Rankings / Online
Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Virginia
- 20
- Schools
- $52,012
- Avg. Earnings
- 50%
- Avg. Graduation
- $18,157
- Avg. Net Price
- $20,025
- Avg. Debt
CollegeRanker Research
What Surprised Us Most
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Median graduate earnings across these 20 schools run from $33,323 to $86,863, a 2.6× gap. The category label alone says little about payoff.
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Patrick & Henry Community College delivers the most for the money: roughly $33,323 in median earnings against $4,102 a year in net price, the strongest earnings-to-cost ratio on the list.
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Patrick & Henry Community College is the lowest-cost school here at $4,102 a year in net price.
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University of Virginia-Main Campus graduates 95% of its students, versus a 50% average across the list. Completion, more than selectivity, signals whether a degree actually gets finished.
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University of Virginia-Main Campus carries the healthiest debt load, with graduates owing just 0.20× their annual earnings.
Surprising Comparisons
- #1 Liberty University ($44,813 earnings) outranks the list's highest earner, University of Virginia-Main Campus ($86,863), because it does more on mobility and cost.
- Patrick & Henry Community College costs $4,102 a year and Shenandoah University costs $30,298. Yet their graduates earn $33,323 and $58,433, nowhere near the $26,196 price gap.
- On value, Patrick & Henry Community College beats University of Virginia-Main Campus: comparable career payoff at a fraction of the net price.
The Takeaway
A consistent pattern: the schools that finish at the top get there by delivering strong earnings, manageable debt, and real mobility rather than by charging more or rejecting more applicants. Those outcomes are what define educational value.
What This Means for Students
For students evaluating these schools, begin with Patrick & Henry Community College and University of Virginia-Main Campus. Look past sticker price: pull each school's net price for your income level, compare it against projected earnings, and let the data guide the decision instead of the brand.
Why this ranking matters
These schools are ranked on outcomes that compound: graduate earnings, upward mobility, debt, and value, all drawn from federal tax records and Scorecard data rather than reputation surveys. The list rewards results over prestige, led by institutions whose graduates earn a median of about $52K ten years after enrollment.
How we measure this — full methodology →How we rank · 4 pillars
Federal-source data only. Build your own weighting →
Data Behind This Page Updated 2026-07-20
Source datasets
Methodology
Schools are scored on the CollegeRanker 4-Pillar Algorithm: Economic Outcomes (30%), Social Mobility (25–35%), Academic Quality (15–20%), and Value (20–25%). Every weight is published and every figure traces to a public dataset.
See the full methodology and weights →Confidence notes
- Earnings, completion, and debt figures come from federal administrative records — tax data and student-aid filings — not surveys or self-reports, the highest-confidence tier of education data available.
- Social-mobility estimates are drawn from de-identified tax records covering more than 30 million students (Opportunity Insights).
- Where an institution is missing a metric, it is excluded from that metric rather than imputed, so averages are never inflated by guesses.
Limitations
- Federal earnings data primarily cover students who received federal financial aid; outcomes for non-aided students may differ.
- Earnings are measured roughly ten years after enrollment, so they describe how earlier cohorts fared — historical outcomes, not guarantees of future results.
- An institution's field-of-study mix affects raw earnings; scores reflect measured outcomes and are not fully major-adjusted unless explicitly noted.
- Net price is an average; the actual cost a given student pays varies widely by family income.
At a Glance
How the Top Schools Compare
| School | Earnings | Net Price | Graduation | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Liberty University #1 overall | $44,813 ▼ -14% vs avg | $29,357 | 64% | 100 |
| 2 Regent University #2 overall | $44,498 ▼ -14% vs avg | $19,923 | 56% | 100 |
| 3 Averett University #3 overall | $51,516 ▼ -1% vs avg | $22,925 | 46% | 100 |
| $48,896 ▼ -6% vs avg | $25,573 | 22% | 100 | |
| $52,347 ▲ +1% vs avg | $19,066 | 61% | 100 |
Score uses our 4-pillar methodology. Earnings % is vs. this list's average.
See full ranking →Executive Summary
Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Virginia
This analysis ranks 20 institutions on graduate earnings, social mobility, completion, and cost. Across the list, alumni earn a median of $52,012 ten years after enrolling, against an average graduation rate of 50% and an average net price of $18,157.
