2027 Best Criminal Justice Studies Schools in Florida
Criminal Justice Studies degree programs prepare students for a range of careers in the field. A focused field like this rewards careful comparison of the schools that offer it.
To produce this 2027 ranking, College Factual evaluated 15 schools to find the best for criminal justice studies students.
What’s on this page:
Best Schools for Criminal Justice Studies in Florida
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest overall criminal justice studies education in Florida.
Top Schools in Criminal Justice Studies
Leading the list is Florida State University, our #1 school for criminal justice studies. Located in the city of Tallahassee, Florida State University is a very large public university. Roughly 86% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 628 criminal justice studies degrees were awarded at Florida State University in the most recent year. Graduates of the criminal justice studies program make about $46,245 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $21,170 to complete this degree.
More information about a degree in criminal justice studies from Florida State University
A rank of #2 makes Nova Southeastern University one of the top schools for criminal justice studies. Nova Southeastern University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Fort Lauderdale. Nova Southeastern University graduates 63% of students within six years. Nova Southeastern University awarded about 83 criminal justice studies degrees in the most recent data year. Criminal Justice Studies graduates of Nova Southeastern University earn a median of $71,836 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $25,021 to complete this degree.
More information about a degree in criminal justice studies from Nova Southeastern University
Florida International University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in criminal justice studies, landing the #3 spot this year. Located in the suburb of Miami, Florida International University is a very large public university. About 74% of students finish within six years. There were roughly 441 criminal justice studies students who graduated with this degree at Florida International University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, criminal justice studies degree recipients from Florida International University generally make around $42,215. Florida International University graduates carry a median of $18,623 in student loans.
See the full criminal justice studies program report for Florida International University
Florida Gulf Coast University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in criminal justice studies, landing the #4 spot this year. This large public university is located in the suburb of Fort Myers. Florida Gulf Coast University graduates 57% of students within six years. About 107 criminal justice studies degrees were awarded at Florida Gulf Coast University in the most recent year. Criminal Justice Studies graduates of Florida Gulf Coast University earn a median of $40,079 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $21,660.
More information about a degree in criminal justice studies from Florida Gulf Coast University
University Of Central Florida is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in criminal justice studies, ranking #5. University Of Central Florida is a very large public school located in the suburb of Orlando. About 78% of students finish within six years. There were roughly 526 criminal justice studies students who graduated with this degree at University Of Central Florida in the most recent data year. Criminal Justice Studies graduates of University Of Central Florida earn a median of $41,273 early in their careers. University Of Central Florida graduates carry a median of $21,731 in student loans.
See the full criminal justice studies program report for University Of Central Florida
Florida Atlantic University earned the #6 position for criminal justice studies this year. Located in the city of Boca Raton, Florida Atlantic University is a very large public university. The six-year graduation rate is 63%. There were roughly 324 criminal justice studies students who graduated with this degree at Florida Atlantic University in the most recent data year. Students who receive their criminal justice studies degree from Florida Atlantic University earn around $41,963 in the first couple years of their career. Florida Atlantic University graduates carry a median of $18,750 in student loans.
Get the full criminal justice studies details for Florida Atlantic University
University Of North Florida placed #7 among the best criminal justice studies schools. This large public university is located in the city of Jacksonville. About 65% of students finish within six years. There were roughly 140 criminal justice studies students who graduated with this degree at University Of North Florida in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, criminal justice studies degree recipients from University Of North Florida generally make around $44,450. Typical student debt for the program is $19,375.
Get the full criminal justice studies details for University Of North Florida
Indian River State College came in at #8 for criminal justice studies this year. Located in the suburb of Fort Pierce, Indian River State College is a very large public university. There were roughly 64 criminal justice studies students who graduated with this degree at Indian River State College in the most recent data year. Students who receive their criminal justice studies degree from Indian River State College earn around $51,825 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $9,176 to complete this degree.
Get the full criminal justice studies details for Indian River State College
Polk State College placed #9 among the best criminal justice studies schools. Located in the city of Winter Haven, Polk State College is a large public university. About 37 criminal justice studies degrees were awarded at Polk State College in the most recent year. Graduates of the criminal justice studies program make about $47,071 in their early career. Polk State College graduates carry a median of $14,451 in student loans.
Get the full criminal justice studies details for Polk State College
The University Of West Florida placed #10 among the best criminal justice studies schools. Set in the rural area of Pensacola, The University Of West Florida is a large public institution. The University Of West Florida graduates 59% of students within six years. About 91 criminal justice studies degrees were awarded at The University Of West Florida in the most recent year. Criminal Justice Studies graduates of The University Of West Florida earn a median of $36,369 early in their careers. The University Of West Florida graduates carry a median of $21,776 in student loans.
See the full criminal justice studies program report for The University Of West Florida
Saint Leo University ranked #11 on our 2027 list of the best criminal justice studies schools. Saint Leo University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the town of Saint Leo. Saint Leo University graduates 44% of students within six years. There were roughly 211 criminal justice studies students who graduated with this degree at Saint Leo University in the most recent data year. Graduates of the criminal justice studies program make about $46,596 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $30,476 to complete this degree.
Read more about the criminal justice studies program at Saint Leo University
Southeastern University earned the #12 position for criminal justice studies this year. Set in the city of Lakeland, Southeastern University is a large private not-for-profit institution. Southeastern University graduates 44% of students within six years. About 27 criminal justice studies degrees were awarded at Southeastern University in the most recent year. Students who receive their criminal justice studies degree from Southeastern University earn around $41,291 in the first couple years of their career. Southeastern University graduates carry a median of $26,000 in student loans.
Get the full criminal justice studies details for Southeastern University
Florida Agricultural And Mechanical University came in at #13 for criminal justice studies this year. This large public university is located in the city of Tallahassee. The six-year graduation rate is 53%. About 113 criminal justice studies degrees were awarded at Florida Agricultural And Mechanical University in the most recent year. Graduates of the criminal justice studies program make about $33,776 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $28,500 to complete this degree.
See the full criminal justice studies program report for Florida Agricultural And Mechanical University
Saint Thomas University placed #14 among the best criminal justice studies schools. Saint Thomas University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Miami Gardens. The six-year graduation rate is 48%. There were roughly 41 criminal justice studies students who graduated with this degree at Saint Thomas University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, criminal justice studies degree recipients from Saint Thomas University generally make around $34,192. Saint Thomas University graduates carry a median of $25,000 in student loans.
See the full criminal justice studies program report for Saint Thomas University
Edward Waters College earned the #15 position for criminal justice studies this year. Edward Waters College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Jacksonville. Roughly 28% of students complete a degree within six years here. Edward Waters College awarded about 23 criminal justice studies degrees in the most recent data year.
Get the full criminal justice studies details for Edward Waters College
More Criminal Justice Studies Rankings
View All Criminal Justice Studies Rankings >
Notes and References
This ranking is produced 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 · 15 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.