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.
College Factual analyzed 7 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the highest-paying criminology schools.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools send criminology graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
Mount St Marys College tops our 2026 list of the highest-paying criminology schools in California. Set in the city of Los Angeles, Mount St Marys College is a private not-for-profit institution. Criminology graduates of Mount St Marys College earn a median of about $52,011 a year early in their careers.
A rank of #2 makes University Of California Irvine one of the highest-paying schools for criminology. Set in the city of Irvine, University Of California Irvine is a public institution. Early-career criminology graduates from University Of California Irvine make a median of around $63,603 per year.
Students chasing top earnings in criminology will find them at University Of La Verne, which ranked #3. Located in the suburb of La Verne, University Of La Verne is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, criminology degree recipients from University Of La Verne typically earn about $61,109 annually.
California State University San Marcos came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying criminology schools. Located in the suburb of San Marcos, California State University San Marcos is a public institution. Criminology graduates of California State University San Marcos earn a median of about $54,589 a year early in their careers.
Strong graduate earnings at Humboldt State University earned it the #5 place for criminology. Set in the town of Arcata, Humboldt State University is a public institution. Students who complete the criminology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $48,299.
California State University Fresno placed #6 among the highest-paying schools for criminology. California State University Fresno is a public school located in the city of Fresno. Early-career criminology graduates from California State University Fresno make a median of around $42,026 per year.
California Lutheran University earned the #7 position for criminology graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Thousand Oaks, California Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the criminology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $31,963.
The ranking above is published 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 · 7 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.