by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 11,039 people earned their degree in criminology, making the major the 76th most popular in the United States.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 9,710 criminology graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,682 and $26,217 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major” ranking, we looked at 200 colleges that offer a degree in criminology. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their criminology program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major” list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. 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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree criminology students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lycoming College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. Lycoming College is located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 29 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.
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 #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major. Virginia Union University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Richmond, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 35 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 200 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major that were part of this year’s ranking, William Peace University landed the #3 spot on the list. WPU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Raleigh, North Carolina. It awarded 22 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saint Anselm College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. Manchester, New Hampshire is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s criminology degrees to 51 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 200 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Coker University landed the #5 spot on the list. Coker is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hartsville, South Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Texas A&M University - San Antonio landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. Texas A&M University - San Antonio is located in San Antonio, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 118 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.
Johnson C Smith University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. JCSU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Howard Payne University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking, coming in at #8. Howard Payne is a small school located in Brownwood, Texas that handed out 16 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
With a ranking of #9, Davis & Elkins College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. D&E is located in Elkins, West Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.
Delaware State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. Delaware State University is a medium-sized school located in Dover, Delaware that handed out 52 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #11, Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez is located in Mayaguez, and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Criminology at Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
With a ranking of #12, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. California State University - Fresno is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 397 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Stockton University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. Stockton University is a medium-sized school located in Galloway, New Jersey that handed out 175 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
California State University - San Marcos did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking, coming in at #14. California State University - San Marcos is located in San Marcos, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 266 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.
Stonehill College landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. Located in Easton, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 44 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s criminology students in 2020-2021.
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 freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking, coming in at #16. This medium-sized school is located in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 164 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Criminology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus
Eastern Connecticut State University ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. This small school is located in Willimantic, Connecticut, and it awarded 60 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
McMurry University ranked #18 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. Abilene, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s criminology degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.
Lasell University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. Lasell University is a small school located in Newton, Massachusetts that handed out 32 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #20, Saint Vincent College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. Saint Vincent is a private not-for-profit institution located in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
The University of Tampa ranked #21 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. The University of Tampa is located in Tampa, Florida and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 128 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
John Jay College of Criminal Justice ranked #22 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. Located in New York, New York, this fairly large public school handed out 219 degrees to qualified bachelors’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%.
Indiana State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking, coming in at #23. Indiana State is a medium-sized public school situated in Terre Haute, Indiana. It awarded 128 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
Illinois College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. Illinois College is located in Jacksonville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.
Cabrini University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. Cabrini University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Radnor, Pennsylvania. It awarded 22 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
Not only did these schools make the top 31 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
