28 Best colleges for Criminology and Criminal Justice in Pennsylvania

Updated: March 02, 2025

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Pennsylvania ranked based on their research performance in Criminology and Criminal Justice. A graph of 352K citations received by 13.4K academic papers made by 28 universities in Pennsylvania was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. Pennsylvania State University

University Park

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#7 in the United States

#8 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 54%
Average SAT: 1310
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 66%

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#8 in the United States

#9 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 6%
Average SAT: 1535
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $26,017

3. University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#29 in the United States

#32 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Average SAT: 1360
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 87%

4. Temple University

Philadelphia

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#30 in the United States

#33 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Receiving Aid: 94%
Average Aid: $11,891
Enrollment: 30,205

5. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#65 in the United States

#75 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 11%
Average SAT: 1535
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $32,964

6. California University of Pennsylvania

California

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#130 in the United States

#147 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Receiving Aid: 95%
Average Aid: $6,250
Enrollment: 6,885

7. Villanova University

Villanova

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#131 in the United States

#148 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 25%
Average SAT: 1455
Average ACT: 33
Net Price: $37,946

8. Drexel University

Philadelphia

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#139 in the United States

#157 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 78%
Average SAT: 1330
Average ACT: 30
Net Price: $42,342

9. Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

Kutztown

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#171 in the United States

#193 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 95%
Average SAT: 1170
Receiving Aid: 98%
Average Aid: $6,716

10. Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Indiana

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#191 in the United States

#215 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 91%
Average SAT: 1055
Average ACT: 21
Receiving Aid: 99%

11. Lehigh University

Bethlehem

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#259 in the United States

#290 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 29%
Average SAT: 1420
Average ACT: 32
Net Price: $33,289

12. Bryn Mawr College

Bryn Mawr

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#266 in the United States

#298 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 31%
Average SAT: 1385
Average ACT: 32
Net Price: $39,383

13. Duquesne University

Pittsburgh

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#292 in the United States

#325 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 79%
Average SAT: 1255
Average ACT: 29
Net Price: $35,125

14. Widener University

Chester

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#298 in the United States

#331 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 84%
Average SAT: 1155
Net Price: $30,720
Receiving Aid: 100%

15. University of Scranton

Scranton

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#299 in the United States

#332 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 84%
Average SAT: 1235
Average ACT: 28
Net Price: $32,100

16. Saint Joseph's University

Philadelphia

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#346 in the United States

#381 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 86%
Average SAT: 1240
Average ACT: 29
Net Price: $36,392

17. West Chester University of Pennsylvania

West Chester

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#357 in the United States

#393 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 79%
Average SAT: 1185
Average ACT: 26
Receiving Aid: 88%

18. Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

Shippensburg

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#358 in the United States

#394 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 86%
Average SAT: 1100
Receiving Aid: 96%
Average Aid: $5,951

19. Haverford College

Haverford

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#372 in the United States

#410 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 13%
Average SAT: 1485
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $22,828

20. Bucknell University

Lewisburg

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#396 in the United States

#434 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 32%
Average SAT: 1375
Average ACT: 32
Net Price: $38,486

21. Gettysburg College

Gettysburg

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#441 in the United States

#484 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 48%
Average SAT: 1350
Average ACT: 30
Net Price: $35,729

22. Thomas Jefferson University

Philadelphia

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#467 in the United States

#512 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 86%
Average SAT: 1250
Average ACT: 30
Net Price: $29,097

23. Franklin and Marshall College

Lancaster

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#477 in the United States

#523 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 32%
Average SAT: 1379
Average ACT: 31
Net Price: $37,475

24. Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

Slippery Rock

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#484 in the United States

#530 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Average SAT: 1085
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 94%

25. Lafayette College

Easton

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#493 in the United States

#539 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 31%
Average SAT: 1415
Average ACT: 32
Net Price: $34,728

26. Swarthmore College

Swarthmore

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#495 in the United States

#541 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 7%
Average SAT: 1510
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $17,930

27. Dickinson College

Carlisle

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#523 in the United States

#571 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 43%
Net Price: $40,242
Receiving Aid: 95%
Average Aid: $40,209

28. Saint Francis University

Loretto

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#529 in the United States

#577 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Average SAT: 1135
Average ACT: 24
Net Price: $27,421

Closest to Pennsylvania states to learn Criminology and Criminal Justice

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
Maryland	11	13
District of Columbia	6	43
New Jersey	14	12
New York	56	3
Connecticut	10	6
Virginia	14	26
Ohio	18	15
Massachusetts	29	5
Rhode Island	5	78
Vermont	3	193
New Hampshire	3	85
North Carolina	17	31
Indiana	11	41
Kentucky	7	47
Michigan	11	1
South Carolina	6	58
Maine	5	273
Tennessee	11	55
Illinois	21	4
Georgia	15	38
Wisconsin	10	25
Alabama	9	68
Iowa	4	50
Missouri	9	48
Mississippi	4	154
Minnesota	11	32
Arkansas	6	168
Florida	20	20
Louisiana	8	87
Kansas	6	91
Nebraska	5	69
Oklahoma	4	100
North Dakota	3	288
Texas	39	24
Colorado	10	74
Utah	4	86
Idaho	3	184
Arizona	3	9
Washington	9	10
Oregon	9	115
California	57	2