Best Criminal Justice Colleges in South Carolina2026 Rankings
With 18 Criminal Justice programs spread across South 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.
South Carolina offers 5 public and 13 private Criminal Justice programs in this ranking. Public universities average $19,317 for in-state students, making them a strong value option. The most competitive school on the list — Allen University — accepts 32% of applicants. Early-career earnings for Criminal Justice graduates average $46,124, with a state-wide graduation rate of 43% for ranked programs.
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| # | College | Value Score | Admit Rate | Grad Rate | Net Price | Median Earnings | Student:Faculty | Majors Offered | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of South Carolina-ColumbiaPublic | Strong· 37 | 61% | 78% | $22,744 | $35,781 | 18:1 | 67 | 28,113 |
| 2 | Citadel Military College of South CarolinaPublic | Strong· 36 | 98% | 73% | $18,467 | $45,235 | 11:1 | 28 | 2,624 |
| 3 | University of South Carolina-UpstatePublic | Strong· 35 | 70% | 42% | $13,876 | $34,447 | 15:1 | 36 | 4,008 |
| 4 | North Greenville UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 63% | 55% | $18,576 | $39,415 | 13:1 | 33 | 1,719 |
| 5 | Anderson UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 53% | 71% | $28,002 | $45,583 | 15:1 | 60 | 3,080 |
| 6 | Lander UniversityPublic | Good· 33 | 68% | 49% | $14,297 | $36,764 | 17:1 | 29 | 3,384 |
| 7 | Charleston Southern UniversityPrivate | Good· 32 | 76% | 49% | $22,405 | $33,633 | 13:1 | 55 | 2,716 |
| 8 | Benedict CollegePrivate | Good· 32 | 67% | 21% | $19,763 | $23,838 | 14:1 | 39 | 1,573 |
| 9 | Claflin UniversityPrivate | Good· 31 | 73% | 49% | $25,768 | $29,424 | 13:1 | 45 | 1,727 |
| 10 | Newberry CollegePrivate | Good· 31 | 75% | 44% | $22,439 | $38,715 | 14:1 | 43 | 1,462 |
| 11 | Allen UniversityPrivate | Good· 31 | 32% | 13% | $10,701 | $23,426 | 16:1 | 16 | 635 |
| 12 | Columbia CollegePrivate | Good· 30 | 96% | 53% | $22,849 | $50,519 | 11:1 | 55 | 1,245 |
| 13 | South Carolina State UniversityPublic | Good· 30 | 82% | 29% | $19,611 | $32,576 | 19:1 | 41 | 2,757 |
| 14 | Limestone UniversityPrivate | Good· 30 | 98% | 28% | $21,930 | $39,181 | 11:1 | 31 | 1,528 |
| 15 | Bob Jones UniversityPrivate | Average· 29 | — | 70% | $16,625 | $31,372 | 13:1 | 69 | 2,209 |
| 16 | Voorhees UniversityPrivate | Fair· 24 | — | 38% | $17,558 | $22,037 | 10:1 | 20 | 460 |
| 17 | Morris CollegePrivate | Weak· 21 | — | 20% | $22,795 | $27,032 | 10:1 | 18 | 421 |
| 18 | South University-ColumbiaPrivate | Very Poor· 12 | — | 0% | $31,298 | $37,713 | 14:1 | 9 | 445 |