Best Criminal Justice Colleges in New Jersey2026 Rankings
With 20 Criminal Justice programs spread across New Jersey, 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.
New Jersey offers 9 public and 11 private Criminal Justice programs in this ranking. Public universities average $28,157 for in-state students, making them a strong value option. The most competitive school on the list — The College of New Jersey — accepts 62% of applicants. Early-career earnings for Criminal Justice graduates average $34,513, with a state-wide graduation rate of 60% for ranked programs.
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| # | College | Value Score | Admit Rate | Grad Rate | Net Price | Median Earnings | Student:Faculty | Majors Offered | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The College of New JerseyPublic | Excellent· 42 | 62% | 85% | $20,638 | $36,070 | 13:1 | 38 | 6,831 |
| 2 | Rutgers University-New BrunswickPublic | Excellent· 42 | 65% | 85% | $17,578 | $34,611 | 15:1 | 102 | 36,357 |
| 3 | Rutgers University-CamdenPublic | Strong· 37 | 78% | 66% | $14,931 | $34,611 | 12:1 | 38 | 3,819 |
| 4 | Rutgers University-NewarkPublic | Strong· 36 | 79% | 68% | $17,388 | $34,611 | 13:1 | 43 | 7,187 |
| 5 | Saint Peter's UniversityPrivate | Strong· 35 | 91% | 63% | $11,494 | $28,558 | 11:1 | 47 | 1,939 |
| 6 | Caldwell UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 65% | 59% | $18,547 | $22,939 | 13:1 | 35 | 1,437 |
| 7 | Rowan UniversityPublic | Strong· 34 | 78% | 68% | $19,644 | $33,254 | 16:1 | 81 | 14,647 |
| 8 | Kean UniversityPublic | Strong· 34 | 77% | 43% | $12,503 | $39,408 | 17:1 | 47 | 10,842 |
| 9 | Georgian Court UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 71% | 55% | $19,676 | $48,079 | 10:1 | 37 | 1,174 |
| 10 | Seton Hall UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 79% | 71% | $24,326 | $27,167 | 14:1 | 50 | 5,924 |
| 11 | Rider UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 79% | 63% | $22,356 | $36,053 | 12:1 | 54 | 3,192 |
| 12 | Saint Elizabeth UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 77% | 40% | $21,594 | $53,774 | 11:1 | 31 | 636 |
| 13 | Centenary UniversityPrivate | Good· 32 | 97% | 57% | $15,190 | $37,259 | 12:1 | 39 | 934 |
| 14 | Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan CampusPrivate | Good· 32 | 96% | 62% | $14,926 | $33,874 | 14:1 | 47 | 2,578 |
| 15 | New Jersey City UniversityPublic | Good· 32 | 89% | 39% | $13,160 | $34,027 | 14:1 | 34 | 4,076 |
| 16 | Monmouth UniversityPrivate | Good· 31 | 90% | 70% | $29,142 | $37,862 | 12:1 | 35 | 3,831 |
| 17 | Thomas Edison State UniversityPublic | Good· 30 | — | — | $6,638 | $72,369 | 15:1 | 21 | 6,685 |
| 18 | William Paterson University of New JerseyPublic | Average· 28 | 93% | 48% | $17,978 | $35,864 | 17:1 | 41 | 6,526 |
| 19 | Felician UniversityPrivate | Fair· 25 | 94% | 50% | $42,782 | $41,141 | 15:1 | 29 | 1,754 |
| 20 | Berkeley College-Woodland ParkPrivate | Weak· 19 | — | 45% | $20,005 | $32,721 | 14:1 | 16 | 1,798 |