40 Best colleges for Criminology and Criminal Justice in Texas

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Texas ranked based on their research performance in Criminology and Criminal Justice. A graph of 296K citations received by 12.8K academic papers made by 40 universities in Texas 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. University of Texas at Austin

Austin

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#23 in the United States

#25 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 27%
Average SAT: 1380
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 65%

2. Sam Houston State University

Huntsville

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#53 in the United States

#60 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Average SAT: 1025
Average ACT: 21
Receiving Aid: 85%

3. Texas A&M University - College Station

College Station

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#98 in the United States

#110 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Average SAT: 1275
Average ACT: 28
Receiving Aid: 74%

4. University of North Texas

Denton

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#125 in the United States

#140 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Average SAT: 1105
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 90%

5. University of Houston

Houston

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#131 in the United States

#149 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 74%
Average SAT: 1250
Average ACT: 26
Receiving Aid: 83%

6. University of Texas at Dallas

Richardson

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#135 in the United States

#153 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 65%
Average SAT: 1285
Average ACT: 28
Receiving Aid: 74%

7. University of Texas at San Antonio

San Antonio

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#143 in the United States

#162 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 87%
Average SAT: 1110
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 86%

8. Texas Christian University

Fort Worth

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#148 in the United States

#168 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 44%
Average SAT: 1245
Average ACT: 29
Net Price: $41,848

9. Texas State University

San Marcos

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#152 in the United States

#172 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Average SAT: 1090
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 87%

10. University of Texas at Arlington

Arlington

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#161 in the United States

#182 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Average SAT: 1125
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 92%

11. University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#162 in the United States

#183 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Average SAT: 970
Average ACT: 20
Receiving Aid: 88%

12. Baylor University

Waco

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#174 in the United States

#198 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 51%
Average SAT: 1300
Average ACT: 30
Net Price: $47,001

13. Texas Tech University

Lubbock

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#177 in the United States

#201 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 73%
Average SAT: 1185
Average ACT: 26
Receiving Aid: 90%

14. Southern Methodist University

Dallas

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#181 in the United States

#205 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Average SAT: 1415
Average ACT: 32
Net Price: $48,179

15. University of Texas Medical Branch

Galveston

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#183 in the United States

#207 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 20%
Enrollment: 3,241
Male:Female: 30:70
Founded: 1891

16. Rice University

Houston

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#209 in the United States

#236 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 8%
Average SAT: 1540
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $23,589

17. Prairie View A&M University

Prairie View

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#222 in the United States

#249 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 79%
Average SAT: 970
Average ACT: 19
Receiving Aid: 88%

18. Baylor College of Medicine

Houston

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#225 in the United States

#252 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 9%
Enrollment: 1,774
Male:Female: 40:60
Founded: 1900

19. University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Houston

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#267 in the United States

#299 in North America

Enrollment: 4,938
Male:Female: 30:70
Founded: 1972

20. Texas A&M International University

Laredo

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#273 in the United States

#306 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 44%
Average SAT: 990
Average ACT: 19
Receiving Aid: 99%

21. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Dallas

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#308 in the United States

#342 in North America

Enrollment: 2,549
Male:Female: 43:57
Founded: 1943

22. University of Houston - Downtown

Houston

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#314 in the United States

#348 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Average SAT: 1025
Average ACT: 19
Receiving Aid: 88%

23. University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

San Antonio

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#325 in the United States

#359 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 8%
Enrollment: 3,786
Male:Female: 34:66
Founded: 1959

24. Texas Woman's University

Denton

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#369 in the United States

#407 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 96%
Receiving Aid: 94%
Average Aid: $10,309
Enrollment: 15,361

25. Texas Southern University

Houston

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#391 in the United States

#429 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 97%
Average SAT: 900
Average ACT: 17
Receiving Aid: 97%

26. University of Houston - Clear Lake

Houston

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#397 in the United States

#436 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 91%
Average SAT: 1060
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 80%

27. University of Texas of the Permian Basin

Odessa

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#398 in the United States

#437 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 95%
Average SAT: 1020
Average ACT: 20
Receiving Aid: 98%

28. Lamar University

Beaumont

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#408 in the United States

#448 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 86%
Average SAT: 1035
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 93%

29. Texas A&M University - Commerce

Commerce

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#412 in the United States

#453 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 92%
Average SAT: 1030
Average ACT: 21
Receiving Aid: 95%

30. Trinity University

San Antonio

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#417 in the United States

#459 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 26%
Average SAT: 1420
Average ACT: 33
Net Price: $32,224

31. University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Edinburg

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#434 in the United States

#477 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 94%
Average SAT: 985
Average ACT: 18
Receiving Aid: 95%

32. Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#482 in the United States

#528 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Average SAT: 1082
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 83%

33. Angelo State University

San Angelo

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#493 in the United States

#539 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Average SAT: 1030
Average ACT: 21
Receiving Aid: 98%

34. Southwestern University

Georgetown

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#498 in the United States

#544 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 43%
Average SAT: 1215
Average ACT: 28
Net Price: $32,228

35. University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Houston

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#501 in the United States

#548 in North America

Enrollment: 359
Male:Female: 22:78
Founded: 1941

36. Stephen F Austin State University

Nacogdoches

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#524 in the United States

#572 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 94%
Average SAT: 1070
Average ACT: 21
Receiving Aid: 91%

37. Tarleton State University

Stephenville

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#530 in the United States

#578 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Average SAT: 1070
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 97%

38. University of North Texas Health Science Center

Fort Worth

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#539 in the United States

#587 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Enrollment: 2,332
Male:Female: 33:67
Founded: 1970

39. University of Texas at Tyler

Tyler

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#540 in the United States

#588 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 94%
Average SAT: 1105
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 90%

40. South Texas College of Law Houston

Houston

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#541 in the United States

#589 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Enrollment: 1,089
Male:Female: 42:58
Founded: 1923

Closest to Texas states to learn Criminology and Criminal Justice

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
Oklahoma	4	101
Louisiana	8	89
Arkansas	6	169
Kansas	6	91
Mississippi	5	154
Colorado	10	75
Missouri	9	48
Arizona	3	8
Nebraska	5	70
Alabama	9	68
Iowa	5	54
Utah	4	83
Illinois	21	4
Tennessee	12	55
Kentucky	7	47
Georgia	15	35
Indiana	11	42
Minnesota	11	32
Wisconsin	10	26
Florida	20	20
South Carolina	6	58
North Dakota	3	282
Ohio	18	16
North Carolina	17	31
Michigan	11	1
California	57	2
Idaho	3	185
Virginia	14	25
District of Columbia	6	43
Maryland	11	13
Pennsylvania	28	7
Oregon	9	117
New Jersey	15	12
Washington	9	10
New York	57	3
Connecticut	11	6
Vermont	3	193
Massachusetts	29	5
Rhode Island	5	76
New Hampshire	3	86
Maine	5	274