2027 Best Criminal Justice Studies Schools in District of Columbia
Criminal Justice Studies degree programs prepare students for a range of careers in the field. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.
College Factual analyzed 3 schools to build this 2027 ranking of the best criminal justice studies schools.
What’s on this page:
Best Schools for Criminal Justice Studies in District of Columbia
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the criminal justice studies degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Criminal Justice Studies
Our analysis ranked George Washington University the best school in the country for a degree in criminal justice studies. This very large private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Washington. George Washington University graduates 84% of students within six years. About 69 criminal justice studies degrees were awarded at George Washington University in the most recent year. Students who receive their criminal justice studies degree from George Washington University earn around $51,256 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $20,500 to complete this degree.
See the full criminal justice studies program report for George Washington University
A rank of #2 makes American University one of the top schools for criminal justice studies. American University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington. The six-year graduation rate is 76%. There were roughly 156 criminal justice studies students who graduated with this degree at American University in the most recent data year. Students who receive their criminal justice studies degree from American University earn around $49,607 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $23,250 to complete this degree.
See the full criminal justice studies program report for American University
Students looking for a strong criminal justice studies program will find one at Howard University, which ranked #3. Set in the city of Washington, Howard University is a large private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 70% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 87 criminal justice studies degrees were awarded at Howard University in the most recent year. Students who receive their criminal justice studies degree from Howard University earn around $27,801 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $26,000 to complete this degree.
See the full criminal justice studies program report for Howard University
More Criminal Justice Studies Rankings
View All Criminal Justice Studies Rankings >
Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. Schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and program focus, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 3 schools evaluated.
- 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.
