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2024 Best Accredited Online Colleges for Criminal Justice

There are about 552,699 students enrolled in Criminal Justice in the USA.

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popularity

Very Popular

Compared to national avg.

Diplomas received last year

81,363

Vs. National Avg.

652%

popularity Rank

#14

cost

Very Affordable

Compared to national avg.

Median degree cost

$17K

Vs. National Avg.

-29%

cost Rank

#356

salary

Low Paying

Compared to national avg.

Average Salary Two Years Out of School

$35K

Vs. National Avg.

-11%

salary Rank

#367

professors

Not Very Good

Compared to national avg.

Professor Rating

C+

Vs. National Avg.

-11%

professors Rank

#372

students

Not Very Diverse

Compared to national avg.

Diversity Rating

C+

Vs. National Avg.

-4%

students Rank

#324

CRIMINAL JUSTICE DEGREES

UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES

Criminal justice is an incredibly in-demand college major. Each major confers around 6,000 bachelor's degrees per annum; last year, 55,297 students completed a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, making it the United States' 8th most popular major for undergraduates. 1,701 of those students are now alumni of CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice, which has the biggest program in the US, and 4,932 of those degrees were granted at institutions in California.

Undergrad degrees in criminal justice are available at 1,005 schools nationwide; therefore, determining the best program can be hard. In comparison to the average course of study, there are 5.2 times as many colleges offering undergraduate degrees in criminal justice, making it the 16th most commonly available American degree.

GRADUATE DEGREES

While last spring, a shade greater than 6 out of 7 degrees in criminal justice were undergrad degrees; 13% were graduate degrees. Criminal justice is the 29th most popular advanced degree in the country, with 7,966 degrees awarded. To put that in context, grad degrees in criminal justice are 2.9 times more popular among master's & doctor's students than the average major.

In Total, 63,263 students received a bachelor's or higher in criminal justice last year.

ONLINE CRIMINAL JUSTICE DEGREES

13,292 of those 63,263 students (21%) did all their school work comprehensively online - 9,823 undergrads and 3,469 graduate students. As you likely can tell, criminal justice is a hugely in-demand online college field. It's currently the 3rd most popular remote degree with 20.4 times the national average of 481 undergrads per subject. For master's or doctor's students, it ranks 15th, with 5.6 times the average number of master's or doctor's students per concentration (481).

The University of Phoenix-Arizona​ conferred more online undergraduate degrees in criminal justice than any other American school (950). Last fall, 72,003 college students were attending the college online, 99% of their students. They offer 38 remote focuses. That's 100% of their subjects.

Moreover, Colleges from Arizona conferred the most online undergrad degrees in criminal justice last May (1,629). Arizona alone graduates 17% of the discipline's online students.

17.8% of all four-year degrees in criminal justice are completed through an entirely online program, (43.5% for graduate degrees). 38.12% of Union Institute & University's​ last undergraduate class studied criminal justice exclusively remote, higher than any other US college. 154 students in their 403 student class received an online four-year degree in criminal justice. They offer 100% of their subjects online, and had 507 enrolled online college students last fall. That's 84% of the student body.

Undergrad degrees in criminal justice are offered online at 347 institutions in the nation, making it the 16th most commonly offered remote subject in the USA. 35% of colleges furnishing the degree even have an online option, and 34% of the colleges granting the degree remotely are public. The other 66% are private. Florida is number one in the nation in providing remote choices, with 21 of the programs based there.

If you hope to study criminal justice entirely online, you may want to consider George Washington University, as it has the 5th best criminal justice program in the nation. They also offer an additional 116 degrees completely remotely, so their systems are probably dependable. Furthermore, there are 721 remote undergrads attending, which is 6% of the entire student body.

