State University-Bakersfield Bakersfield, CA
159 Connecticut State Community College New Britain, CT
160 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
161 Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA
162 Portland State University Portland, OR
163 St Petersburg College St. Petersburg, FL
164 University of Massachusetts-Boston Boston, MA
165 Bethel University McKenzie, TN
166 Los Medanos College Pittsburg, CA
167 Passaic County Community College Paterson, NJ
168 Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA
169 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
170 North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC
171 Withlacoochee Technical College Inverness, FL
172 Bossier Parish Community College Bossier City, LA
173 CUNY Kingsborough Community College Brooklyn, NY
174 Long Beach City College Long Beach, CA
175 Red Rocks Community College Lakewood, CO
176 Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO
177 University of North Georgia Dahlonega, GA
178 Central Piedmont Community College Charlotte, NC
179 Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania Bloomsburg, PA
180 Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers, FL
181 Boise State University Boise, ID
182 Norwich University Northfield, VT
183 Sierra College Rocklin, CA
184 Erie Community College Buffalo, NY
185 Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN
186 North Carolina Central University Durham, NC
187 Bluegrass Community and Technical College Lexington, KY
188 Chaffey College Rancho Cucamonga, CA
189 Antelope Valley Community College District Lancaster, CA
190 Eastern Florida State College Melbourne, FL
191 University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, MO
192 California State University-Chico Chico, CA
193 Florida Gateway College Lake City, FL
194 Roger Williams University Bristol, RI
195 Wor-Wic Community College Salisbury, MD
196 California State University-East Bay Hayward, CA
197 Alexandria Technical & Community College Alexandria, MN
198 Prairie View A & M University Prairie View, TX
199 Boston University Boston, MA
200 Riverside City College Riverside, CA

Criminal Justice & Corrections by Region

See the most popular Criminal Justice & Corrections schools in a specific region of the United States.

Region
New England
Middle Atlantic
Great Lakes
Plains States
Southeast
Southwest
Rocky Mountains
Far Western US

More Criminal Justice & Corrections Rankings

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this Most Popular Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Criminal Justice & Corrections Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Criminal Justice Studies 41,895
Criminal Justice 26,997
Criminal Justice & Police Science 20,474
Corrections 4,967
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice 4,327
Criminal Justice and Corrections 2,175
Securities Services Management 662
Security & Loss Prevention Services 494
Criminal Investigation/Interviewing 300
Corrections Administration 97
Juvenile Corrections 68
Protective Services Operations 56
Special Police Operations 35
Related Major Annual Graduates
Fire Protection 15,202
Security Science and Technology 9,173
Homeland Security 6,323
Other Homeland Security 1,217

References

*The average salary above is for the top 25 schools only.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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