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College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2026 Best Criminal Justice Studies Schools in Florida

15 Colleges in the United States
2,929 Criminal Justice Studies Degrees Awarded
$44,227 Avg Early-Career Salary

Criminal Justice Studies is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.

For its 2026 ranking, College Factual looked at 18 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for criminal justice studies students pursuing a degree.

What’s on this page:

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Best Schools for Criminal Justice Studies in Florida

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest overall criminal justice studies education in Florida.

Top Schools in Criminal Justice Studies

1
Florida State University crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL

Florida State University tops our 2026 ranking of the best criminal justice studies schools. Set in the city of Tallahassee, Florida State University is a very large public institution. Roughly 86% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 577 criminal justice studies students who graduated with this degree at Florida State University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, criminal justice studies degree recipients from Florida State University generally make around $46,245. Typical student debt for the program is $21,170. Get the full criminal justice studies details for Florida State University

2

Florida International University is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in criminal justice studies, ranking #2. Located in the suburb of Miami, Florida International University is a very large public university. Florida International University graduates 74% of students within six years. Florida International University awarded about 470 criminal justice studies degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the criminal justice studies program make about $42,215 in their early career. Florida International University graduates carry a median of $18,623 in student loans. See the full criminal justice studies program report for Florida International University

3

Students looking for a strong criminal justice studies program will find one at Florida Gulf Coast University, which ranked #3. Florida Gulf Coast University is a large public school located in the suburb of Fort Myers. The six-year graduation rate is 57%. There were roughly 122 criminal justice studies students who graduated with this degree at Florida Gulf Coast University in the most recent data year. Criminal Justice Studies graduates of Florida Gulf Coast University earn a median of $40,079 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $21,660 to complete this degree. Get the full criminal justice studies details for Florida Gulf Coast University

4

University Of North Florida is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in criminal justice studies, ranking #4. Located in the city of Jacksonville, University Of North Florida is a large public university. The six-year graduation rate is 65%. University Of North Florida awarded about 158 criminal justice studies degrees in the most recent data year. Criminal Justice Studies graduates of University Of North Florida earn a median of $44,450 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $19,375. See the full criminal justice studies program report for University Of North Florida

5

Florida Atlantic University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in criminal justice studies, landing the #5 spot this year. Located in the city of Boca Raton, Florida Atlantic University is a very large public university. About 63% of students finish within six years. About 241 criminal justice studies degrees were awarded at Florida Atlantic University in the most recent year. Students who receive their criminal justice studies degree from Florida Atlantic University earn around $41,963 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $18,750 to complete this degree. More information about a degree in criminal justice studies from Florida Atlantic University

6

Indian River State College came in at #6 for criminal justice studies this year. Located in the suburb of Fort Pierce, Indian River State College is a very large public university. About 68 criminal justice studies degrees were awarded at Indian River State College in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, criminal justice studies degree recipients from Indian River State College generally make around $51,825. Typical student debt for the program is $9,176. See the full criminal justice studies program report for Indian River State College

7

University Of Central Florida landed the #7 spot for criminal justice studies this year. This very large public university is located in the suburb of Orlando. University Of Central Florida graduates 78% of students within six years. There were roughly 530 criminal justice studies students who graduated with this degree at University Of Central Florida in the most recent data year. Students who receive their criminal justice studies degree from University Of Central Florida earn around $41,273 in the first couple years of their career. University Of Central Florida graduates carry a median of $21,731 in student loans. Read more about the criminal justice studies program at University Of Central Florida

8
Nova Southeastern University crest
Nova Southeastern University
Fort Lauderdale, FL

Nova Southeastern University ranked #8 on our 2026 list of the best criminal justice studies schools. Nova Southeastern University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Fort Lauderdale. The six-year graduation rate is 63%. Nova Southeastern University awarded about 67 criminal justice studies degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, criminal justice studies degree recipients from Nova Southeastern University generally make around $71,836. Nova Southeastern University graduates carry a median of $25,021 in student loans. Get the full criminal justice studies details for Nova Southeastern University

9
Polk State College crest
Polk State College
Winter Haven, FL

Polk State College landed the #9 spot for criminal justice studies this year. This large public university is located in the city of Winter Haven. There were roughly 32 criminal justice studies students who graduated with this degree at Polk State College in the most recent data year. Students who receive their criminal justice studies degree from Polk State College earn around $47,071 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $14,451 to complete this degree. More information about a degree in criminal justice studies from Polk State College

10

The University Of West Florida ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the best criminal justice studies schools. Located in the rural area of Pensacola, The University Of West Florida is a large public university. The University Of West Florida graduates 59% of students within six years. There were roughly 90 criminal justice studies students who graduated with this degree at The University Of West Florida in the most recent data year. Students who receive their criminal justice studies degree from The University Of West Florida earn around $36,369 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $21,776 to complete this degree. More information about a degree in criminal justice studies from The University Of West Florida

11
Saint Leo University crest
Saint Leo University
Saint Leo, FL

Saint Leo University earned the #11 position for criminal justice studies this year. Located in the town of Saint Leo, Saint Leo University is a large private not-for-profit university. About 44% of students finish within six years. About 377 criminal justice studies degrees were awarded at Saint Leo University in the most recent year. Graduates of the criminal justice studies program make about $46,596 in their early career. Saint Leo University graduates carry a median of $30,476 in student loans. Read more about the criminal justice studies program at Saint Leo University

12
Saint Thomas University crest
Saint Thomas University
Miami Gardens, FL

Saint Thomas University ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the best criminal justice studies schools. Located in the suburb of Miami Gardens, Saint Thomas University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. Saint Thomas University graduates 48% of students within six years. There were roughly 46 criminal justice studies students who graduated with this degree at Saint Thomas University in the most recent data year. Students who receive their criminal justice studies degree from Saint Thomas University earn around $34,192 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $25,000 to complete this degree. Read more about the criminal justice studies program at Saint Thomas University

13

Florida Agricultural And Mechanical University earned the #13 position for criminal justice studies this year. Florida Agricultural And Mechanical University is a large public school located in the city of Tallahassee. Roughly 53% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 104 criminal justice studies students who graduated with this degree at Florida Agricultural And Mechanical University in the most recent data year. Graduates of the criminal justice studies program make about $33,776 in their early career. Florida Agricultural And Mechanical University graduates carry a median of $28,500 in student loans. See the full criminal justice studies program report for Florida Agricultural And Mechanical University

14

Southeastern University earned the #14 position for criminal justice studies this year. Set in the city of Lakeland, Southeastern University is a large private not-for-profit institution. The six-year graduation rate is 44%. There were roughly 24 criminal justice studies students who graduated with this degree at Southeastern University in the most recent data year. Graduates of the criminal justice studies program make about $41,291 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $26,000 to complete this degree. Get the full criminal justice studies details for Southeastern University

15
Edward Waters College crest
Edward Waters College
Jacksonville, FL

Edward Waters College landed the #15 spot for criminal justice studies this year. Located in the city of Jacksonville, Edward Waters College is a small private not-for-profit university. Roughly 28% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 23 criminal justice studies degrees were awarded at Edward Waters College in the most recent year. Read more about the criminal justice studies program at Edward Waters College

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Notes and References

The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 18 schools evaluated.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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