ADBLOCK #102
College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2026 Best Criminal Justice Schools in Iowa

1 Colleges in the United States
51 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$45,389 Avg Early-Career Salary

Criminal Justice programs are offered at a focused set of schools across the country. A focused field like this rewards careful comparison of the schools that offer it.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 4 schools to find the best for criminal justice students.

What’s on this page:

ADBLOCK #159
DEBUG: Raw major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Initial offers_url = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/protective-security-safety-services/criminal-justice-and-corrections/criminal-justice/offers.json", major_slug = ""
DEBUG: After cleaning major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Before URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/protective-security-safety-services/criminal-justice-and-corrections/criminal-justice/offers.json"
DEBUG: After TrimSuffix = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/protective-security-safety-services/criminal-justice-and-corrections/criminal-justice/offers.json"
DEBUG: After HTTPS placeholder = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/protective-security-safety-services/criminal-justice-and-corrections/criminal-justice/offers.json"
DEBUG: After slash cleaning = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/protective-security-safety-services/criminal-justice-and-corrections/criminal-justice/offers.json"
DEBUG: After URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/protective-security-safety-services/criminal-justice-and-corrections/criminal-justice/offers.json"
DEBUG: offers_url = https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/protective-security-safety-services/criminal-justice-and-corrections/criminal-justice/offers.json
DEBUG: major_slug = ""
DEBUG: offers_url is valid, proceeding to fetch data
DEBUG: offers_data.offers found, count = 6
DEBUG: Specific major detected (cip4 = 43.01), keeping min_relevance at 0.8
DEBUG: Starting relevance filtering - min_relevance = 0.8, max_relevance = 1
DEBUG: Checking offer "Criminal Justice (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Criminal Justice (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: Checking offer "BS in Criminal Justice - Criminology & Crime Analysis" with relevance 0.9
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "BS in Criminal Justice - Criminology & Crime Analysis" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.9)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Grad Cert - Law Enforcement (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Grad Cert - Law Enforcement (I Have a Bachelors)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Criminal Justice & Law Bachelors Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.7
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Criminal Justice & Law Bachelors Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" REJECTED (relevance 0.7)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Criminology (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Criminology (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Grad Cert - Criminology (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Grad Cert - Criminology (I Have a Bachelors)" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: relevant_offers count = 3
DEBUG: relevant_offers > 0, checking for ESYOH offers
DEBUG: ESYOH filtering - found 2 ESYOH offers with relevance >= 0.8
DEBUG: esyoh_offers count = 2
DEBUG: ESYOH offers found, rendering ESYOH widget
DEBUG: most_relevant_only = true, filtering for most relevant
DEBUG: Found 1 offers with relevance >= 1.0

Best Schools for Criminal Justice in Iowa

If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the criminal justice degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top Schools in Criminal Justice

1

Leading the list is University Of Northern Iowa, our #1 school for criminal justice. This large public university is located in the city of Cedar Falls. University Of Northern Iowa graduates 68% of students within six years. About 19 criminal justice degrees were awarded at University Of Northern Iowa in the most recent year. Students who receive their criminal justice degree from University Of Northern Iowa earn around $43,748 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $19,500 to complete this degree. Read more about the criminal justice program at University Of Northern Iowa

2

A rank of #2 makes Saint Ambrose University one of the top schools for criminal justice. Located in the city of Davenport, Saint Ambrose University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. Roughly 61% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 18 criminal justice degrees were awarded at Saint Ambrose University in the most recent year. Students who receive their criminal justice degree from Saint Ambrose University earn around $43,579 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $27,528 to complete this degree. More information about a degree in criminal justice from Saint Ambrose University

3
Mount Mercy University crest
Mount Mercy University
Cedar Rapids, IA

Mount Mercy University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in criminal justice, landing the #3 spot this year. Set in the city of Cedar Rapids, Mount Mercy University is a small private not-for-profit institution. About 58% of students finish within six years. There were roughly 14 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at Mount Mercy University in the most recent data year. Graduates of the criminal justice program make about $48,841 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $25,500. More information about a degree in criminal justice from Mount Mercy University

ADBLOCK #173
View All Criminal Justice Rankings >

ADBLOCK #115

Notes and References

The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and program focus, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 4 schools evaluated.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

ADBLOCK #116

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs
ADBLOCK #613

Compare Your School Options