Key takeaways
- Strongest Earnings-to-Cost Ratio: Patrick & Henry Community College — Net Price: $4,102 | Graduation Rate: 43%
- Strongest Completion Outcomes: University of Virginia-Main Campus — 95% completion rate
- Highest Earnings Generator: University of Virginia-Main Campus — Median alumni earnings: $86,863
CollegeRanker Primary Research
The most expensive quartile of colleges costs 373% more than the most affordable — but their graduates earn just 34% more.
Legal Profession Analysis
What does this ranking tell us about the legal profession and the justice system?
$50,795
Median earnings (10yr)
48%
Median graduation rate
$19,800
Median net price
1.6%
Avg. mobility rate
Law and criminal-justice programs feed careers where outcomes hinge on two numbers most rankings ignore: bar passage and employment in the field. Salaries are famously bimodal, with a cluster at large firms and a long tail in public-interest and government roles. Debt loads can be heavy, so program quality carries unusual stakes.
Start with the medians across these 20 schools. Graduates earn a median of $50,795 ten years after enrollment, or about $2,795 above the $48,000 a typical American worker earns. The median graduation rate is 48%, and the typical net price (what students pay after grants) runs $19,800 a year with about $24,000 in federal debt. Pell grants reach 33% of students on average, and the average mobility rate, the share of students lifted from the bottom income quintile to the top, is 1.6%.
What we’re seeing: the gap between programs with strong bar-passage and placement records and the rest is wide, and debt makes that gap consequential. Median earnings of $50,795 against $24,000 in typical debt show why fit and outcomes matter more here than prestige alone.
The podium
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Full rankings
Why it ranks #1
Liberty University lands at #1 with a 100/100 composite, led by academic quality (61/100) and pulled down by value per dollar (36/100). Graduates earn a median $44,813 a decade after enrolling, 14% below this list's average, and net price runs $29,357 a year, above the field. Academics score well here, yet mobility (35%) and value (20%) carry the most weight, so outcome-per-dollar sets the final position.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #2
Regent University lands at #2 with a 100/100 composite, led by academic quality (71/100) and pulled down by value per dollar (48/100). Graduates earn a median $44,498 a decade after enrolling, 14% below this list's average, and net price runs $19,923 a year, above the field. Academics score well here, yet mobility (35%) and value (20%) carry the most weight, so outcome-per-dollar sets the final position.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #3
Averett University lands at #3 with a 100/100 composite, led by social mobility (83/100) and pulled down by value per dollar (43/100). Graduates earn a median $51,516 a decade after enrolling, 1% below this list's average, and net price runs $22,925 a year, above the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that mobility is what puts it near the top, even with below-average salaries.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #4
Bluefield University lands at #4 with a 100/100 composite, led by economic outcomes (64/100) and pulled down by value per dollar (39/100). Graduates earn a median $48,896 a decade after enrolling, 6% below this list's average, and net price runs $25,573 a year, above the field. Strong earnings drive the rank, but with mobility weighted 35% and value 20%, salary alone can only take a school so far.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #5
Longwood University lands at #5 with a 100/100 composite, led by social mobility (82/100) and pulled down by value per dollar (58/100). Graduates earn a median $52,347 a decade after enrolling, 1% above this list's average, and net price runs $19,066 a year. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that mobility is what puts it near the top.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #6
Germanna Community College lands at #6 with a 100/100 composite, led by value per dollar (88/100) and pulled down by academic quality (53/100). Graduates earn a median $39,644 a decade after enrolling, 24% below this list's average, and net price runs $5,541 a year, well under the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that low cost is what puts it near the top, even with below-average salaries.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #7
Tidewater Community College lands at #7 with a 100/100 composite, led by value per dollar (78/100) and pulled down by academic quality (49/100). Graduates earn a median $38,349 a decade after enrolling, 26% below this list's average, and net price runs $11,762 a year, well under the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that low cost is what puts it near the top, even with below-average salaries.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #8
Northern Virginia Community College lands at #8 with a 100/100 composite, led by value per dollar (81/100) and pulled down by academic quality (55/100). Graduates earn a median $53,557 a decade after enrolling, 3% above this list's average, and net price runs $9,919 a year, well under the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that low cost is what puts it near the top.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #9
Radford University lands at #9 with a 100/100 composite, led by social mobility (83/100) and pulled down by value per dollar (62/100). Graduates earn a median $53,739 a decade after enrolling, 3% above this list's average, and net price runs $14,578 a year, well under the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that mobility is what puts it near the top.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #10
