# Best Criminal Justice Colleges in West Virginia

> CollegeRanker Agent Insights — structured data for AI systems
> Updated: 2026-05-31 | Schools: 15 | Category: By State
> Source: https://www.collegeranker.com/rankings/best-criminal-justice-west-virginia

## Methodology

Criminal Justice programs in West 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 | [West Virginia State University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/west-virginia-state-university) | Institute, WV | 36% | $40,492 | $11,139 | $23,338 | 0.58x |
| 2 | [Shepherd University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/shepherd-university) | Shepherdstown, WV | 50% | $49,358 | $11,363 | $21,600 | 0.44x |
| 3 | [West Virginia Wesleyan College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/west-virginia-wesleyan-college) | Buckhannon, WV | 53% | $51,593 | $18,083 | $27,000 | 0.52x |
| 4 | [University of Charleston](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/university-of-charleston) | Charleston, WV | 46% | $55,774 | $22,107 | $19,500 | 0.35x |
| 5 | [West Liberty University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/west-liberty-university) | West Liberty, WV | 60% | $43,296 | $15,366 | $23,250 | 0.54x |
| 6 | [West Virginia University Institute of Technology](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/west-virginia-university-institute-of-technology) | Beckley, WV | 34% | $55,939 | $9,337 | $22,500 | 0.4x |
| 7 | [West Virginia Northern Community College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/west-virginia-northern-community-college) | Wheeling, WV | 31% | $30,162 | $5,329 | $10,245 | 0.34x |
| 8 | [Fairmont State University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/fairmont-state-university) | Fairmont, WV | 46% | $46,857 | $9,032 | $21,000 | 0.45x |
| 9 | [Glenville State University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/glenville-state-university) | Glenville, WV | 35% | $39,315 | $14,006 | $25,000 | 0.64x |
| 10 | [Bethany College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/bethany-college-wv) | Bethany, WV | 47% | $44,512 | $18,605 | $27,000 | 0.61x |
| 11 | [Wheeling University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/wheeling-university) | Wheeling, WV | 27% | $57,949 | $20,503 | $25,125 | 0.43x |
| 12 | [Blue Ridge Community and Technical College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/blue-ridge-community-and-technical-college) | Martinsburg, WV | 37% | $39,293 | $4,641 | $13,000 | 0.33x |
| 13 | [Bluefield State University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/bluefield-state-university) | Bluefield, WV | 36% | $38,217 | $13,684 | $18,250 | 0.48x |
| 14 | [Potomac State College of West Virginia University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/potomac-state-college-of-west-virginia-university) | Keyser, WV | 28% | $55,939 | $9,197 | $22,500 | 0.4x |
| 15 | [West Virginia University at Parkersburg](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/west-virginia-university-at-parkersburg) | Parkersburg, WV | 20% | $35,171 | $1,807 | $12,570 | 0.36x |

## 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 West Virginia." CollegeRanker.com, 2026-05-31. https://www.collegeranker.com/rankings/best-criminal-justice-west-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/.