Best Criminology Degrees in the US by ROI

Top colleges ranked by estimated 20-year net return on investment across all active states. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Programs Analyzed

Colleges with salary data

Average 20-Yr Net ROI

-$202,109

Across all programs

Average Annual Cost

$36,519

Cost of attendance

#	College	State	20-Yr Net ROI	Median Salary	Annual Cost	Avg Debt
1	Lindenwood University Grad rate: 52.3%	MO	+$230,812	$60,229	$33,442	N/A	Full ROI →
2	University of Maryland-College Park Grad rate: 88.9%	MD	+$56,103	$51,736	$28,073	$19,500	Full ROI →
3	State University of New York at Cortland Grad rate: 68.5%	NY	+$31,603	$50,314	$26,413	$21,500	Full ROI →
4	University of Houston-Clear Lake Grad rate: 52.3%	TX	+$17,246	$48,710	$23,788	$16,149	Full ROI →
5	University of Massachusetts Global	CA	+$3,151	$50,567	$33,365	$25,725	Full ROI →
6	University at Albany Grad rate: 64.7%	NY	+$412	$49,153	$28,490	$21,250	Full ROI →
7	Lebanon Valley College Grad rate: 70.5%	PA	-$4,240	$54,586	$63,990	N/A	Full ROI →
8	CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice Grad rate: 54.6%	NY	-$16,198	$44,675	$13,712	$11,000	Full ROI →
9	University of Delaware Grad rate: 79.2%	DE	-$17,902	$48,573	$29,347	$23,685	Full ROI →
10	Saint Anselm College Grad rate: 84.2%	NH	-$23,358	$55,668	$65,067	$27,000	Full ROI →
11	Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia Grad rate: 81.0%	PA	-$27,062	$55,437	$65,513	$25,000	Full ROI →
12	University of Minnesota-Duluth Grad rate: 63.4%	MN	-$64,215	$45,783	$26,907	$23,887	Full ROI →
13	Mount St. Mary's University Grad rate: 61.0%	MD	-$67,742	$52,851	$62,078	$27,000	Full ROI →
14	North Carolina State University at Raleigh Grad rate: 84.6%	NC	-$76,463	$44,776	$25,613	$21,875	Full ROI →
15	Eastern Michigan University Grad rate: 45.5%	MI	-$85,742	$45,304	$28,168	$29,000	Full ROI →
16	University of Lynchburg Grad rate: 60.8%	VA	-$86,560	$47,332	$48,300	N/A	Full ROI →
17	University of Florida-Online Grad rate: 78.1%	FL	-$90,729	$42,187	$17,036	$19,500	Full ROI →
18	SUNY Old Westbury Grad rate: 47.4%	NY	-$95,166	$42,430	$19,934	$17,800	Full ROI →
19	University of Northern Iowa Grad rate: 66.3%	IA	-$102,090	$42,887	$21,627	$24,683	Full ROI →
20	University of Southern Maine Grad rate: 44.2%	ME	-$102,856	$42,724	$21,381	$23,565	Full ROI →
21	Ohio State University-Mansfield Campus Grad rate: 15.2%	OH	-$105,338	$42,654	$22,206	$21,922	Full ROI →
22	University of Florida Grad rate: 90.7%	FL	-$109,461	$42,187	$21,719	$19,500	Full ROI →
23	University of New Hampshire-Main Campus Grad rate: 77.1%	NH	-$111,018	$45,185	$34,567	$27,000	Full ROI →
24	Capital University Grad rate: 63.3%	OH	-$111,134	$49,083	$54,086	$27,000	Full ROI →
25	University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth Grad rate: 51.8%	MA	-$113,738	$44,471	$31,677	$27,000	Full ROI →
26	Framingham State University Grad rate: 52.0%	MA	-$116,840	$43,219	$26,539	$25,974	Full ROI →
27	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Grad rate: 84.6%	MN	-$122,527	$43,060	$29,013	$20,500	Full ROI →
28	Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Grad rate: 52.5%	IL	-$123,392	$43,304	$29,268	$24,000	Full ROI →
29	Eastern Washington University Grad rate: 48.4%	WA	-$125,476	$41,583	$22,772	$19,295	Full ROI →
30	University of California-Irvine Grad rate: 86.3%	CA	-$125,521	$44,019	$36,121	$15,865	Full ROI →
31	The University of Texas Permian Basin Grad rate: 41.3%	TX	-$127,688	$39,961	$21,727	N/A	Full ROI →
32	Central Connecticut State University Grad rate: 51.3%	CT	-$130,601	$41,912	$24,112	$23,995	Full ROI →
33	University of Nevada-Reno Grad rate: 62.1%	NV	-$131,373	$41,688	$24,702	$19,500	Full ROI →
34	West Virginia University Grad rate: 61.7%	WV	-$131,552	$40,158	$23,678	N/A	Full ROI →
35	Gonzaga University Grad rate: 87.5%	WA	-$131,821	$50,684	$69,290	$20,994	Full ROI →
36	Ohio State University-Main Campus Grad rate: 87.9%	OH	-$133,794	$42,654	$29,320	$21,922	Full ROI →
37	Howard Payne University Grad rate: 31.7%	TX	-$135,256	$44,153	$44,579	N/A	Full ROI →
38	University of St Thomas Grad rate: 77.3%	MN	-$144,646	$49,527	$64,684	$27,000	Full ROI →
39	University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Grad rate: 62.9%	WI	-$155,084	$39,733	$18,661	$26,000	Full ROI →
40	Saint Vincent College Grad rate: 74.0%	PA	-$158,338	$46,922	$55,082	$27,000	Full ROI →
41	Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus Grad rate: 52.2%	PA	-$159,050	$41,151	$26,405	$27,000	Full ROI →
42	University of South Florida Grad rate: 74.4%	FL	-$160,371	$39,812	$22,301	$20,302	Full ROI →
43	Indiana State University Grad rate: 42.5%	IN	-$165,289	$40,116	$23,475	$24,970	Full ROI →
44	California State University-San Marcos Grad rate: 55.3%	CA	-$170,169	$38,720	$21,144	$14,810	Full ROI →
45	Stockton University Grad rate: 73.7%	NJ	-$174,754	$41,274	$32,159	$23,406	Full ROI →
46	Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus Grad rate: 57.3%	NJ	-$180,994	$44,196	$47,791	$25,000	Full ROI →
47	Le Moyne College Grad rate: 71.8%	NY	-$182,242	$44,917	$51,033	$27,000	Full ROI →
48	Maryville University of Saint Louis Grad rate: 69.3%	MO	-$189,932	$41,522	$45,093	N/A	Full ROI →
49	University of Akron Main Campus Grad rate: 48.0%	OH	-$190,657	$38,880	$24,555	$22,250	Full ROI →
50	Stonehill College Grad rate: 79.9%	MA	-$192,418	$47,749	$68,412	$25,000	Full ROI →

How ROI is calculated

20-Year Net ROI = Gross Earnings (salary × 20) − Total Degree Cost − Debt Payoff (×1.35) − Baseline Opportunity Cost ($42,000 × 20). Data from the U.S. College Scorecard.

Find Best Criminology Degrees by State

Browse Criminology programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.