Virginia Peninsula Community College lands at #10 with a 100/100 composite, led by value per dollar (86/100) and pulled down by academic quality (47/100). Graduates earn a median $37,996 a decade after enrolling, 27% below this list's average, and net price runs $7,012 a year, well under the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that low cost is what puts it near the top, even with below-average salaries.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #11
Marymount University lands at #11 with a 100/100 composite, led by social mobility (82/100) and pulled down by value per dollar (42/100). Graduates earn a median $67,516 a decade after enrolling, 30% above this list's average, and net price runs $29,137 a year, above the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that mobility is what carries it up the list.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #12
Piedmont Virginia Community College lands at #12 with a 100/100 composite, led by value per dollar (87/100) and pulled down by academic quality (52/100). Graduates earn a median $40,752 a decade after enrolling, 22% below this list's average, and net price runs $5,963 a year, well under the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that low cost is what carries it up the list, even with below-average salaries.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #13
George Mason University lands at #13 with a 100/100 composite, led by social mobility (83/100) and pulled down by academic quality (60/100). Graduates earn a median $76,343 a decade after enrolling, 47% above this list's average, and net price runs $17,915 a year. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that mobility is what carries it up the list.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #14
Patrick & Henry Community College lands at #14 with a 100/100 composite, led by value per dollar (93/100) and pulled down by economic outcomes (24/100). Graduates earn a median $33,323 a decade after enrolling, 36% below this list's average, and net price runs $4,102 a year, well under the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that low cost is what carries it up the list, even with below-average salaries.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #15
Hampton University lands at #15 with a 100/100 composite, led by social mobility (83/100) and pulled down by value per dollar (37/100). Graduates earn a median $59,159 a decade after enrolling, 14% above this list's average, and net price runs $25,319 a year, above the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that mobility is what carries it up the list.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #16
Virginia Wesleyan University lands at #16 with a 100/100 composite, led by social mobility (81/100) and pulled down by value per dollar (55/100). Graduates earn a median $50,074 a decade after enrolling, 4% below this list's average, and net price runs $19,676 a year. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that mobility is what carries it up the list, even with below-average salaries.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #17
Shenandoah University lands at #17 with a 100/100 composite, led by social mobility (81/100) and pulled down by value per dollar (40/100). Graduates earn a median $58,433 a decade after enrolling, 12% above this list's average, and net price runs $30,298 a year, above the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that mobility is what carries it up the list.
Pillar breakdown
Charlottesville, VA · 17% accepted · $21,565 net
Why it ranks #18
University of Virginia-Main Campus lands at #18 with a 100/100 composite, led by academic quality (95/100) and pulled down by social mobility (59/100). Graduates earn a median $86,863 a decade after enrolling, 67% above this list's average, and net price runs $21,565 a year, above the field. Academics score well here, yet mobility (35%) and value (20%) carry the most weight, so outcome-per-dollar sets the final position.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #19
Ferrum College lands at #19 with a 98/100 composite, led by social mobility (84/100) and pulled down by value per dollar (44/100). Graduates earn a median $44,296 a decade after enrolling, 15% below this list's average, and net price runs $20,082 a year, above the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that mobility is what carries it up the list, even with below-average salaries.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #20
Virginia Commonwealth University lands at #20 with a 85/100 composite, led by social mobility (82/100) and pulled down by value per dollar (54/100). Graduates earn a median $58,128 a decade after enrolling, 12% above this list's average, and net price runs $23,433 a year, above the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that mobility is what carries it up the list.
Pillar breakdown
Cut it by what you care about
The same 20 schools, re-ranked by the outcome that matters to you.
Where the programs are
This ranking scores 20 institutions on graduation rates, graduate earnings, debt burdens, and social mobility data from Opportunity Insights. Every data point comes from federal sources. No surveys, no opinions.
Social mobility carries the heaviest weight in our algorithm. We use Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card — built on 30 million anonymized tax records — to measure whether a college changes a family's economic trajectory across generations. Schools that take low-income students and launch them into higher earnings rank higher than schools that admit wealthy students and take credit for their success.
