2027 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools in District of Columbia
[Criminal Justice Studies](/majors/protective-security-safety-services/criminal-justice-and-corrections/criminal-justice-studies/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong criminal justice studies education at a price that pays off.
To produce this 2027 ranking, College Factual evaluated 3 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for criminal justice studies students.
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2027 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools in District of Columbia
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the criminal justice studies degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools
For return on investment in criminal justice studies, no school beat George Washington University this year. Located in the city of Washington, George Washington University is a very large private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $67,710. Criminal Justice Studies graduates carry a median of $20,500 in student loans. Soon after graduation, criminal justice studies degree recipients from George Washington University generally make around $51,256. That is a strong return on a $20,500 median debt. The acceptance rate is 47%.
American University came in at #2 on our 2027 list of the best value criminal justice studies schools. Located in the city of Washington, American University is a large private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $58,771. Typical student debt for criminal justice studies graduates is $23,250. Criminal Justice Studies graduates of American University earn a median of $49,607 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $23,250 median debt. The acceptance rate is 62%.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Howard University earned it the #3 place for criminal justice studies. Located in the city of Washington, Howard University is a large private not-for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $35,810 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $26,000 to complete the criminal justice studies program here. Early-career criminal justice studies graduates make about $27,801. That is a strong return on a $26,000 median debt. Roughly 41% of applicants are accepted.
More Criminal Justice Studies Rankings
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, 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.
