Best colleges for criminal justice in Virginia
George Mason University ranks first in Virginia for criminal justice value (#4 nationally, value score 83.9): graduates earn $69,511 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $14,697 a year.
Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition · Source: College Scorecard field of study, reporting year 2025 · 10 Virginia colleges ranked · Updated November 4, 2026
Best criminal justice colleges in Virginia
George Mason University ranks first in Virginia for criminal justice value (#4 nationally, value score 83.9): graduates earn $69,511 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $14,697 a year. 10 Virginia colleges qualify. At the median one, criminal justice graduates earn $56,904 and the average net price is $22,905 a year.
Source: U.S. College Scorecard field of study, 2025
What the data shows
Key findings
- 10 Virginia colleges qualify. At the median one, criminal justice graduates earn $56,904 and the average net price is $22,905 a year.
- The highest criminal justice earnings in the state are at Marymount University ($73,058), ranked #2 in the state once cost, debt and graduation rate count.
- The lowest average net price among them is at Radford University: $13,701 a year.
- Median earnings
- $56,904
- National: $55,481
- Median net price
- $22,905
- National: $16,222
- Median federal debt
- $22,625
- criminal justice graduates
- Public colleges
- 5 of 10
- in this list
10 colleges
The Virginia 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.
- Earnings
- $69,511
- Net price
- $14,697
- Federal debt
- $19,000
- Graduation rate
- 66%
- Earnings
- $73,058
- Net price
- $28,521
- Federal debt
- $25,000
- Graduation rate
- 55%
- Earnings
- $61,715
- Net price
- $29,235
- Federal debt
- $22,019
- Graduation rate
- 64%
- Earnings
- $58,792
- Net price
- $25,037
- Federal debt
- $19,500
- Graduation rate
- 65%
- Earnings
- $56,996
- Net price
- $13,701
- Federal debt
- $22,250
- Graduation rate
- 48%
- Earnings
- $56,685
- Net price
- $20,773
- Federal debt
- $23,000
- Graduation rate
- 62%
- Rank in Virginia 7
Bluefield, VA · Private nonprofit · #243 nationally
42.8Value- Earnings
- $56,811
- Net price
- $18,402
- Federal debt
- $21,125
- Graduation rate
- 26%
- Earnings
- $53,602
- Net price
- $26,214
- Federal debt
- $24,246
- Graduation rate
- 64%
- Earnings
- $48,624
- Net price
- $14,893
- Federal debt
- $25,751
- Graduation rate
- 37%
- Earnings
- $52,318
- Net price
- $27,629
- Federal debt
- $25,892
- Graduation rate
- 45%
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 Virginia
What are the best colleges for criminal justice in Virginia?
By CollegesRef value score, the top 3 Virginia colleges for criminal justice are George Mason University (value score 83.9), Marymount University (value score 63.9) and Liberty University (value score 59.1). The score weighs graduate earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate.
Which Virginia college has the highest earnings for criminal justice graduates?
Marymount University: its criminal justice graduates have median earnings of $73,058 4 years after the bachelor's degree.
What is the most affordable criminal justice college in Virginia on this list?
Radford University has the lowest average net price of the ranked Virginia colleges, $13,701 a year after grants. A family's own price depends on income and aid.
How many Virginia colleges are ranked for criminal justice?
10 Virginia 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 Virginia.