Federal data
Highest earning associate's criminal justice programs in the United States
U.S. criminal justice programs, ranked by median earnings one year after completion, from the College Scorecard field-of-study file (September 18, 2026). Only programs with at least 30 counted graduates in the earnings sample are shown, and at least 5 programs must qualify for this list to exist.
| Rank | School | City | Sector | Median earnings, 1 year after | Graduates counted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbia Southern University | Orange Beach | For-profit, 4-year | $58,241 | 86 |
| 2 | Century College | White Bear Lake | Public, 2-year | $54,174 | 42 |
| 3 | North Hennepin Community College | Brooklyn Park | Public, 2-year | $53,797 | 36 |
| 4 | Southwest Wisconsin Technical College | Fennimore | Public, 2-year | $51,806 | 31 |
| 5 | Purdue University Global | West Lafayette | Public, 4-year | $50,881 | 120 |
| 6 | Rochester Community and Technical College | Rochester | Public, 2-year | $50,418 | 32 |
| 7 | Hawkeye Community College | Waterloo | Public, 2-year | $49,572 | 33 |
| 8 | Schoolcraft Community College District | Livonia | Public, 4-year | $49,224 | 44 |
| 9 | Ferris State University | Big Rapids | Public, 4-year | $48,203 | 41 |
| 10 | Bunker Hill Community College | Boston | Public, 2-year | $47,573 | 34 |
| 11 | Rasmussen University | Ocala | For-profit, 4-year | $47,447 | 83 |
| 12 | American Public University System | Charles Town | For-profit, 4-year | $46,978 | 34 |
| 13 | Alexandria Technical & Community College | Alexandria | Public, 2-year | $46,511 | 111 |
| 14 | Baker College | Owosso | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $44,354 | 45 |
| 15 | Salt Lake Community College | Salt Lake City | Public, 2-year | $44,042 | 49 |
| 16 | Liberty University | Lynchburg | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $43,287 | 40 |
| 17 | Southern New Hampshire University | Manchester | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $42,957 | 175 |
| 18 | Des Moines Area Community College | Ankeny | Public, 2-year | $42,555 | 40 |
| 19 | Pima Community College | Tucson | Public, 2-year | $42,096 | 48 |
| 20 | Waukesha County Technical College | Pewaukee | Public, 2-year | $41,591 | 49 |
Earnings cover federally aided graduates only, as published by College Scorecard.
How to read this. A smaller program can show a high or low figure from just a few graduates, and this earnings figure only ever covers students who received federal aid, so it does not describe every graduate.