CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
#1 Best Colleges for Criminal Justice- Graduation Rate
- 56% C
- About half of students who start complete their degree
- Earnings (10yr)
- $56,195 B+
- Well above the typical college graduate
- Net Price
- $3,203 A+
- 81% less than the typical college
- Acceptance Rate
- 57% B
- Selective, but achievable with strong credentials
Bottom line: A B+ overall grade — strong outcomes across the board. 99.6× return on investment — every $1 spent returns $99.6 over 20 years. Ranked #1 in Best Colleges for Criminal Justice.
Every $1 spent returns $99.6 over 20 years — debt pays back in ~under a year. Net gain: $1,263,698.
What The Data Says
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A B+ overall — outcomes above the typical U.S. college.
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Earnings 38% above the national college median.
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Social mobility rate of 9.69% — an engine of upward economic mobility.
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Every $1 invested returns $99.6 over 20 years — an exceptional return.
Why CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice Matters
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice is a public university in New York, NY and its outcomes are not an accident. They are driven by a well-connected, high-opportunity alumni network and a strong record of moving students up the income ladder. The result: graduate earnings well above the typical college.
Interpretation generated from this school's federal outcomes, research, and mobility data.
Institutional Profile
- Institution Type
- Public University
- Carnegie Class
- Master's University
- Enrollment
- 11,590
- Setting
- Urban
- Designations
- HSI
- Primary Strengths
- Criminal Justice, Psychology, Social Sciences, Computer Science & IT
Why students choose CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
CollegeRanker Report Card
Graded on outcomes, against every U.S. college.
Each grade is this school's national percentile on a real outcome — earnings, value, mobility, and more.
How we grade →Admissions
Competitive — admits about 57% of applicants, with a middle-50% SAT of 930–1220. Run your numbers in the admissions predictor below.
Check your odds →Net price + aid
Students pay about $3,203 a year after grants and scholarships — 81% below the typical U.S. college. See net price by family income below.
See cost & aid →Earnings + debt
Graduates earn a median of $56,195 ten years after enrolling — 38% above the typical college, against $11,000 in median debt.
See outcomes →Mobility + social capital
Moves 9.7% of its students from the bottom income fifth to the top — top 1% nationally for mobility. High social capital (1.55 economic connectedness).
See mobility →Overview
With nearly 11,600 students, CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice serves those interested in fields like Criminal Justice, Psychology, Social Sciences, Computer Science & IT, and Legal Studies. This school stands out for its focus on public service and justice-related studies, which attract students who are passionate about making a difference in their communities. Given a 57% acceptance rate, it’s accessible to a wide range of applicants, making it a good fit for those looking to enter a supportive academic environment.
After graduation, students can expect to earn around $56,195 within ten years. This figure highlights the potential for upward mobility, especially for those who take advantage of the college’s strong emphasis on practical skills and community engagement. The affordability of CUNY John Jay also cannot be overstated; with a net price of just $3,203, many students find it easier to manage their finances and focus on their careers rather than being burdened by debt.
Speaking of debt, the median debt for graduates sits at $11,000, an amount that is relatively manageable compared to many other institutions. With a high Pell Grant rate of 60%, the school serves many students from lower-income backgrounds, contributing to a diverse and inclusive campus community. Those who thrive here are often driven, dedicated to social justice, and eager to engage with New York City's vibrant landscape.
Rankings
- #1 Best Colleges for Criminal Justice
- #1 Best Bachelor's in Criminal Justice
- #1 Best Master's in Criminal Justice
- #1 Most Affordable Colleges for Criminal Justice
- #1 Best ROI Colleges for Criminal Justice
- #1 Best Social Mobility Colleges for Criminal Justice
- #1 Best Criminal Justice Colleges in New York
- #2 Most Affordable Colleges for Social Work
Can I Get In?
How selective CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice is — and how your numbers stack up.
Tool
Will I Be Accepted?
Enter your credentials to see your chances at this school.
Academics & Admissions
Is It Hard to Get Into CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice? Acceptance Rate & Requirements
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice, located in New York, New York, offers a realistic path to admission, with roughly 57% of applicants receiving an offer. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,080. The graduation rate is roughly 56%.
- Acceptance Rate
- 57%
- Retention Rate
- 82%
- SAT Average
- 1080
- SAT Range
- 930–1220
- Full-Time Faculty
- 36%
- Faculty Salary (mo)
- $12,169
- Student–Faculty Ratio
- 16:1
- Diversity Index
- 0.67
- First-Gen Students
- 48%
- Applicants
- 18,807
- Admitted
- 9,527
Can I Afford It?
What you'll actually pay after grants and aid — not the sticker price.
Cost & Financial Aid
How Much Does It Cost to Attend CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice? Tuition, Net Price & Aid
Published tuition at CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice is $15,420, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $3,203. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $1,073 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $11,000 in federal student loans.
- In-State Tuition
- $7,470
- Out-of-State
- $15,420
- Avg Net Price
- $3,203
- Median Debt
- $11,000
- Pell Grant Rate
- 60%
- Federal Loan Rate
- 8%
What Families Actually Pay
- Family Income $0–$30K
- $1,073
- Family Income $30K–$48K
- $2,506
- Family Income $48K–$75K
- $6,760
- Family Income $110K+
- $13,292
What Happens After?
