2027 Best Criminal Justice Schools in South Carolina
Criminal Justice 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.
For its 2027 ranking, College Factual looked at 10 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for criminal justice students pursuing a degree.
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Best Schools for Criminal Justice in South Carolina
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 degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Criminal Justice
Leading the list is University Of South Carolina Columbia, our #1 school for criminal justice. University Of South Carolina Columbia is a very large public school located in the city of Columbia. Roughly 79% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 220 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at University Of South Carolina Columbia in the most recent data year. Graduates of the criminal justice program make about $35,781 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $25,000 to complete this degree.
See the full criminal justice program report for University Of South Carolina Columbia
Citadel Military College Of South Carolina is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in criminal justice, ranking #2. Citadel Military College Of South Carolina is a mid-sized public school located in the city of Charleston. About 75% of students finish within six years. Citadel Military College Of South Carolina awarded about 36 criminal justice degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, criminal justice degree recipients from Citadel Military College Of South Carolina generally make around $45,235. Students borrow a median of $24,966 to complete this degree.
Read more about the criminal justice program at Citadel Military College Of South Carolina
North Greenville University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in criminal justice, landing the #3 spot this year. This mid-sized private not-for-profit university is located in the rural area of Tigerville. About 54% of students finish within six years. There were roughly 13 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at North Greenville University in the most recent data year. Students who receive their criminal justice degree from North Greenville University earn around $39,415 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $24,128.
Get the full criminal justice details for North Greenville University
Students looking for a strong criminal justice program will find one at University Of South Carolina Upstate, which ranked #4. University Of South Carolina Upstate is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Spartanburg. Roughly 43% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 58 criminal justice degrees were awarded at University Of South Carolina Upstate in the most recent year. Graduates of the criminal justice program make about $34,447 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $27,000.
More information about a degree in criminal justice from University Of South Carolina Upstate
Spartanburg Methodist College is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in criminal justice, landing the #5 spot this year. This small private not-for-profit university is located in the suburb of Spartanburg. About 16 criminal justice degrees were awarded at Spartanburg Methodist College in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, criminal justice degree recipients from Spartanburg Methodist College generally make around $14,509. Spartanburg Methodist College graduates carry a median of $12,000 in student loans.
See the full criminal justice program report for Spartanburg Methodist College
University Of South Carolina Lancaster placed #6 among the best criminal justice schools. Located in the town of Lancaster, University Of South Carolina Lancaster is a mid-sized public university. There were roughly 18 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at University Of South Carolina Lancaster in the most recent data year. Graduates of the criminal justice program make about $44,067 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $11,592.
See the full criminal justice program report for University Of South Carolina Lancaster
Benedict College ranked #7 on our 2027 list of the best criminal justice schools. This small private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Columbia. Benedict College graduates 24% of students within six years. About 29 criminal justice degrees were awarded at Benedict College in the most recent year. Graduates of the criminal justice program make about $23,838 in their early career. Benedict College graduates carry a median of $40,750 in student loans.
More information about a degree in criminal justice from Benedict College
Strayer University South Carolina came in at #8 for criminal justice this year. Strayer University South Carolina is a mid-sized private for-profit school located in the city of Greenville. There were roughly 27 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at Strayer University South Carolina in the most recent data year. Criminal Justice graduates of Strayer University South Carolina earn a median of $43,405 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $56,937 to complete this degree.
More information about a degree in criminal justice from Strayer University South Carolina
South Carolina State University came in at #9 for criminal justice this year. South Carolina State University is a mid-sized public school located in the town of Orangeburg. Roughly 37% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 20 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at South Carolina State University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, criminal justice degree recipients from South Carolina State University generally make around $32,576. Typical student debt for the program is $31,000.
Get the full criminal justice details for South Carolina State University
Voorhees College landed the #10 spot for criminal justice this year. Voorhees College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Denmark. The six-year graduation rate is 43%. There were roughly 16 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at Voorhees College in the most recent data year.
See the full criminal justice program report for Voorhees College
More Criminal Justice Rankings
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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 · 10 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.
