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2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania

45 Ranked Colleges
1,812 Degrees Awarded
$20,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor's in Pennsylvania

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania” ranking.

With 113,581 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, criminal justice and corrections is the 6th most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, criminal justice and corrections graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $31,952 and had an average of $24,936 in loans still to pay off.

Across Pennsylvania, there were 3,013 criminal justice and corrections graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,324 and $25,073 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,812 criminal justice and corrections graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania” ranking looked at 45 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in criminal justice and corrections. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great criminal justice and corrections programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the criminal justice and corrections program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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.

Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania

The colleges and universities below are the best for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections in Pennsylvania

#1

West Chester University of Pennsylvania

West Chester, Pennsylvania

Out of the 45 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, West Chester University of Pennsylvania landed the #1 spot on the list. WCUPA is a fairly large public school situated in West Chester, Pennsylvania. It awarded 142 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

WCUPA also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend WCUPA is $22,495 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The 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 & Corrections at West Chester University of Pennsylvania

#2

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania

Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania

Out of the 45 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania landed the #2 spot on the list. Bloomsburg is a medium-sized school located in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania that handed out 100 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Bloomsburg did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Bloomsburg is $20,230 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Bloomsburg

#3

Lock Haven University

Lock Haven, Pennsylvania

Out of the 45 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Lock Haven University landed the #3 spot on the list. LHU is a small school located in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania that handed out 60 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

LHU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Lock Haven University is $20,506 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Lock Haven University

#4

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

Kutztown, Pennsylvania

Out of the 45 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania landed the #4 spot on the list. Kutztown University is located in Kutztown, Pennsylvania and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 104 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

Kutztown University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Kutztown University is $22,422 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Kutztown University

#5

East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania

East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania

Out of the 45 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania landed the #5 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 95 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree criminal justice students list, East Stroudsburg University has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania is $19,855 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania

#6

California University of Pennsylvania

California, Pennsylvania

California University of Pennsylvania landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania ranking. California, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 90 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree criminal justice students list, Cal U has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $18,154 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students per year to attend Cal U.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Cal U

#7

Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

Shippensburg, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #7, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania list. This medium-sized school is located in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 62 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Ship did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania is $22,054 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

#8

Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

Edinboro, Pennsylvania

Edinboro University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania ranking, coming in at #8. This small school is located in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 42 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Edinboro is $16,833 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

Full Edinboro Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#9

Mansfield University of Pennsylvania

Mansfield, Pennsylvania

Mansfield University of Pennsylvania landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in Mansfield, Pennsylvania, this small public school handed out 25 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Mansfield University is $19,065 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania

#10

University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown

Johnstown, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #10, University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania list. This small school is located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Pitt Johnstown not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Pitt Johnstown is $19,712 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Pitt Johnstown

#11

University of Pittsburgh - Greensburg

Greensburg, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #11, University of Pittsburgh - Greensburg did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania list. University of Pittsburgh - Greensburg is a small public school situated in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. It awarded 24 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree criminal justice students list, Pitt Greensburg has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Pittsburgh - Greensburg is $17,823 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Pitt Greensburg

#12

University of Pittsburgh - Bradford

Bradford, Pennsylvania

University of Pittsburgh - Bradford did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania ranking, coming in at #12. University of Pittsburgh - Bradford is a small public school situated in Bradford, Pennsylvania. It awarded 20 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Pitt Bradford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $18,906 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students per year to attend University of Pittsburgh - Bradford.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Pitt Bradford Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania ranking, coming in at #13. Pitt is a large school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that handed out 51 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Pitt also took the #3 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Pitt is $27,938 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%.

Full University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#14

Temple University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Temple University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania list. Temple University is a public institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 191 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Temple not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $23,521 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree criminal justice students per year to attend Temple University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Temple

#15

Strayer University - Pennsylvania

Trevose, Pennsylvania

Strayer University - Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania ranking, coming in at #15. Strayer University - Pennsylvania is a private for-profit institution located in Trevose, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $21,800 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree criminal justice students per year to attend Strayer University - Pennsylvania.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Strayer University - Pennsylvania

#16

Lincoln University

Lincoln University, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #16, Lincoln University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania list. This small school is located in Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $17,731 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students per year to attend Lincoln.

Full Lincoln University Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#17

Peirce College

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Peirce College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania ranking, coming in at #17. Peirce College is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $10,128 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree criminal justice students per year to attend Peirce.

With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Peirce College

#18

Clarion University of Pennsylvania

Clarion, Pennsylvania

Clarion University of Pennsylvania ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania list. Located in Clarion, Pennsylvania, this small public school handed out 28 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $20,011 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students per year to attend Clarion University.

Full Clarion University of Pennsylvania Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#20

Central Penn College

Summerdale, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #20, Central Penn College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania list. Central Penn is a private for-profit institution located in Summerdale, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Central Penn is $20,862 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Central Penn

#21

York College of Pennsylvania

York, Pennsylvania

York College of Pennsylvania ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania list. Located in York, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 50 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at YCP, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for York College of Pennsylvania is $20,652 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at YCP

#22

Waynesburg University

Waynesburg, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #22, Waynesburg University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania list. Waynesburg is a small school located in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania that handed out 36 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Waynesburg did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $18,822 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students per year to attend Waynesburg.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Waynesburg University

#23

Keystone College

La Plume, Pennsylvania

Keystone College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania ranking. Keystone College is a small school located in La Plume, Pennsylvania that handed out 12 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $25,895 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students per year to attend Keystone College.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Keystone College

#24

Lackawanna College

Scranton, Pennsylvania

Lackawanna College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania ranking, coming in at #24. Lackawanna College is located in Scranton, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Lackawanna College is $18,120 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Lackawanna College

#25

La Roche University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

La Roche University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania list. La Roche is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at La Roche, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend La Roche University is $20,199 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at La Roche

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Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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