PARTIALLY ONLINE CRIMINAL JUSTICE DEGREES

  • 14,291 students last year completed undergraduate degrees in criminal justice partially online
  • Criminal justice is the 24th most universally available partially online undergrad degree around the country
  • 25.84% of all undergraduate degree in criminal justice are completed partially online
  • CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice​ granted the most partially online bachelor's degrees in criminal justice in the country (516)
  • 9 of the colleges offering partially online undergrad degrees in criminal justice are located in Kansas, the most of any state
  • The average partially online concentration confers 1,683 yearly bachelor's degrees or higher

IN-PERSON CRIMINAL JUSTICE DEGREES

  • Criminal justice is the 15th most common in-person college degree in America
  • Exclusively in-person bachelor's degrees in criminal justice are offered at 38 institutions across the country
  • Last year, 34,582 students received a bachelor's or higher in criminal justice entirely in-person
  • CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice​ conferred the most totally in-person four-year degrees in criminal justice in the United States (1,185)
  • Last spring, 3,629 students completed grad degrees in criminal justice entirely in-person
  • The average in-person focus gives out 6,102 annual bachelor's degrees or higher

CRIMINAL JUSTICE OVERVIEW

Thanks to technology and online schools, you can earn a criminal justice degree from the comfort of your home. These virtual programs provide accelerated schedules and prepare you for various roles in law enforcement.

You can foster a fulfilling and lucrative career in criminal justice in any of these fields:

  • Police Officer
  • Attorneys and Lawyers
  • Probation Officers
  • Security Managers
  • FBI Specialists
  • CIA Agents or Analysts
  • Criminologists
  • Financial Examiners
  • Judges and Hearing Officers

Online accredited colleges offer various criminal justice programs that prepare you to enter into any of these lucrative fields. Due to the steady increase in criminal cases, fraud, and cybercrime, the demand for professionals in these fields continue to rise.

Conciliators, arbitrators, and mediators enjoy the highest job growth rates in criminal justice roles. And unlike lawyers and judges, you only need a bachelor’s degree and moderate training.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, police detectives and probation officers are some of the highest-paid entry-level jobs in criminal justice. They earn about $60,000 to $80,000 yearly.

Some of the top-paid criminal justice jobs, like attorneys and judges, exceed $250,000 in yearly wages. These roles also have attractive benefits and annual bonuses.

Here are other reasons why a criminal justice degree from a high-ranking online school might be good for you:

  • A chance to serve your community
  • Job stability and impressive benefits
  • You get to protect and help others
  • A criminal justice degree opens up more career opportunities
  • You can flex your analytical and problem-solving skills

Keep reading to discover the best online accredited schools to study criminal justice programs.

Top 25 Best Online Colleges for Criminal Justice

Search for the best Criminal Justice online colleges according to your filter parameters.