The transparency penalty matters here. Schools that don't report their data get scored lower than schools that do. If an institution won't show you its numbers, we think you should know that before you write them a tuition check.
The story behind the ranking
A ranking gives you an order; these charts give you the shape. They show how this group of schools spreads across the four things that decide whether a degree pays off — what graduates earn, whether they finish, how far they move up, and what it costs. Look for the standouts, the outliers, and the trade-offs the list alone can't show.
Earnings Outcomes
What graduates earn 10 years after enrolling. Data from College Scorecard.
Distribution of Median Earnings
Earnings vs. Net Price
Top-left = best value. Top-ranked schools are highlighted.
Completion & Access
Graduation rates and who gets in. Data from College Scorecard & IPEDS.
Graduation Rates
Pell Grant Rate vs. Graduation Rate
Right = more low-income students. Higher = more graduate.
What the Mobility Data Says
The backbone of this ranking is social-mobility data from Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card, which draws on more than 30 million tax records. A school's mobility rate is the share of its students who move from the bottom income quintile to the top. Among the 15 schools on this list with available data, that rate averages 1.6%. Marymount University leads the group at 3.4%, with George Mason University (3.1%) and Northern Virginia Community College (2.5%) close behind.
Who gets in matters as much as what happens after. Across these schools, an average of 8.8% of students start in the bottom income quintile. Patrick & Henry Community College leads at 19.2%, which signals an admissions door that is actually open to low-income students. Schools that pair high access with high mobility are the ones driving generational change.
Once low-income students enroll, their odds of reaching the top income quintile average 20.6% across this list. George Mason University posts the highest success rate at 50.3%. Access without completion and career momentum is an incomplete picture, and this is the number that completes it.
Social capital, measured by economic connectedness, captures the degree of cross-class friendship on campus, another dimension Opportunity Insights ties to long-run outcomes. Across these schools it averages 1.48 against a national benchmark of 1.0. George Mason University reaches 1.75, the highest on the list.
Mobility, access, and social-capital figures from Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card & the Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas.
Cost & Debt
What families actually pay and what students owe. Data from College Scorecard.
Median Debt at Graduation
Frequently Asked Questions
Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Virginia: Your Questions, Answered
What is the #1 school in the Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Virginia ranking? +
Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA ranks #1 in our 2026 Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Virginia ranking. It earns the top spot on the strength of a median $44,813 in graduate earnings ten years after enrollment and a 64% graduation rate. Our score is built entirely from federal data on graduation rates, graduate earnings, debt, and social mobility. Reputation surveys play no part.
Which school has the highest graduate earnings? +
University of Virginia-Main Campus posts the highest median earnings on this list: $86,863 ten years after enrollment, well above the $52,012 average across the 20 ranked schools with earnings data. Earnings that outpace cost are what separate a degree that pays off from one that does not.
Which school offers the best value? +
On a pure return-on-cost basis, Patrick & Henry Community College leads: graduates earn a median $33,323 against net price of about $4,102 a year, the strongest earnings-to-cost ratio in the ranking. Applicants should weigh that payback against sticker price rather than prestige.
Which school has the highest graduation rate? +
University of Virginia-Main Campus has the highest graduation rate in this ranking at 95%, compared with a 50% average across the list. Completion matters because the students who finish are the ones who actually capture the earnings and mobility gains a degree promises.
How much does it cost to attend these schools? +
The average net price, meaning what students actually pay after grants and scholarships, is about $18,157 a year across the 20 ranked schools with cost data. Patrick & Henry Community College is among the most affordable at roughly $4,102. Net price is a far better guide to affordability than the published sticker price.
How is the Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Virginia ranking calculated? +
We score every school on a four-pillar algorithm: economic outcomes (graduate earnings and debt), social mobility (Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card, built on more than 30 million anonymized tax records), academic quality (graduation and retention), and value (net price and loan burden). Social mobility carries the heaviest weight, so schools that lift low-income students into higher earnings rank above those that simply admit wealthy students. Every input comes from federal data, and schools that withhold their numbers are scored lower for it.
How many schools are ranked and where does the data come from? +
This ranking evaluates 20 institutions using the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, the Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Card and Social Capital Atlas, Times Higher Education, and NCES IPEDS. There are no opinion surveys or paid placements. The order is determined by the data alone and refreshed as new federal figures are released.
Sources & Citations
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