Best colleges for criminal justice in Arkansas
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff ranks first in Arkansas for criminal justice value (#257 nationally, value score 41.1): graduates earn $53,255 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $11,528 a year.
Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition · Source: College Scorecard field of study, reporting year 2025 · 5 Arkansas colleges ranked · Updated November 4, 2026
Best criminal justice colleges in Arkansas
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff ranks first in Arkansas for criminal justice value (#257 nationally, value score 41.1): graduates earn $53,255 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $11,528 a year. 5 Arkansas colleges qualify. At the median one, criminal justice graduates earn $44,523 and the average net price is $16,015 a year.
Source: U.S. College Scorecard field of study, 2025
What the data shows
Key findings
- 5 Arkansas colleges qualify. At the median one, criminal justice graduates earn $44,523 and the average net price is $16,015 a year.
- The lowest average net price among them is at University of Arkansas-Fort Smith: $9,653 a year.
- Median earnings
- $44,523
- National: $55,481
- Median net price
- $16,015
- National: $16,222
- Median federal debt
- $21,500
- criminal justice graduates
- Public colleges
- 5 of 5
- in this list
5 colleges
The Arkansas ranking
Ordered by the national value score; the national rank is shown with each college. Earnings are medians 4 years after the bachelor's degree.
- Rank in Arkansas 1
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
Pine Bluff, AR · Public · #257 nationally
41.1Value- Earnings
- $53,255
- Net price
- $11,528
- Federal debt
- $25,250
- Graduation rate
- 39%
- Earnings
- $49,690
- Net price
- $17,571
- Federal debt
- $21,500
- Graduation rate
- 71%
- Rank in Arkansas 3
University of Arkansas-Fort Smith
Fort Smith, AR · Public · #305 nationally
33.1Value- Earnings
- $43,509
- Net price
- $9,653
- Federal debt
- $18,500
- Graduation rate
- 42%
- Earnings
- $44,523
- Net price
- $16,015
- Federal debt
- $22,923
- Graduation rate
- 46%
- Rank in Arkansas 5
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Little Rock, AR · Public · #361 nationally
20.0Value- Earnings
- $43,990
- Net price
- $16,882
- Federal debt
- $20,500
- Graduation rate
- 41%
Method: the same value score as the national criminal justice ranking (earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate, each a national percentile). Data: College Scorecard, reporting year 2025; 2026–27 edition, verified Nov 2026.
Questions about criminal justice colleges in Arkansas
What are the best colleges for criminal justice in Arkansas?
By CollegesRef value score, the top 3 Arkansas colleges for criminal justice are University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (value score 41.1), University of Arkansas (value score 37.1) and University of Arkansas-Fort Smith (value score 33.1). The score weighs graduate earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate.
Which Arkansas college has the highest earnings for criminal justice graduates?
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff: its criminal justice graduates have median earnings of $53,255 4 years after the bachelor's degree.
What is the most affordable criminal justice college in Arkansas on this list?
University of Arkansas-Fort Smith has the lowest average net price of the ranked Arkansas colleges, $9,653 a year after grants. A family's own price depends on income and aid.
How many Arkansas colleges are ranked for criminal justice?
5 Arkansas colleges have a criminal justice bachelor's program with enough graduates and reported earnings, plus a published net price and graduation rate. Ranks shown are national; the state rank is their order within Arkansas.