Best value colleges for Criminal Justice in North Carolina.2026 Rankings
With 35 Criminal Justice programs spread across North Carolina, narrowing your list takes real data. Our algorithm ranks each school on six factors — admission rate, graduation rate, net price, median graduate earnings, student-faculty ratio, and major breadth — so you can compare apples to apples before you apply.
North Carolina offers 9 public and 21 private Criminal Justice programs in this ranking. Public universities average $23,906 for in-state students, making them a strong value option. The most competitive school on the list — Shaw University — accepts 30% of applicants. Early-career earnings for Criminal Justice graduates average $33,609, with a state-wide graduation rate of 48% for ranked programs.
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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 | Strong· 35 | 89% | 73% | $15,766 | $35,796 | 16:1 | 67 | 19,304 | |
| 2 | Catawba CollegePrivate | Strong· 35 | 78% | 52% | $14,971 | $34,621 | 12:1 | 35 | 1,127 |
| 3 | Strong· 35 | 70% | 48% | $8,929 | $29,778 | 17:1 | 32 | 1,863 | |
| 4 | Saint Augustine's UniversityPrivate | Strong· 35 | 59% | 33% | $17,866 | $23,500 | 11:1 | 27 | 766 |
| 5 | Shaw UniversityPrivate | Strong· 35 | 30% | 20% | $16,310 | $25,649 | 11:1 | 26 | 839 |
| 6 | Strong· 34 | 80% | 35% | $8,806 | $29,016 | 19:1 | 33 | 5,493 | |
| 7 | Methodist UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 75% | 40% | $23,113 | $31,027 | 9:1 | 47 | 1,425 |
| 8 | Strong· 34 | 80% | 68% | $14,014 | $36,155 | 21:1 | 69 | 23,567 | |
| 9 | Mars Hill UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 78% | 42% | $20,703 | $34,519 | 10:1 | 34 | 995 |
| 10 | Good· 33 | 46% | 55% | $13,024 | $32,152 | 20:1 | 58 | 11,925 | |
| 11 | Good· 33 | 78% | 40% | $17,786 | $33,735 | 13:1 | 28 | 1,169 | |
| 12 | Salem CollegePrivate | Good· 33 | 87% | 56% | $18,561 | $34,178 | 7:1 | 35 | 390 |
| 13 | Good· 33 | 92% | 45% | $10,905 | $35,553 | 14:1 | 33 | 5,386 | |
| 14 | Good· 33 | 69% | 49% | $15,668 | $31,564 | 16:1 | 36 | 4,244 | |
| 15 | Brevard CollegePrivate | Good· 32 | 40% | 39% | $21,716 | $39,000 | 11:1 | 24 | 760 |
| 16 | Chowan UniversityPrivate | Good· 32 | 72% | 29% | $18,449 | $29,109 | 15:1 | 27 | 638 |
| 17 | Gardner-Webb UniversityPrivate | Good· 32 | 87% | 62% | $19,334 | $35,433 | 11:1 | 42 | 1,836 |
| 18 | Lees-McRae CollegePrivate | Good· 32 | 81% | 44% | $20,899 | $39,811 | 10:1 | 24 | 817 |
| 19 | Livingstone CollegePrivate | Good· 32 | 74% | 27% | $16,327 | $27,405 | 13:1 | 19 | 798 |
| 20 | Montreat CollegePrivate | Good· 32 | 66% | 41% | $26,184 | $31,744 | 12:1 | 31 | 750 |
| 21 | East Carolina UniversityPublic | Good· 31 | 90% | 62% | $16,785 | $36,374 | 17:1 | 68 | 19,857 |
| 22 | Greensboro CollegePrivate | Good· 31 | 92% | 41% | $17,363 | $34,112 | 10:1 | 27 | 656 |
| 23 | Guilford CollegePrivate | Good· 31 | 84% | 48% | $25,205 | $31,799 | 12:1 | 40 | 1,011 |
| 24 | Lenoir-Rhyne UniversityPrivate | Good· 31 | 81% | 51% | $20,065 | $40,155 | 15:1 | 42 | 1,348 |
| 25 | Good· 31 | 87% | 59% | $13,085 | $38,682 | 16:1 | 55 | 9,867 | |
| 26 | Wingate UniversityPrivate | Good· 31 | 85% | 47% | $20,089 | $39,498 | 15:1 | 33 | 2,462 |
| 27 | Campbell UniversityPrivate | Good· 30 | 94% | 56% | $19,451 | $40,590 | 13:1 | 56 | 2,790 |
| 28 | University of Mount OlivePrivate | Good· 30 | 78% | 47% | $18,062 | $40,639 | 19:1 | 40 | 1,754 |
| 29 | High Point UniversityPrivate | Average· 29 | 77% | 70% | $37,597 | $47,613 | 17:1 | 52 | 4,970 |
| 30 | Barton CollegePrivate | Average· 28 | 96% | 52% | $20,931 | $42,572 | 14:1 | 30 | 1,020 |