by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 11,039 people earned their degree in criminology, making the major the 76th most popular in the United States.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major” ranking analyzed 226 colleges that offered a degree in criminology. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in criminology.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
The criminology school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major”.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
The colleges and universities below are the best for criminology students.
Out of the 226 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Lasell University landed the #1 spot on the list. This small school is located in Newton, Massachusetts, and it awarded 96 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lycoming College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. Lycoming is a private not-for-profit institution located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 29 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Virginia Union University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major. VUU is a small school located in Richmond, Virginia that handed out 35 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major. Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez is a private not-for-profit institution located in Mayaguez, . The school has a small population, and it awarded 23 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Criminology at Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Coker University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. Hartsville, South Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s criminology degrees to 26 students in 2020-2021.
William Peace University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking, coming in at #6. This small school is located in Raleigh, North Carolina, and it awarded 22 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #7, Saint Anselm College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. This small school is located in Manchester, New Hampshire, and it awarded 51 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%.
Texas A&M University - San Antonio came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. San Antonio, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminology degrees to 118 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Criminology at Texas A&M University - San Antonio
With a ranking of #9, Johnson C Smith University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. Johnson C Smith University is a small school located in Charlotte, North Carolina that handed out 20 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
Stockton University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Galloway, New Jersey, this medium-sized public school awarded 191 diplomas to qualified ’s criminology students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking, coming in at #11. Indiana, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminology degrees to 190 students in 2020-2021.
Howard Payne University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking, coming in at #12. Howard Payne is located in Brownwood, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 ’s criminology degrees to qualified students.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Saint Vincent College landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. Latrobe, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s criminology degrees to 33 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Davis & Elkins College landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. D&E is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elkins, West Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Delaware State University ranked #15 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. Dover, Delaware is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminology degrees to 52 students in 2020-2021.
California State University - Fresno ranked #16 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. Fresno State is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 404 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Cabrini University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking, coming in at #17. This small school is located in Radnor, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 30 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
California State University - San Marcos ranked #18 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. California State University - San Marcos is a fairly large school located in San Marcos, California that handed out 266 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Stonehill College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. Easton, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s criminology degrees to 44 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #20, The University of Tampa did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. This fairly large school is located in Tampa, Florida, and it awarded 143 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Niagara University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Niagara University, New York, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 65 degrees to qualified ’s criminology students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Eastern Connecticut State University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. Willimantic, Connecticut is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminology degrees to 60 students in 2020-2021.
Saint Joseph’s University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 140 degrees to qualified ’s criminology students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%.
McMurry University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. McMurray University is a small school located in Abilene, Texas that handed out 13 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #25, Indiana State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. Indiana State is a medium-sized public school situated in Terre Haute, Indiana. It awarded 136 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
Not only did these schools make the top 34 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
