Best Criminal Justice Colleges in Virginia2026 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%.
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| # | 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 | University of Virginia's College at WisePublic | 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 | Radford UniversityPublic | Good· 32 | 91% | 50% | $14,533 | $35,935 | 12:1 | 48 | 5,609 |
| 11 | Virginia Commonwealth UniversityPublic | Good· 32 | 93% | 65% | $16,455 | $38,495 | 17:1 | 56 | 20,797 |
| 12 | Bluefield UniversityPrivate | Good· 32 | 63% | 27% | $20,952 | $41,005 | 15:1 | 33 | 683 |
| 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 | Virginia State UniversityPublic | 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 | University of Management and TechnologyPrivate | 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 | Strayer University-VirginiaPrivate | Poor· 15 | — | 13% | $13,920 | $43,405 | 39:1 | 10 | 2,010 |
| 22 | South University-Virginia BeachPrivate | Poor· 15 | — | 14% | $26,139 | $37,713 | 11:1 | 9 | 252 |
| 23 | South University-RichmondPrivate | Very Poor· 12 | — | 21% | $33,875 | $37,713 | 11:1 | 8 | 244 |