by our College Data Analytics Team
[Criminology](/majors/social-sciences/criminology/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. The schools below stand out for the salaries their criminology graduates go on to command.
For its 2026 highest-paid-graduates ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find where criminology graduates earn the most.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools send criminology graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
For graduate earnings in criminology, no school beat Butler University this year. Located in the city of Indianapolis, Butler University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the criminology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $44,373.
A rank of #2 makes Indiana State University one of the highest-paying schools for criminology. Set in the city of Terre Haute, Indiana State University is a public institution. Early-career criminology graduates from Indiana State University make a median of around $50,821 per year.
Strong graduate earnings at Valparaiso University earned it the #3 place for criminology. Valparaiso University is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Valparaiso. After graduating, criminology degree recipients from Valparaiso University typically earn about $61,772 annually.
This ranking is produced 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 · 3 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.