2023 Best Criminology Schools
Finding the Best Criminology School for You
Criminology is the #81 most popular major in the country with 11,039 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Criminology Schools ranking. This report analyzed 156 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best Criminology Schools in the United States
Check out the criminology programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 15% Best Criminology Schools
Our analysis found Purdue University Global to be the best school for criminology students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the city of Indianapolis, Purdue University Global is a public college with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, criminology majors at Purdue University Global accumulate an average of around $23,383 in student debt.
Out of the 156 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pennsylvania landed the # 2 spot on the list. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.
Read full report on Criminology at University of Pennsylvania
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Wisconsin - Stout. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Criminology Schools list. Located in the distant town of Menomonie, UW - Stout is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
While working on their degree, criminology majors at UW - Stout accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Maryland - College Park. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Criminology Schools list. Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that criminology majors at UMCP take out is $18,750. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $416.
The excellent programs at Lycoming College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best criminology schools in the United States. Located in the small city of Williamsport, Lycoming is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their degree, criminology graduates from Lycoming carry an average student debtload of $27,000.
Upper Iowa University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best criminology programs. Located in the rural area of Fayette, UIU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that criminology majors at UIU take out is $39,148.
Marquette University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Criminology Schools list. Located in the city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, criminology graduates from Marquette carry an average student debtload of $24,900. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $541, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for criminology students. It came in at #8 on the list. UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the city of Madison.
Read full report on Criminology at University of Wisconsin - Madison
University of Wisconsin - Whitewater came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Criminology Schools ranking. Located in the town of Whitewater, UW - Whitewater is a public school with a large student population.
While working on their degree, criminology majors at UW - Whitewater accumulate an average of around $25,033 in student debt.
University of Minnesota - Duluth did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for criminology students. It came in at #10 on the list. UMN Duluth is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Duluth.
Criminology majors at UMN Duluth take out an average of $23,157 in student loans while working on their egree.
Saint Anselm College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best criminology programs. Located in the suburb of Manchester, St. Anselm College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
On average, criminology graduates from St. Anselm College take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
University of Florida came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Criminology Schools ranking. UF is a very large public school located in the city of Gainesville.
On average, criminology graduates from UF take out $18,939 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $256.
Niagara University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best criminology programs. Niagara is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Niagara University.
While working on their degree, criminology majors at Niagara accumulate an average of around $26,300 in student debt.
With a ranking of #14, Mount St Mary’s University did quite well on this year’s best schools for criminology students. Located in the fringe town of Emmitsburg, The Mount is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
While working on their degree, criminology majors at The Mount accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $699.
With a ranking of #15, Florida Southern College did quite well on this year’s best schools for criminology students. Located in the medium-sized city of Lakeland, Florida Southern is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their degree, criminology graduates from Florida Southern carry an average student debtload of $27,000.
University of Delaware did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for criminology students. It came in at #16 on the list. UD is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Newark.
After completing their degree, criminology graduates from UD carry an average student debtload of $23,375. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $421.
University of Northern Iowa landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best criminology programs. Located in the city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
After completing their degree, criminology graduates from UNI carry an average student debtload of $23,250. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $147.
Read full report on Criminology at University of Northern Iowa
University of Wisconsin - River Falls did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for criminology students. It came in at #18 on the list. UW - River Falls is a medium-sized public school located in the town of River Falls.
Criminology majors at UW - River Falls take out an average of $24,875 in student loans while working on their egree.
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Criminology Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, criminology majors at UMN Twin Cities accumulate an average of around $19,500 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $213.
Read full report on Criminology at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Stonehill College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for criminology students. It came in at #20 on the list. Stonehill is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Easton.
The average amount in student loans that criminology majors at Stonehill take out is $25,750. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $797, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
University of Iowa ranked #21 on this year’s Best Criminology Schools list. Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Criminology majors at Iowa take out an average of $26,000 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $354.
North Carolina State University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Criminology Schools list. NC State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Raleigh.
While working on their degree, criminology majors at NC State accumulate an average of around $21,500 in student debt.
Old Dominion University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Criminology Schools list. Located in the midsize city of Norfolk, Old Dominion is a public college with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that criminology majors at Old Dominion take out is $25,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $197.
Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great schools for Criminology students that almost earned our Best Criminology Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | Saint Vincent College | Latrobe, PA |
| 25 | Hamline University | Saint Paul, MN |
| 26 | Cabrini University | Radnor, PA |
| 27 | Villanova University | Villanova, PA |
| 28 | Gonzaga University | Spokane, WA |
| 29 | University of South Florida - Main Campus | Tampa, FL |
| 30 | Mount St. Joseph University | Cincinnati, OH |
| 31 | University of Missouri - St Louis | Saint Louis, MO |
Criminology by Region
View the Best Criminology Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Criminology Rankings
Criminology Related Rankings by Major
Criminology is one of 12 different types of programs to choose from.
Majors Similar to Criminology
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Political Science & Government | 49,282 |
| Economics | 49,055 |
| Sociology | 38,475 |
| General Social Sciences | 18,997 |
| International Relations & National Security | 14,306 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 the rest 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.
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