by our College Data Analytics Team
[Criminology](/majors/social-sciences/criminology/) graduates earn very different salaries depending on where they study. The highest-paying schools turn a criminology degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 100 schools on the early-career earnings of their criminology graduates.
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If you want to know which schools send criminology graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
Villanova University earned the #1 spot for highest-paid criminology graduates in the United States. Located in the suburb of Villanova, Villanova University is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, criminology degree recipients from Villanova University typically earn about $74,408 annually.
Strong graduate earnings at Le Moyne College earned it the #2 place for criminology. Le Moyne College is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Syracuse. Students who complete the criminology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $63,591.
Saint Anselm College produces some of the highest-paid graduates in criminology, landing the #3 spot this year. Set in the suburb of Manchester, Saint Anselm College is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, criminology degree recipients from Saint Anselm College typically earn about $75,372 annually.
Mount St Marys University came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying criminology schools. Set in the rural area of Emmitsburg, Mount St Marys University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the criminology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $76,537.
Saint Josephs University came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying criminology schools. Saint Josephs University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia. After graduating, criminology degree recipients from Saint Josephs University typically earn about $74,682 annually.
West Virginia University earned the #6 position for criminology graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Morgantown, West Virginia University is a public institution. Criminology graduates of West Virginia University earn a median of about $55,034 a year early in their careers.
University Of Southern Maine earned the #7 position for criminology graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Portland, University Of Southern Maine is a public institution. Students who complete the criminology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $63,574.
University Of Maryland College Park earned the #8 position for criminology graduate earnings this year. Set in the suburb of College Park, University Of Maryland College Park is a public institution. Early-career criminology graduates from University Of Maryland College Park make a median of around $69,545 per year.
Lynchburg College came in at #9 for criminology graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Lynchburg, Lynchburg College is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the criminology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $53,678.
University Of St Thomas Minnesota landed the #10 spot for criminology salaries this year. Located in the city of Saint Paul, University Of St Thomas Minnesota is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, criminology degree recipients from University Of St Thomas Minnesota typically earn about $68,406 annually.
Mount St Marys College landed the #11 spot for criminology salaries this year. Set in the city of Los Angeles, Mount St Marys College is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, criminology degree recipients from Mount St Marys College typically earn about $52,011 annually.
University Of Minnesota Duluth came in at #12 for criminology graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Duluth, University Of Minnesota Duluth is a public institution. Early-career criminology graduates from University Of Minnesota Duluth make a median of around $64,784 per year.
Lebanon Valley College came in at #13 for criminology graduate earnings this year. Lebanon Valley College is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Annville. After graduating, criminology degree recipients from Lebanon Valley College typically earn about $69,387 annually.
Albright College earned the #14 position for criminology graduate earnings this year. Albright College is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Reading. Early-career criminology graduates from Albright College make a median of around $50,848 per year.
Stonehill College landed the #15 spot for criminology salaries this year. Set in the suburb of Easton, Stonehill College is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career criminology graduates from Stonehill College make a median of around $63,767 per year.
University Of Minnesota Twin Cities landed the #16 spot for criminology salaries this year. Set in the city of Minneapolis, University Of Minnesota Twin Cities is a public institution. Early-career criminology graduates from University Of Minnesota Twin Cities make a median of around $61,352 per year.
Lasell College earned the #17 position for criminology graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Newton, Lasell College is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the criminology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $62,717.
Framingham State University earned the #18 position for criminology graduate earnings this year. Framingham State University is a public school located in the city of Framingham. Students who complete the criminology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $60,589.
University Of Wisconsin Stout ranked #19 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying criminology schools. Set in the town of Menomonie, University Of Wisconsin Stout is a public institution. Students who complete the criminology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $49,004.
University Of Massachusetts Dartmouth placed #20 among the highest-paying schools for criminology. University Of Massachusetts Dartmouth is a public school located in the suburb of North Dartmouth. Students who complete the criminology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $65,646.
Gonzaga University placed #21 among the highest-paying schools for criminology. Located in the city of Spokane, Gonzaga University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the criminology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $64,680.
Assumption College landed the #22 spot for criminology salaries this year. Set in the city of Worcester, Assumption College is a private not-for-profit institution. Criminology graduates of Assumption College earn a median of about $48,600 a year early in their careers.
University Of Northern Iowa ranked #23 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying criminology schools. Located in the city of Cedar Falls, University Of Northern Iowa is a public institution. Early-career criminology graduates from University Of Northern Iowa make a median of around $54,690 per year.
Central Connecticut State University earned the #24 position for criminology graduate earnings this year. Located in the suburb of New Britain, Central Connecticut State University is a public institution. After graduating, criminology degree recipients from Central Connecticut State University typically earn about $59,375 annually.
Lakeland College placed #25 among the highest-paying schools for criminology. Set in the rural area of Plymouth, Lakeland College is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the criminology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $51,709.
These schools also send criminology graduates into strong-paying careers this year:
Looking for a different degree level? Compare highest-paid Criminology rankings across degree levels:
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their criminology graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 100 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
