Best value colleges for Criminal Justice in Pennsylvania.2026 Rankings
Pennsylvania is home to 52 accredited institutions offering Criminal Justice programs — from large public research universities to small private liberal arts colleges. This ranking evaluates each school on admission selectivity, four-year graduation rate, net price, and graduate earnings to surface the programs that deliver the strongest outcomes.
Among the schools listed here, Central Penn College is the most selective, admitting 26% of applicants. Average in-state tuition across this group sits at $34,953, while out-of-state students can expect to pay around $36,840. Median early-career earnings for Criminal Justice graduates in this state average $38,920 per year, and the average four-year graduation rate among ranked programs is 63%.
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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 | Holy Family UniversityPrivate | Great· 41 | 74% | 60% | $11,559 | $33,496 | 11:1 | 41 | 2,298 |
| 2 | Great· 41 | 50% | 84% | $26,179 | $36,959 | 13:1 | 101 | 20,189 | |
| 3 | Drexel UniversityPrivate | Great· 40 | 78% | 77% | $35,842 | $71,209 | 9:1 | 80 | 13,509 |
| 4 | Saint Francis UniversityPrivate | Great· 40 | 77% | 73% | $12,775 | $48,790 | 14:1 | 55 | 1,525 |
| 5 | Elizabethtown CollegePrivate | Great· 39 | 77% | 77% | $21,711 | $47,777 | 12:1 | 59 | 1,815 |
| 6 | Marywood UniversityPrivate | Great· 39 | 84% | 73% | $18,927 | $43,928 | 11:1 | 51 | 1,821 |
| 7 | Messiah UniversityPrivate | Great· 39 | 78% | 79% | $22,689 | $45,768 | 12:1 | 63 | 2,318 |
| 8 | University of ScrantonPrivate | Great· 39 | 84% | 81% | $24,999 | $32,300 | 13:1 | 59 | 3,589 |
| 9 | Seton Hill UniversityPrivate | Strong· 37 | 76% | 71% | $18,474 | $37,278 | 13:1 | 50 | 1,581 |
| 10 | DeSales UniversityPrivate | Strong· 36 | 79% | 71% | $25,683 | $45,505 | 11:1 | 39 | 2,113 |
| 11 | Duquesne UniversityPrivate | Strong· 36 | 79% | 76% | $31,920 | $55,257 | 12:1 | 62 | 5,216 |
| 12 | Lincoln UniversityPublic | Strong· 36 | 78% | 52% | $12,623 | $28,847 | 13:1 | 37 | 1,712 |
| 13 | Gannon UniversityPrivate | Strong· 35 | 77% | 70% | $21,199 | $39,788 | 13:1 | 59 | 2,467 |
| 14 | Temple UniversityPublic | Strong· 35 | 83% | 75% | $28,493 | $38,612 | 12:1 | 100 | 21,249 |
| 15 | Widener UniversityPrivate | Strong· 35 | 84% | 64% | $28,722 | $31,663 | 11:1 | 56 | 2,765 |
| 16 | Gwynedd Mercy UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 94% | 58% | $25,170 | $76,811 | 9:1 | 24 | 1,141 |
| 17 | La Roche UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 78% | 58% | $19,339 | $35,388 | 11:1 | 38 | 786 |
| 18 | Thomas Jefferson UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 86% | 68% | $24,652 | $68,709 | 13:1 | 43 | 3,708 |
| 19 | Cairn University-LanghornePrivate | Good· 33 | 84% | 65% | $29,663 | $36,453 | 11:1 | 28 | 782 |
| 20 | Immaculata UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 78% | 64% | $27,527 | $56,884 | 10:1 | 38 | 1,265 |
| 21 | Alvernia UniversityPrivate | Good· 32 | 62% | 58% | $26,381 | $39,940 | 12:1 | 38 | 2,042 |
| 22 | Chestnut Hill CollegePrivate | Good· 32 | 79% | 56% | $27,238 | $46,417 | 10:1 | 40 | 931 |
| 23 | Keystone CollegePrivate | Good· 32 | 80% | 41% | $22,731 | $33,645 | 12:1 | 25 | 870 |
| 24 | Rosemont CollegePrivate | Good· 32 | 75% | 43% | $21,085 | $40,410 | 13:1 | 29 | 466 |
| 25 | Thiel CollegePrivate | Good· 32 | 71% | 44% | $22,513 | $33,652 | 12:1 | 41 | 773 |
| 26 | Good· 32 | 91% | 43% | $14,898 | $36,959 | 12:1 | 32 | 980 | |
| 27 | Central Penn CollegePrivate | Good· 31 | 26% | 39% | $14,769 | $40,145 | 8:1 | 11 | 721 |
| 28 | King's CollegePrivate | Good· 31 | 93% | 60% | $20,676 | $35,761 | 11:1 | 45 | 1,519 |
| 29 | Neumann UniversityPrivate | Good· 31 | 76% | 46% | $27,393 | $41,637 | 13:1 | 31 | 1,574 |
| 30 | Good· 31 | 75% | 66% | $18,007 | $42,776 | 20:1 | 48 | 6,728 |