2027 Best Value Criminal Justice & Police Science Schools in Virginia
[Criminal Justice & Police Science](/majors/protective-security-safety-services/criminal-justice-and-corrections/criminal-justice-and-police-science/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for criminal justice & police science students.
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2027 Best Value Criminal Justice & Police Science Schools in Virginia
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in criminal justice & police science, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Criminal Justice & Police Science Schools
For return on investment in criminal justice & police science, no school beat George Mason University this year. George Mason University is a very large public school located in the suburb of Fairfax. Students from in state pay about $14,220 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $38,688. Students borrow a median of $20,761 to complete the criminal justice & police science program here. Early-career criminal justice & police science graduates make about $49,815. That is a strong return on a $20,761 median debt. The acceptance rate is 88%.
University Of Virginia Main Campus is a great value for students pursuing a degree in criminal justice & police science, landing the #2 spot this year. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University Of Virginia Main Campus is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $23,118 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $61,591. Students borrow a median of $18,627 to complete the criminal justice & police science program here. Early-career criminal justice & police science graduates make about $69,126. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 17% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in criminal justice & police science will find it at Strayer University Virginia, which ranked #3. Located in the city of Arlington, Strayer University Virginia is a mid-sized private for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $13,920. Typical student debt for criminal justice & police science graduates is $56,937. Early-career criminal justice & police science graduates make about $59,916. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 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.
