Best value colleges for Criminal Justice in Virginia.2026 Rankings
Virginia is home to 23 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, University of Richmond is the most selective, admitting 23% of applicants. Average in-state tuition across this group sits at $24,523, while out-of-state students can expect to pay around $29,150. Median early-career earnings for Criminal Justice graduates in this state average $42,365 per year, and the average four-year graduation rate among ranked programs is 54%.
Not sure if your profile matches these schools?
Looking at schools in Virginia is a great start — but knowing whether your GPA, test scores, and activities match what these programs actually admit takes a deeper look.
Drop your application data into our Free Application Review. Our AI will analyze your admission chances and stats in 2 minutes. Get practical next steps for improvements where it matters most.
Get My Free Application Review →Criminal Justice Programs in Virginia
ranked by value score
| # | College | Value Score | Admit Rate | Grad Rate | Net Price | Median Earnings | Student:Faculty | Majors Offered | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of RichmondPrivate | Excellent· 45 | 23% | 88% | $15,818 | $52,666 | 7:1 | 43 | 3,002 |
| 2 | DeVry University-VirginiaPrivate | Great· 39 | 100% | 100% | $33,556 | $43,091 | 2:1 | 12 | 25 |
| 3 | Shenandoah UniversityPrivate | Strong· 36 | 78% | 71% | $25,951 | $46,816 | 11:1 | 36 | 2,127 |
| 4 | Strong· 35 | 94% | 50% | $7,159 | $35,642 | 13:1 | 30 | 1,214 | |
| 5 | Averett UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 48% | 44% | $19,655 | $43,494 | 13:1 | 48 | 1,162 |
| 6 | Roanoke CollegePrivate | Strong· 34 | 80% | 66% | $24,279 | $36,855 | 11:1 | 34 | 1,801 |
| 7 | George Mason UniversityPublic | Good· 33 | 89% | 69% | $16,296 | $43,612 | 16:1 | 68 | 27,083 |
| 8 | Longwood UniversityPublic | Good· 33 | 85% | 62% | $18,489 | $36,254 | 14:1 | 28 | 2,957 |
| 9 | Virginia Wesleyan UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 71% | 49% | $18,364 | $39,404 | 13:1 | 34 | 1,243 |
| 10 | Bluefield UniversityPrivate | Good· 32 | 63% | 27% | $20,952 | $41,005 | 15:1 | 33 | 683 |
| 11 | Radford UniversityPublic | Good· 32 | 91% | 50% | $14,533 | $35,935 | 12:1 | 48 | 5,609 |
| 12 | Good· 32 | 93% | 65% | $16,455 | $38,495 | 17:1 | 56 | 20,797 | |
| 13 | Marymount UniversityPrivate | Good· 31 | 81% | 58% | $24,661 | $35,642 | 13:1 | 29 | 1,795 |
| 14 | Regent UniversityPrivate | Good· 31 | 41% | 54% | $16,647 | $46,005 | 20:1 | 38 | 4,282 |
| 15 | Ferrum CollegePrivate | Good· 30 | 100% | 29% | $20,145 | $42,080 | 11:1 | 40 | 745 |
| 16 | Good· 30 | 89% | 41% | $17,511 | $34,604 | 13:1 | 33 | 4,787 | |
| 17 | ECPI UniversityPrivate | Average· 29 | 83% | 45% | $20,806 | $36,287 | 12:1 | 17 | 11,270 |
| 18 | Hampton UniversityPrivate | Average· 28 | 48% | 56% | $32,980 | $31,335 | 15:1 | 55 | 3,254 |
| 19 | Average· 27 | — | 100% | $9,450 | $69,216 | 30:1 | 9 | 322 | |
| 20 | Liberty UniversityPrivate | Average· 26 | 99% | 63% | $26,312 | $48,855 | 18:1 | 72 | 50,059 |
| 21 | Poor· 15 | — | 14% | $26,139 | $37,713 | 11:1 | 9 | 252 | |
| 22 | Strayer University-VirginiaPrivate | Poor· 15 | — | 13% | $13,920 | $43,405 | 39:1 | 10 | 2,010 |
| 23 | South University-RichmondPrivate | Very Poor· 12 | — | 21% | $33,875 | $37,713 | 11:1 | 8 | 244 |