by our College Data Analytics Team
[Criminal Justice And Corrections](/majors/protective-security-safety-services/criminal-justice-and-corrections/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. The highest-paying schools turn a criminal justice and corrections degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
College Factual analyzed 100 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the highest-paying criminal justice and corrections schools.
What’s on this page:
The right criminal justice and corrections school can pay off in your paycheck for years to come. That is why we developed our Highest Paid Criminal Justice And Corrections Graduates ranking. We rank each school on the early-career earnings of its criminal justice and corrections graduates to surface the highest-paying programs.
We offer a number of rankings, including this Highest Paid Criminal Justice And Corrections Graduates list, to help you decide. Want schools in a particular part of the country? Narrow the list by region or state.
Want to compare schools head to head? Try our College Combat tool to weigh the factors that matter most to you.
Learn more about our methodology
If you want to know which schools send criminal justice and corrections graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
Leading the list is University Of San Diego, our #1 for criminal justice and corrections graduate salaries in the United States. Set in the city of San Diego, University Of San Diego is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, criminal justice and corrections degree recipients from University Of San Diego typically earn about $143,943 annually.
A rank of #2 makes Santa Rosa Junior College one of the highest-paying schools for criminal justice and corrections. Set in the city of Santa Rosa, Santa Rosa Junior College is a public institution. Early-career criminal justice and corrections graduates from Santa Rosa Junior College make a median of around $90,954 per year.
Strong graduate earnings at Marian University Wisconsin earned it the #3 place for criminal justice and corrections. Marian University Wisconsin is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Fond Du Lac. Early-career criminal justice and corrections graduates from Marian University Wisconsin make a median of around $73,451 per year.
Strong graduate earnings at Mendocino College earned it the #4 place for criminal justice and corrections. Mendocino College is a public school located in the rural area of Ukiah. Criminal Justice And Corrections graduates of Mendocino College earn a median of about $71,345 a year early in their careers.
San Jose State University produces some of the highest-paid graduates in criminal justice and corrections, landing the #5 spot this year. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State University is a public institution. Students who complete the criminal justice and corrections program here go on to a median salary of roughly $71,738.
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Charter Oak State College earned the #6 position for criminal justice and corrections graduate earnings this year. Set in the suburb of New Britain, Charter Oak State College is a public institution. After graduating, criminal justice and corrections degree recipients from Charter Oak State College typically earn about $68,956 annually.
Macomb Community College ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying criminal justice and corrections schools. Set in the city of Warren, Macomb Community College is a public institution. Early-career criminal justice and corrections graduates from Macomb Community College make a median of around $70,778 per year.
Siena Heights University earned the #8 position for criminal justice and corrections graduate earnings this year. Set in the town of Adrian, Siena Heights University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the criminal justice and corrections program here go on to a median salary of roughly $70,828.
Normandale Community College earned the #9 position for criminal justice and corrections graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Bloomington, Normandale Community College is a public institution. Criminal Justice And Corrections graduates of Normandale Community College earn a median of about $67,481 a year early in their careers.
Chabot College came in at #10 for criminal justice and corrections graduate earnings this year. Located in the suburb of Hayward, Chabot College is a public institution. After graduating, criminal justice and corrections degree recipients from Chabot College typically earn about $65,901 annually.
Moreno Valley College placed #11 among the highest-paying schools for criminal justice and corrections. Located in the suburb of Moreno Valley, Moreno Valley College is a public institution. Criminal Justice And Corrections graduates of Moreno Valley College earn a median of about $81,339 a year early in their careers.
College Of San Mateo ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying criminal justice and corrections schools. College Of San Mateo is a public school located in the city of San Mateo. Students who complete the criminal justice and corrections program here go on to a median salary of roughly $60,987.
Prince Georges Community College came in at #13 for criminal justice and corrections graduate earnings this year. Located in the suburb of Largo, Prince Georges Community College is a public institution. Criminal Justice And Corrections graduates of Prince Georges Community College earn a median of about $60,798 a year early in their careers.
College Of Southern Maryland placed #14 among the highest-paying schools for criminal justice and corrections. Located in the rural area of La Plata, College Of Southern Maryland is a public institution. After graduating, criminal justice and corrections degree recipients from College Of Southern Maryland typically earn about $60,563 annually.
Herzing University Atlanta ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying criminal justice and corrections schools. Located in the city of Atlanta, Herzing University Atlanta is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the criminal justice and corrections program here go on to a median salary of roughly $63,953.
Herzing University Birmingham ranked #16 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying criminal justice and corrections schools. Located in the suburb of Birmingham, Herzing University Birmingham is a private not-for-profit institution. Criminal Justice And Corrections graduates of Herzing University Birmingham earn a median of about $63,953 a year early in their careers.
Herzing University Minneapolis ranked #17 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying criminal justice and corrections schools. Set in the city of St. Louis Park, Herzing University Minneapolis is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the criminal justice and corrections program here go on to a median salary of roughly $63,953.
University Of Chicago earned the #18 position for criminal justice and corrections graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Chicago, University Of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. Criminal Justice And Corrections graduates of University Of Chicago earn a median of about $101,305 a year early in their careers.
Herzing University Madison came in at #19 for criminal justice and corrections graduate earnings this year. Herzing University Madison is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Madison. Early-career criminal justice and corrections graduates from Herzing University Madison make a median of around $63,494 per year.
Anna Maria College came in at #20 for criminal justice and corrections graduate earnings this year. Anna Maria College is a private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Paxton. Early-career criminal justice and corrections graduates from Anna Maria College make a median of around $65,669 per year.
Rio Hondo College landed the #21 spot for criminal justice and corrections salaries this year. Set in the rural area of Whittier, Rio Hondo College is a public institution. Students who complete the criminal justice and corrections program here go on to a median salary of roughly $60,123.
Immaculata University came in at #22 for criminal justice and corrections graduate earnings this year. Located in the suburb of Immaculata, Immaculata University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career criminal justice and corrections graduates from Immaculata University make a median of around $65,590 per year.
Lake Erie College came in at #23 for criminal justice and corrections graduate earnings this year. Lake Erie College is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Painesville. Students who complete the criminal justice and corrections program here go on to a median salary of roughly $65,364.
Oakland Community College ranked #24 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying criminal justice and corrections schools. Oakland Community College is a public school located in the suburb of Auburn Hills. Criminal Justice And Corrections graduates of Oakland Community College earn a median of about $77,811 a year early in their careers.
Saint Marys University Of Minnesota earned the #25 position for criminal justice and corrections graduate earnings this year. Located in the town of Winona, Saint Marys University Of Minnesota is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, criminal justice and corrections degree recipients from Saint Marys University Of Minnesota typically earn about $61,677 annually.
These schools rounded out the top of this year’s highest-paid criminal justice and corrections ranking:
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These institutions also earned high marks for criminal justice and corrections graduate pay:
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries criminal justice and corrections graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 100 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.