Best value colleges for Criminal Justice in Georgia.2026 Rankings
Georgia's higher-education landscape for Criminal Justice students includes 37 programs at institutions ranging from highly selective research universities to open-enrollment community colleges. The rankings below cut through marketing noise and use IPEDS federal data to show which programs give students the best return on their investment.
Key stats for this cohort: average in-state tuition $13,462, out-of-state tuition $20,444, average four-year graduation rate 41%, and median Criminal Justice graduate earnings $38,301/yr. The most selective program is at University of Georgia (37% acceptance rate). These figures are drawn directly from IPEDS federal data and refreshed weekly.
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ranked by value score
| # | College | Value Score | Admit Rate | Grad Rate | Net Price | Median Earnings | Student:Faculty | Majors Offered | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of GeorgiaPublic | Excellent· 43 | 37% | 87% | $14,400 | $37,405 | 17:1 | 102 | 31,310 |
| 2 | Mercer UniversityPrivate | Strong· 37 | 66% | 73% | $22,627 | $37,319 | 13:1 | 67 | 4,620 |
| 3 | Clayton State UniversityPublic | Strong· 34 | 71% | 35% | $11,506 | $30,200 | 17:1 | 33 | 4,390 |
| 4 | Strong· 34 | 63% | 45% | $12,984 | $29,445 | 18:1 | 33 | 2,541 | |
| 5 | Strong· 34 | 83% | 42% | $12,659 | $35,398 | 17:1 | 43 | 6,858 | |
| 6 | Emmanuel UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 53% | 35% | $17,824 | $31,357 | 12:1 | 21 | 719 |
| 7 | Good· 33 | 77% | 32% | $13,237 | $43,243 | 18:1 | 27 | 2,291 | |
| 8 | Point UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 68% | 40% | $19,802 | $29,888 | 13:1 | 25 | 2,617 |
| 9 | Reinhardt UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 55% | 36% | $27,952 | $62,019 | 11:1 | 29 | 1,012 |
| 10 | Good· 33 | 72% | 37% | $11,167 | $41,598 | 18:1 | 39 | 15,542 | |
| 11 | Augusta UniversityPublic | Good· 31 | 89% | 49% | $13,829 | $29,397 | 16:1 | 37 | 5,282 |
| 12 | Toccoa Falls CollegePrivate | Good· 31 | 64% | 46% | $20,025 | $30,937 | 16:1 | 27 | 820 |
| 13 | Good· 30 | 99% | 42% | $13,287 | $39,714 | 18:1 | 33 | 5,537 | |
| 14 | Piedmont UniversityPrivate | Good· 30 | 93% | 41% | $17,980 | $51,333 | 12:1 | 47 | 1,235 |
| 15 | Thomas UniversityPrivate | Good· 30 | 43% | 28% | $20,893 | $52,991 | 11:1 | 16 | 813 |
| 16 | Average· 29 | 88% | 62% | $18,262 | $39,133 | 16:1 | 37 | 5,599 | |
| 17 | Average· 29 | 100% | 26% | $14,948 | $35,930 | 18:1 | 26 | 6,655 | |
| 18 | Shorter UniversityPrivate | Average· 29 | 97% | 37% | $17,363 | $34,829 | 15:1 | 36 | 1,091 |
| 19 | Georgia State UniversityPublic | Average· 28 | 62% | 54% | $17,219 | $33,213 | 25:1 | 51 | 27,109 |
| 20 | Average· 28 | 69% | 48% | $17,890 | $39,566 | 23:1 | 76 | 39,503 | |
| 21 | Brewton-Parker CollegePrivate | Average· 27 | 86% | 23% | $23,924 | — | 14:1 | 23 | 684 |
| 22 | DeVry University-GeorgiaPrivate | Average· 27 | 81% | 36% | $31,212 | $43,091 | 11:1 | 14 | 472 |
| 23 | Clark Atlanta UniversityPrivate | Average· 26 | 65% | 48% | $37,249 | $27,715 | 16:1 | 29 | 3,482 |
| 24 | Georgia Gwinnett CollegePublic | Average· 26 | 96% | 20% | $12,810 | $45,821 | 20:1 | 17 | 11,156 |
| 25 | Average· 26 | 90% | 52% | $16,475 | $35,266 | 24:1 | 72 | 21,029 | |
| 26 | Fair· 25 | 99% | 26% | $14,440 | $31,119 | 20:1 | 16 | 2,794 | |
| 27 | Dalton State CollegePublic | Fair· 24 | — | 30% | $6,260 | $37,856 | 20:1 | 22 | 4,419 |
| 28 | Fair· 24 | — | 25% | $10,852 | $30,195 | 21:1 | 28 | 2,727 | |
| 29 | Truett McConnell UniversityPrivate | Fair· 24 | 91% | 41% | $22,086 | $36,700 | 16:1 | 16 | 768 |
| 30 | Albany State UniversityPublic | Fair· 22 | — | 23% | $16,225 | $31,868 | 20:1 | 29 | 5,829 |