A−

Rating

#1 2024 Best Accredited Online Colleges for Criminal Justice

CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice

New York, NY | www.jjay.cuny.edu/

37%

Acceptance

19,553

Students

#467

Ranking

$15K

Tuition

A−

Rating

#2 2024 Best Accredited Online Colleges for Criminal Justice

Arizona State University Digital Immersion

Scottsdale, AZ | www.asu.edu/

73%

Acceptance

69,608

Students

#509

Ranking

$11K

Tuition

A

Rating

#3 2024 Best Accredited Online Colleges for Criminal Justice

University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL | www.ucf.edu/

45%

Acceptance

81,082

Students

#200

Ranking

$22K

Tuition

B+

Rating

#4 2024 Best Accredited Online Colleges for Criminal Justice

Union Institute & University

Cincinnati, OH | https://www.myunion.edu/

0%

Acceptance

1,253

Students

#651

Ranking

$16K

Tuition

A

Rating

#5 2024 Best Accredited Online Colleges for Criminal Justice

Florida International University

Miami, FL | www.fiu.edu/

58%

Acceptance

73,970

Students

#364

Ranking

$19K

Tuition

A+

Rating

#6 2024 Best Accredited Online Colleges for Criminal Justice

Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL | https://www.fsu.edu/

32%

Acceptance

47,836

Students

#138

Ranking

$19K

Tuition

B

Rating

#7 2024 Best Accredited Online Colleges for Criminal Justice

Excelsior College

Albany, NY | www.excelsior.edu/

0%

Acceptance

33,516

Students

#779

Ranking

$0

Tuition

B+

Rating

#8 2024 Best Accredited Online Colleges for Criminal Justice

University of New Haven

West Haven, CT | www.newhaven.edu/

91%

Acceptance

7,587

Students

#700

Ranking

$42K

Tuition

A

Rating

#9 2024 Best Accredited Online Colleges for Criminal Justice

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA | https://www2.gmu.edu/

89%

Acceptance

49,755

Students

#296

Ranking

$37K

Tuition

A−

Rating

#10 2024 Best Accredited Online Colleges for Criminal Justice

Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses

Fort Wayne, IN | trine.edu/online/index.aspx

39%

Acceptance

1,162

Students

#544

Ranking

$10K

Tuition

A−

Rating

#11 2024 Best Accredited Online Colleges for Criminal Justice

University of Management and Technology

Arlington, VA | www.umtweb.edu/

0%

Acceptance

1,141

Students

#430

Ranking

$9K

Tuition

A

Rating

#12 2024 Best Accredited Online Colleges for Criminal Justice

Averett University-Non-Traditional Programs

Danville, VA | https://gps.averett.edu/

9%

Acceptance

701

Students

#299

Ranking

$12K

Tuition

B+

Rating

#13 2024 Best Accredited Online Colleges for Criminal Justice

University of Cincinnati-Main Campus

Cincinnati, OH | www.uc.edu/

76%

Acceptance

46,140

Students

#632

Ranking

$27K

Tuition

A−

Rating

#14 2024 Best Accredited Online Colleges for Criminal Justice

Johnson & Wales University-Online

Providence, RI | https://online.jwu.edu/?_ga=2.244666885.1432107725.1502198571-1382828486.1499961993

36%

Acceptance

2,633

Students

#556

Ranking

$13K

Tuition

B

Rating

#15 2024 Best Accredited Online Colleges for Criminal Justice

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide

Daytona Beach, FL | worldwide.erau.edu/

63%

Acceptance

20,829

Students

#783

Ranking

$10K

Tuition

A+

Rating

#16 2024 Best Accredited Online Colleges for Criminal Justice

University of Virginia-Main Campus

Charlottesville, VA | https://www.virginia.edu/

23%

Acceptance

29,237

Students

#38

Ranking

$53K

Tuition

A

Rating

#17 2024 Best Accredited Online Colleges for Criminal Justice

Temple University

Philadelphia, PA | www.temple.edu/

71%

Acceptance

42,075

Students

#303

Ranking

$30K

Tuition

A

Rating

#18 2024 Best Accredited Online Colleges for Criminal Justice

University of Illinois Chicago

Chicago, IL | www.uic.edu/

73%

Acceptance

35,210

Students

#356

Ranking

$28K

Tuition

A−

Rating

#19 2024 Best Accredited Online Colleges for Criminal Justice

Norwich University

Northfield, VT | www.norwich.edu/

74%

Acceptance

4,792

Students

#477

Ranking

$43K

Tuition

B+

Rating

#20 2024 Best Accredited Online Colleges for Criminal Justice

Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL | www.fau.edu/

75%

Acceptance

37,930

Students

#705

Ranking

$17K

Tuition

B

Rating

#21 2024 Best Accredited Online Colleges for Criminal Justice

California State University-Northridge

Northridge, CA | https://www.csun.edu/

66%

Acceptance

42,736

Students

#763

Ranking

$19K

Tuition

A+

Rating

#22 2024 Best Accredited Online Colleges for Criminal Justice

Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA | https://drexel.edu/

77%

Acceptance

27,720

Students

#161

Ranking

$56K

Tuition

A−

Rating

#23 2024 Best Accredited Online Colleges for Criminal Justice

Northeastern University Lifelong Learning Network

Boston, MA | https://www.northeastern.edu/learnforlife/

0%

Acceptance

14,916

Students

#461

Ranking

$13K

Tuition

A

Rating

#24 2024 Best Accredited Online Colleges for Criminal Justice

University of South Carolina-Columbia

Columbia, SC | www.sc.edu/

68%

Acceptance

38,526

Students

#258

Ranking

$34K

Tuition

A

Rating

#25 2024 Best Accredited Online Colleges for Criminal Justice

Indiana University-Bloomington

Bloomington, IN | www.indiana.edu/

80%

Acceptance

46,441

Students

#265

Ranking

$38K

Tuition

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