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2026 Best Value Criminology Schools in West Virginia

[Criminology](/majors/social-sciences/criminology/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.

For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for criminology students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Criminology Schools in West Virginia

2026 Best Value Criminology Schools in West Virginia

If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the criminology degrees they offer, see the list below.

Best Value Criminology Schools

1

West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV

$10,104 In-State Tuition & Fees

$23,772 Avg Student Debt

$55,939 Median Earnings (10yr)

For return on investment in criminology, no school beat West Virginia University this year. Set in the city of Morgantown, West Virginia University is a very large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $10,104, with out-of-state students paying around $28,608. Typical student debt for criminology graduates is $23,772. Early-career criminology graduates make about $51,750. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 89% of applicants are accepted.

2

Davis And Elkins College
Elkins, WV

$31,820 In-State Tuition & Fees

$26,250 Avg Student Debt

$43,411 Median Earnings (10yr)

Davis And Elkins College is a great value for students pursuing a degree in criminology, landing the #2 spot this year. Davis And Elkins College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Elkins. Students from in state pay about $31,820 in tuition and fees. Criminology graduates carry a median of $26,250 in student loans. Early-career criminology graduates make about $71,201. Set against $26,250 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 94%.

View All Criminology Rankings >

Notes and References

This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.