28 Best colleges for Criminology and Criminal Justice in Pennsylvania

Updated: March 15, 2026

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 370K citations received by 13.9K 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: 61%
Average SAT: 1330
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 67%

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#9 in the United States

#10 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 5%
Average SAT: 1540
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $23,570

3. University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#29 in the United States

#32 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 58%
Average SAT: 1370
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 74%

4. Temple University

Philadelphia

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#30 in the United States

#33 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Receiving Aid: 93%
Average Aid: $14,837
Enrollment: 29,640

5. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#65 in the United States

#75 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 12%
Average SAT: 1535
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $35,552

6. Drexel University

Philadelphia

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#127 in the United States

#143 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 79%
Average SAT: 1340
Average ACT: 30
Net Price: $42,801

7. Villanova University

Villanova

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#130 in the United States

#148 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 27%
Average SAT: 1453
Average ACT: 33
Net Price: $37,201

8. California University of Pennsylvania

California

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#132 in the United States

#150 in North America

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

9. Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

Kutztown

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#170 in the United States

#194 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 91%
Average SAT: 1215
Receiving Aid: 98%
Average Aid: $7,420

10. Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Indiana

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#195 in the United States

#221 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 91%
Average SAT: 1075
Average ACT: 24
Receiving Aid: 100%

11. Lehigh University

Bethlehem

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#256 in the United States

#288 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 26%
Average SAT: 1435
Average ACT: 33
Net Price: $34,154

12. Bryn Mawr College

Bryn Mawr

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#262 in the United States

#294 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 29%
Average SAT: 1395
Average ACT: 31
Net Price: $33,221

13. Widener University

Chester

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#297 in the United States

#331 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Average SAT: 1185
Net Price: $26,778
Receiving Aid: 100%

14. Duquesne University

Pittsburgh

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#298 in the United States

#332 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 84%
Average SAT: 1260
Average ACT: 29
Net Price: $37,917

15. University of Scranton

Scranton

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#306 in the United States

#340 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 81%
Average SAT: 1239
Average ACT: 28
Net Price: $34,234

16. Saint Joseph's University

Philadelphia

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#343 in the United States

#379 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Average SAT: 1260
Average ACT: 30
Net Price: $31,205

17. West Chester University of Pennsylvania

West Chester

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#350 in the United States

#386 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 78%
Average SAT: 1185
Average ACT: 26
Receiving Aid: 88%

18. Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

Shippensburg

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#354 in the United States

#391 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 87%
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 98%
Average Aid: $6,756

19. Haverford College

Haverford

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#380 in the United States

#418 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 12%
Average SAT: 1505
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $26,535

20. Bucknell University

Lewisburg

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#390 in the United States

#428 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 29%
Average SAT: 1390
Average ACT: 32
Net Price: $39,003

21. Gettysburg College

Gettysburg

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#444 in the United States

#487 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 39%
Average SAT: 1365
Average ACT: 31
Net Price: $32,769

22. Thomas Jefferson University

Philadelphia

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#467 in the United States

#512 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 81%
Average SAT: 1245
Average ACT: 28
Net Price: $29,325

23. Franklin and Marshall College

Lancaster

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#480 in the United States

#526 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 28%
Average SAT: 1387
Average ACT: 32
Net Price: $43,987

24. Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

Slippery Rock

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#486 in the United States

#532 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Average SAT: 1085
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 96%

25. Lafayette College

Easton

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#491 in the United States

#537 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 31%
Average SAT: 1425
Average ACT: 32
Net Price: $38,442

26. Swarthmore College

Swarthmore

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#503 in the United States

#550 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 7%
Average SAT: 1525
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $22,469

27. Dickinson College

Carlisle

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#507 in the United States

#554 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 42%
Average SAT: 1385
Average ACT: 32
Net Price: $38,483

28. Saint Francis University

Loretto

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#534 in the United States

#582 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Average SAT: 1140
Average ACT: 24
Net Price: $28,326

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	15	12
New York	57	3
Connecticut	11	6
Virginia	14	25
Ohio	18	16
Massachusetts	29	5
Rhode Island	5	76
Vermont	3	193
New Hampshire	3	86
North Carolina	17	31
Indiana	11	42
Kentucky	7	47
Michigan	11	1
South Carolina	6	58
Maine	5	274
Tennessee	12	55
Illinois	21	4
Georgia	15	35
Wisconsin	10	26
Alabama	9	68
Iowa	5	54
Missouri	9	48
Mississippi	5	154
Minnesota	11	32
Arkansas	6	169
Florida	20	20
Louisiana	8	89
Kansas	6	91
Nebraska	5	70
Oklahoma	4	101
North Dakota	3	282
Texas	40	23
Colorado	10	75
Utah	4	83
Idaho	3	185
Arizona	3	8
Washington	9	10
Oregon	9	117
California	57	2