Best Criminal Justice Colleges in Washington2026 Rankings
With 12 Criminal Justice programs spread across Washington, 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.
Washington offers 4 public and 8 private Criminal Justice programs in this ranking. Public universities average $26,971 for in-state students, making them a strong value option. The most competitive school on the list — University of Washington-Seattle Campus — accepts 43% of applicants. Early-career earnings for Criminal Justice graduates average $31,452, with a state-wide graduation rate of 57% 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 Washington-Seattle CampusPublic | Excellent· 43 | 43% | 84% | $7,817 | $40,669 | 20:1 | 137 | 31,588 |
| 2 | Gonzaga UniversityPrivate | Great· 41 | 76% | 87% | $25,096 | $53,993 | 12:1 | 45 | 5,098 |
| 3 | University of Washington-Tacoma CampusPublic | Great· 38 | 83% | 62% | $7,900 | $40,669 | 15:1 | 31 | 3,989 |
| 4 | Seattle UniversityPrivate | Strong· 36 | 76% | 73% | $30,151 | $51,100 | 10:1 | 60 | 4,117 |
| 5 | Saint Martin's UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 76% | 57% | $19,090 | $45,949 | 10:1 | 28 | 1,254 |
| 6 | Washington State UniversityPublic | Good· 33 | 85% | 62% | $12,308 | $41,020 | 15:1 | 114 | 21,583 |
| 7 | Northwest UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 88% | 63% | $19,757 | $44,118 | 9:1 | 37 | 642 |
| 8 | Seattle Pacific UniversityPrivate | Good· 31 | 91% | 62% | $23,893 | $44,979 | 10:1 | 57 | 2,073 |
| 9 | Central Washington UniversityPublic | Good· 30 | 90% | 50% | $15,182 | $44,172 | 17:1 | 104 | 8,081 |
| 10 | Heritage UniversityPrivate | Good· 30 | — | 40% | $12,511 | $41,593 | 7:1 | 27 | 782 |
| 11 | City University of SeattlePrivate | Weak· 21 | — | 17% | $35,049 | $71,607 | 9:1 | 17 | 1,091 |
| 12 | Northwest University-Center for Online and Extended EducationPrivate | Very Poor· 10 | — | 31% | $28,262 | $44,118 | 19:1 | 8 | 477 |