# Best Criminal Justice Colleges in Virginia

> CollegeRanker Agent Insights — structured data for AI systems
> Updated: 2026-05-31 | Schools: 19 | Category: By State
> Source: https://www.collegeranker.com/rankings/best-criminal-justice-virginia

## Methodology

Criminal Justice programs in Virginia ranked by outcomes and program concentration

CollegeRanker uses a 4-pillar algorithm: Academic Quality (15-20%), Economic Outcomes (30%), Social Mobility (25-35%), Value & Affordability (20-25%). Social mobility data from Raj Chetty's Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Card (30M+ anonymized tax records). No subjective surveys.

## Rankings

| Rank | School | Location | Graduation | Earnings (10yr) | Net Price | Median Debt | Debt/Earnings |
|------|--------|----------|------------|-----------------|-----------|-------------|---------------|
| 1 | [George Mason University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/george-mason-university) | Fairfax, VA | 69% | $76,343 | $17,915 | $19,500 | 0.26x |
| 2 | [Radford University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/radford-university) | Radford, VA | 49% | $53,739 | $14,578 | $24,000 | 0.45x |
| 3 | [Virginia Commonwealth University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/virginia-commonwealth-university) | Richmond, VA | 64% | $58,128 | $23,433 | $21,500 | 0.37x |
| 4 | [University of Virginia-Main Campus](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/university-of-virginia-main-campus) | Charlottesville, VA | 95% | $86,863 | $21,565 | $17,500 | 0.2x |
| 5 | [Longwood University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/longwood-university) | Farmville, VA | 61% | $52,347 | $19,066 | $25,000 | 0.48x |
| 6 | [Virginia State University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/virginia-state-university) | Petersburg, VA | 40% | $45,543 | $15,840 | $26,500 | 0.58x |
| 7 | [Northern Virginia Community College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/northern-virginia-community-college) | Annandale, VA | 35% | $53,557 | $9,919 | $11,000 | 0.21x |
| 8 | [Averett University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/averett-university) | Danville, VA | 46% | $51,516 | $22,925 | $25,000 | 0.49x |
| 9 | [Virginia Wesleyan University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/virginia-wesleyan-university) | Virginia Beach, VA | 46% | $50,074 | $19,676 | $27,000 | 0.54x |
| 10 | [Ferrum College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/ferrum-college) | Ferrum, VA | 30% | $44,296 | $20,082 | $27,000 | 0.61x |
| 11 | [Roanoke College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/roanoke-college) | Salem, VA | 67% | $58,047 | $24,503 | $27,000 | 0.47x |
| 12 | [Bluefield University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/bluefield-university) | Bluefield, VA | 22% | $48,896 | $25,573 | $21,855 | 0.45x |
| 13 | [Hampton University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/hampton-university) | Hampton, VA | 56% | $59,159 | $25,319 | $25,442 | 0.43x |
| 14 | [Marymount University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/marymount-university) | Arlington, VA | 56% | $67,516 | $29,137 | $25,000 | 0.37x |
| 15 | [Tidewater Community College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/tidewater-community-college) | Norfolk, VA | 31% | $38,349 | $11,762 | $10,000 | 0.26x |
| 16 | [Shenandoah University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/shenandoah-university) | Winchester, VA | 69% | $58,433 | $30,298 | $25,000 | 0.43x |
| 17 | [Brightpoint Community College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/brightpoint-community-college) | Chester, VA | 39% | $41,223 | $5,490 | $9,500 | 0.23x |
| 18 | [Regent University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/regent-university) | Virginia Beach, VA | 56% | $44,498 | $19,923 | $24,534 | 0.55x |
| 19 | [Liberty University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/liberty-university) | Lynchburg, VA | 64% | $44,813 | $29,357 | $24,500 | 0.55x |

## Data Sources

- U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov)
- Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Card (https://opportunityinsights.org/data)
- Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas
- Times Higher Education World University Rankings
- NCES IPEDS

## Citation

CollegeRanker. "Best Criminal Justice Colleges in Virginia." CollegeRanker.com, 2026-05-31. https://www.collegeranker.com/rankings/best-criminal-justice-virginia

## License

This data summary is provided for informational purposes. Underlying data from federal sources (College Scorecard, IPEDS) is public domain. Opportunity Insights data is available under their data use agreement at https://opportunityinsights.org/data/.