Earnings, debt, and where graduates actually land.
Students Like You
Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.
Graduate Outcomes
Is CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI
Ten years out, alumni of CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice earn a median of $56,195, roughly in line with the national average for college graduates.
- 6 Years After Entry
- $50,293
- 8 Years
- $56,676
- 10 Years
- $56,195
- Debt-to-Earnings
- 0.2x
- Earning > $25K
- 59%
Earnings Trajectory
Graduation by Timeframe
- 100% (570)
- 33%
- 100% (570)
- 33%
- 100% (570)
- 33%
- 100% (570)
- 33%
How CUNY Compares
Dot right of center = above national average.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after aid, by income bracket.
The Mobility Equation
Mobility = Access x Success. How many low-income students get in, and how many reach the top 20%?
College ROI Calculator
Is CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice Worth It?
A data-driven look at the return on your educational investment — using real federal data.
Yes — for most students, CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice delivers a positive return. Over four years, the typical net price is $3,203/year ($12,812 total). Graduates earn $56,195 at ten years, and over a 20-year career we project $1,276,510 in total earnings — a net gain of $1,263,698 (99.6× your investment). The median debt is $11,000, which takes less than a year to pay back at typical earnings. With a 56% graduation rate, the path to that return is well-tested. This is a exceptional ROI compared to national averages.
- Total Cost (4yr)
- $12,812
- Projected 20yr Earnings
- $1,276,510
- Net Return
- $1,263,698
- ROI Multiple
- 99.6×
- Cost Per Year
- $3,203
- Median Debt
- $11,000
- Debt Payback
- Less than 1 yr
- Graduation Rate
- 56%
Does It Change Lives?
Mobility, social capital, and innovation — does it move people up?
Social Mobility
Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records
Does CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 9.69%, among the highest in the country. Access is a real strength here. Roughly 27.2% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile, a high share that gives low-income students a real foothold. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 35.7% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $41,800, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.
- Mobility Rate
- 9.69%
- Bottom 20% → Top 20%
- Success Rate
- 35.7%
- If bottom 20% get in
- From Bottom 20%
- 27.2%
- Share of students
- Parent Median Income
- $56,792
- today's $ (2015 cohort data)
Institutional Finances
Data: NCES IPEDS
- Federal Grants
- $7,283,722
- Investment Income
- $26,070
Top Programs
The fields CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.
- Criminal Justice 46%
- Psychology 17% $40,898 early-career
- Social Sciences 15%
- Computer Science & IT 7%
- Legal Studies 4%
- English & Literature 1%
- Biology & Biomedical 1%
- Humanities 1%
Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.
Top Careers
Where these majors tend to lead — common career paths for CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice's most popular programs, ranked by median pay with our proprietary scorecard insights.
- C+IT Manager$169,510 · 15% growthAdaptable 52
- C+Cloud Architect$142,000 · 15% growthAdaptable 52
- B-Site Reliability Engineer$140,000 · 20% growthAdaptable 52
- CSolutions Architect$138,000 · 12% growthAdaptable 52
- CPharmacist$136,030 · 3% growthResilient 82
- B-Software Developer$132,270 · 25% growthVulnerable 40
- B-Optometrist$131,860 · 9% growthResilient 96
- B+Physician Assistant$130,020 · 28% growthResilient 96
Frequently Asked Questions
Is It Hard to Get Into CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice? Acceptance Rate & Requirements
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice, located in New York, New York, offers a realistic path to admission, with roughly 57% of applicants receiving an offer. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,080. The graduation rate is roughly 56%.
How Much Does It Cost to Attend CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice? Tuition, Net Price & Aid
Published tuition at CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice is $15,420, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $3,203. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $1,073 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $11,000 in federal student loans.
Is CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI
Ten years out, alumni of CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice earn a median of $56,195, roughly in line with the national average for college graduates.
Does CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 9.69%, among the highest in the country. Access is a real strength here. Roughly 27.2% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile, a high share that gives low-income students a real foothold. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 35.7% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $41,800, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.
How Connected Is CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks
Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Its economic connectedness score is 1.55, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (-0.02), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 4% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.
Similar Schools
Schools with similar outcomes, selectivity, and student profiles to CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
- CUNY Lehman CollegeBronx, NY · Close peer50% grad $58,013 earn 57% acceptWhy: similar earnings · similar selectivity · similar grad rate
- CUNY Brooklyn CollegeBrooklyn, NY · Close peer55% grad $60,752 earn 58% acceptWhy: similar earnings · similar selectivity · similar grad rate
- CUNY City CollegeNew York, NY · Close peer56% grad $66,039 earn 60% acceptWhy: similar selectivity · similar grad rate · similar size
- CUNY Hunter CollegeNew York, NY · Close peer59% grad $63,163 earn 54% acceptWhy: similar selectivity · similar grad rate · similar size
- CUNY Queens CollegeQueens, NY · Close peer56% grad $62,763 earn 64% acceptWhy: similar selectivity · similar grad rate · similar size
- Indiana University-IndianapolisIndianapolis, IN · Close peer54% grad $55,198 earn 76% acceptWhy: similar earnings · similar grad rate · similar size
Social Capital
Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas
How Connected Is CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks
Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Its economic connectedness score is 1.55, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (-0.02), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 4% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.
Research Note