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 “Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 46,814 people earned their degree in criminal justice studies, making the major the 16th most popular in the United States.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major” ranking, we looked at 872 colleges that offer a degree in criminal justice studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular criminal justice studies programs in the United States.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Liberty University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major list. Liberty University is located in Lynchburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,211 ’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Liberty University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Sam Houston State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major list. SHSU is a large school located in Huntsville, Texas that handed out 898 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 872 schools in the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University Global landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it awarded 746 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Purdue University Global
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American Public University System. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major list. Charles Town, West Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s criminal justice studies degrees to 730 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%.
Full American Public University System Criminal Justice Studies Report
Out of the 872 schools in the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Florida International University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Miami, Florida, this large public school handed out 643 diplomas to qualified ’s criminal justice studies students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
University of Central Florida landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major ranking. UCF is a large public school situated in Orlando, Florida. It awarded 646 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, 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 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Central Florida Criminal Justice Studies Report
Florida State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major ranking. Tallahassee, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminal justice studies degrees to 608 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Saint Leo University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major ranking. St. Leo University is located in Saint Leo, Florida and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 571 ’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at Saint Leo University
With a ranking of #9, Colorado Technical University - Colorado Springs did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major list. This large school is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and it awarded 533 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Colorado Technical University - Colorado Springs Criminal Justice Studies Report
With a ranking of #10, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major list. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 493 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
San Diego State University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major ranking. SDSU is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 391 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Maryland Global Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major ranking, coming in at #13. Adelphi, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminal justice studies degrees to 367 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at University of Maryland Global Campus
California State University - Fullerton came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major ranking. Cal State Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 365 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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%.
Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at California State University - Fullerton
University of Nevada - Las Vegas landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major ranking. UNLV is a public institution located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The school has a large population, and it awarded 346 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.9% 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%.
Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at University of Nevada - Las Vegas
The University of Texas at San Antonio ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major list. UTSA is a large school located in San Antonio, Texas that handed out 338 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at The University of Texas at San Antonio
California State University - Northridge landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major ranking. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school awarded 333 degrees to qualified ’s criminal justice studies students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Los Angeles came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 330 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Los Angeles Criminal Justice Studies Report
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major ranking. UC is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 323 ’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
California State University - Long Beach came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major ranking. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 321 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Florida Atlantic University ranked #21 on this year’s Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major list. Located in Boca Raton, Florida, this large public school awarded 313 diplomas to qualified ’s criminal justice studies students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at Florida Atlantic University
South Texas College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major ranking, coming in at #22. Located in McAllen, Texas, this large public school handed out 310 degrees to qualified ’s criminal justice studies students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at South Texas College
Texas State University landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major ranking. Texas State is a large public school situated in San Marcos, Texas. It awarded 300 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.
University of North Texas ranked #24 on this year’s Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major list. UNT is a public institution located in Denton, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 296 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at University of North Texas
With a ranking of #25, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Studies Major list. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 295 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at California State University - Dominguez Hills
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Troy University | Troy, AL |
| 52 | Metropolitan State University of Denver | Denver, CO |
| 53 | Lamar University | Beaumont, TX |
| 54 | College of Southern Nevada | Las Vegas, NV |
| 55 | Westfield State University | Westfield, MA |
| 56 | Georgia State University | Atlanta, GA |
| 56 | Bridgewater State University | Bridgewater, MA |
| 56 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania | West Chester, PA |
| 56 | Grambling State University | Grambling, LA |
| 60 | California State University - Chico | Chico, CA |
| 61 | Northern Virginia Community College | Annandale, VA |
| 62 | El Centro College | Dallas, TX |
| 63 | Kennesaw State University | Kennesaw, GA |
| 64 | Capella University | Minneapolis, MN |
| 65 | Lone Star College System | The Woodlands, TX |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 116 | Fayetteville State University | Fayetteville, NC |
| 117 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | Tallahassee, FL |
| 117 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Edwardsville, IL |
| 119 | Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania | Bloomsburg, PA |
| 120 | Bowie State University | Bowie, MD |
| 121 | Worcester State University | Worcester, MA |
| 122 | The University of West Florida | Pensacola, FL |
| 123 | SUNY Plattsburgh | Plattsburgh, NY |
| 123 | Wichita State University | Wichita, KS |
| 125 | Central Texas College | Killeen, TX |
| 125 | ECPI University | Virginia Beach, VA |
| 127 | Saint Cloud State University | Saint Cloud, MN |
| 128 | Sonoma State University | Rohnert Park, CA |
| 129 | Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global | Marion, IN |
| 129 | Nova Southeastern University | Fort Lauderdale, FL |
| 129 | Faulkner University | Montgomery, AL |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies