Best colleges for criminal justice in Pennsylvania
DeSales University ranks first in Pennsylvania for criminal justice value (#94 nationally, value score 63.2): graduates earn $64,020 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $29,183 a year.
Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition · Source: College Scorecard field of study, reporting year 2025 · 17 Pennsylvania colleges ranked · Updated November 4, 2026
Best criminal justice colleges in Pennsylvania
DeSales University ranks first in Pennsylvania for criminal justice value (#94 nationally, value score 63.2): graduates earn $64,020 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $29,183 a year. 17 Pennsylvania colleges qualify. At the median one, criminal justice graduates earn $56,376 and the average net price is $21,886 a year.
Source: U.S. College Scorecard field of study, 2025
What the data shows
Key findings
- 17 Pennsylvania colleges qualify. At the median one, criminal justice graduates earn $56,376 and the average net price is $21,886 a year.
- The lowest average net price among them is at Holy Family University-Pennsylvania: $12,882 a year.
- Median earnings
- $56,376
- National: $55,481
- Median net price
- $21,886
- National: $16,222
- Median federal debt
- $26,633
- criminal justice graduates
- Public colleges
- 6 of 17
- in this list
17 colleges
The Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 1
Center Valley, PA · Private nonprofit · #94 nationally
63.2Value- Earnings
- $64,020
- Net price
- $29,183
- Federal debt
- $22,631
- Graduation rate
- 70%
- Rank in Pennsylvania 2
Scranton, PA · Private nonprofit · #142 nationally
57.8Value- Earnings
- $63,483
- Net price
- $32,132
- Federal debt
- $27,000
- Graduation rate
- 82%
- Rank in Pennsylvania 3
Holy Family University-Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit · #147 nationally
57.2Value- Earnings
- $56,861
- Net price
- $12,882
- Federal debt
- $27,000
- Graduation rate
- 67%
- Rank in Pennsylvania 4
York, PA · Private nonprofit · #156 nationally
55.1Value- Earnings
- $60,275
- Net price
- $21,886
- Federal debt
- $25,500
- Graduation rate
- 62%
- Rank in Pennsylvania 5
Temple University-Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA · Public · #222 nationally
46.7Value- Earnings
- $56,164
- Net price
- $23,058
- Federal debt
- $24,390
- Graduation rate
- 73%
- Rank in Pennsylvania 6
Wilkes-Barre, PA · Private nonprofit · #228 nationally
46.1Value- Earnings
- $57,563
- Net price
- $21,439
- Federal debt
- $27,000
- Graduation rate
- 61%
- Earnings
- $58,810
- Net price
- $27,122
- Federal debt
- $27,000
- Graduation rate
- 51%
- Rank in Pennsylvania 8
Lincoln University-Pennsylvania
Lincoln University, PA · Public · #247 nationally
42.3Value- Earnings
- $54,632
- Net price
- $13,517
- Federal debt
- $27,000
- Graduation rate
- 45%
- Earnings
- $55,000
- Net price
- $24,443
- Federal debt
- $25,000
- Graduation rate
- 71%
- Rank in Pennsylvania 10
Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit · #252 nationally
41.6Value- Earnings
- $57,831
- Net price
- $21,801
- Federal debt
- $27,000
- Graduation rate
- 49%
- Rank in Pennsylvania 11
East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania
East Stroudsburg, PA · Public · #256 nationally
41.2Value- Earnings
- $57,494
- Net price
- $21,084
- Federal debt
- $25,500
- Graduation rate
- 46%
- Rank in Pennsylvania 12
Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit · #259 nationally
40.9Value- Earnings
- $55,165
- Net price
- $19,758
- Federal debt
- $27,000
- Graduation rate
- 60%
- Rank in Pennsylvania 13
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
Kutztown, PA · Public · #261 nationally
40.4Value- Earnings
- $55,068
- Net price
- $22,146
- Federal debt
- $23,750
- Graduation rate
- 55%
- Rank in Pennsylvania 14
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
Shippensburg, PA · Public · #263 nationally
39.8Value- Earnings
- $56,376
- Net price
- $21,129
- Federal debt
- $24,990
- Graduation rate
- 49%
- Rank in Pennsylvania 15
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus
Pittsburgh, PA · Public · #286 nationally
36.9Value- Earnings
- $52,837
- Net price
- $29,362
- Federal debt
- $23,250
- Graduation rate
- 86%
- Earnings
- $54,902
- Net price
- $26,486
- Federal debt
- $26,633
- Graduation rate
- 61%
- Rank in Pennsylvania 17
Waynesburg, PA · Private nonprofit · #317 nationally
31.2Value- Earnings
- $51,781
- Net price
- $18,810
- Federal debt
- $27,000
- Graduation rate
- 54%
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 Pennsylvania
What are the best colleges for criminal justice in Pennsylvania?
By CollegesRef value score, the top 3 Pennsylvania colleges for criminal justice are DeSales University (value score 63.2), University of Scranton (value score 57.8) and Holy Family University-Pennsylvania (value score 57.2). The score weighs graduate earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate.
Which Pennsylvania college has the highest earnings for criminal justice graduates?
DeSales University: its criminal justice graduates have median earnings of $64,020 4 years after the bachelor's degree.
What is the most affordable criminal justice college in Pennsylvania on this list?
Holy Family University-Pennsylvania has the lowest average net price of the ranked Pennsylvania colleges, $12,882 a year after grants. A family's own price depends on income and aid.
How many Pennsylvania colleges are ranked for criminal justice?
17 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania.