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2025 Best Criminology Bachelor's Degree Schools

128 Colleges in the United States
9,522 Bachelor's Degrees
$36,749 Avg Early-Career Salary
Criminology is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #53 most popular bachelor's degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 128 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Criminology Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 9,522 bachelor's degrees in criminology during the 2021-2022 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Criminology School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Criminology Bachelor's Degree Schools Your choice of criminology for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for criminology students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Criminology Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Criminology Bachelor's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Criminology in the United States

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for criminology students seeking a a bachelor's degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Criminology

1
397 Annual Graduates
$43,698 Median Starting Salary
$59,592 Median Student Debt

It is hard to beat University of Maryland - College Park if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in criminology. Located in the large suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a very large student population.

Criminology bachelor's degree recipients from University of Maryland - College Park get an earnings boost of approximately $6,949 above the typical income of criminology graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from University of Maryland - College Park

2
398 Annual Graduates
$34,522 Median Starting Salary
$18,574 Median Student Debt

University of California - Irvine is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in criminology. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the criminology program make about $34,522 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from University of California - Irvine

3
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
184 Annual Graduates
$35,096 Median Starting Salary
$22,816 Median Student Debt

University of Florida is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in criminology. UF is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville.

Soon after graduating, criminology bachelor's recipients generally earn about $35,096 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from University of Florida

4
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
25 Annual Graduates

University of Pennsylvania is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in criminology. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from University of Pennsylvania

5
157 Annual Graduates
$35,968 Median Starting Salary
$43,430 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Newark, UD is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the criminology program earn around $35,968 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from University of Delaware

6
427 Annual Graduates
$37,108 Median Starting Salary
$28,573 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Tampa, USF Tampa is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the criminology program make around $37,108 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from University of South Florida - Main Campus

7
129 Annual Graduates
$41,780 Median Starting Salary
$21,575 Median Student Debt

UMN Twin Cities is a very large public university located in the city of Minneapolis.

Bachelor's recipients from the criminology program at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities make $5,031 more than the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

8
143 Annual Graduates
$39,396 Median Starting Salary
$21,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the criminology major at Ohio State University - Main Campus earn $2,647 more than the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from Ohio State University - Main Campus

9
93 Annual Graduates
$39,814 Median Starting Salary
$44,349 Median Student Debt

Located in the fringe town of Durham, UNH is a public university with a large student population.

Criminology bachelor's degree recipients from University of New Hampshire - Main Campus get an earnings boost of about $3,065 above the average income of criminology graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from University of New Hampshire - Main Campus

10
245 Annual Graduates
$37,214 Median Starting Salary
$30,516 Median Student Debt

NAU is a very large public university located in the small city of Flagstaff.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the criminology program earn an average of $37,214 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from Northern Arizona University

11
163 Annual Graduates

Wazzu is a very large public university located in the town of Pullman.More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from Washington State University

12
St. Anselm College crest
Saint Anselm College
Manchester, NH

Located in the midsize suburb of Manchester, St. Anselm College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Criminology bachelor's degree recipients from Saint Anselm College get an earnings boost of around $10,065 over the typical income of criminology graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from Saint Anselm College

13
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
86 Annual Graduates
$38,520 Median Starting Salary
$35,707 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the criminology program report average early career earnings of $38,520.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from University of Iowa

14
127 Annual Graduates
$37,911 Median Starting Salary
$26,050 Median Student Debt

IUP is a medium-sized public university located in the distant town of Indiana.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the criminology program report average early career earnings of $37,911.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus

15
75 Annual Graduates
$37,645 Median Starting Salary
$21,155 Median Student Debt

Located in the town of Carbondale, SIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population.

After graduation, criminology bachelor's recipients typically make an average of $37,645 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from Southern Illinois University Carbondale

16
260 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Tuscaloosa, UA is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from The University of Alabama

17
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
21 Annual Graduates

Villanova is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Villanova.More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from Villanova University

18
41 Annual Graduates

University at Buffalo is a very large public university located in the large suburb of Buffalo.More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from University at Buffalo

19
213 Annual Graduates
$37,255 Median Starting Salary
$19,666 Median Student Debt

Old Dominion is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Norfolk.

Soon after graduation, criminology bachelor's recipients usually earn around $37,255 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from Old Dominion University

20
56 Annual Graduates
$42,562 Median Starting Salary
$15,200 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Duluth, UMN Duluth is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the criminology degree program at University of Minnesota - Duluth get $5,813 above the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from University of Minnesota - Duluth

21
Stockton State crest
Stockton University
Galloway, NJ
169 Annual Graduates
$34,596 Median Starting Salary
$23,400 Median Student Debt

Located in the rural area of Galloway, Stockton State is a public university with a medium-sized student population.

After graduation, criminology bachelor's recipients typically earn an average of $34,596 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from Stockton University

22
Marquette crest
Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI
81 Annual Graduates
$35,650 Median Starting Salary
$54,690 Median Student Debt

Marquette is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Milwaukee.

Soon after graduating, criminology bachelor's recipients generally earn an average of $35,650 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from Marquette University

23
116 Annual Graduates
$36,185 Median Starting Salary
$12,646 Median Student Debt

Missouri State is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Springfield.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the criminology program make around $36,185 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from Missouri State University - Springfield

24
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT
93 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Salt Lake City, U of U is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from University of Utah

25
Stonehill crest
Stonehill College
Easton, MA

Stonehill is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Easton.

Bachelor's recipients from the criminology major at Stonehill College earn $4,179 above the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from Stonehill College

Rest of the Top Best Criminology Bachelor's Degree Schools

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Criminology students that almost earned our Best Criminology Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
26 Saint Joseph’s University Philadelphia, PA
27 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL
28 Clemson University Clemson, SC
29 Indiana State University Terre Haute, IN
30 The University of Tampa Tampa, FL
31 Gonzaga University Spokane, WA
32 The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX
33 University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA
34 California State University - San Marcos San Marcos, CA
35 Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI
36 University of Missouri - St Louis Saint Louis, MO
37 Central Connecticut State University New Britain, CT
38 Lasell University Newton, MA
39 Niagara University Niagara University, NY
40 Catholic University of America Washington, DC
41 University of St Thomas Minnesota Saint Paul, MN
42 DePaul University Chicago, IL

Criminology by Region

View the Best Criminology Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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Criminology Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Criminology 9,522

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