2026 Best Criminal Justice Schools in Kansas
Criminal Justice degree programs prepare students for a range of careers in the field. The schools below stand out for the quality of their criminal justice programs.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 8 schools to find the best for criminal justice students.
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Best Schools for Criminal Justice in Kansas
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
Our analysis ranked Washburn University the best school in the country for a degree in criminal justice. This moderately-sized public university is located in the city of Topeka. The six-year graduation rate is 44%. There were roughly 17 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at Washburn University in the most recent data year. Students who receive their criminal justice degree from Washburn University earn around $40,052 in the first couple years of their career. Washburn University graduates carry a median of $20,822 in student loans.
Get the full criminal justice details for Washburn University
Johnson County Community College is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in criminal justice, landing the #2 spot this year. Johnson County Community College is a very large public school located in the city of Overland Park. About 60 criminal justice degrees were awarded at Johnson County Community College in the most recent year. Students who receive their criminal justice degree from Johnson County Community College earn around $55,171 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $20,106 to complete this degree.
Get the full criminal justice details for Johnson County Community College
A rank of #3 makes Sterling College Kansas one of the top schools for criminal justice. Set in the rural area of Sterling, Sterling College Kansas is a small private not-for-profit institution. Sterling College Kansas graduates 41% of students within six years. About 10 criminal justice degrees were awarded at Sterling College Kansas in the most recent year. Graduates of the criminal justice program make about $30,086 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $27,250 to complete this degree.
See the full criminal justice program report for Sterling College Kansas
Students looking for a strong criminal justice program will find one at Central Christian College Of Kansas, which ranked #4. Set in the town of McPherson, Central Christian College Of Kansas is a small private not-for-profit institution. Central Christian College Of Kansas graduates 26% of students within six years. There were roughly 18 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at Central Christian College Of Kansas in the most recent data year. Graduates of the criminal justice program make about $55,453 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $36,076 to complete this degree.
See the full criminal justice program report for Central Christian College Of Kansas
More Criminal Justice Rankings
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 8 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.
