Washington, District of Columbia has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs, with tuition ranging from $6,660 to $54,630 per year for indexed programs. Washington has a population of about 672,079. Median household income is $106,287 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 63.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Attorney at a median $195,190 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Washington
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Washington, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Washington city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Washington.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
39%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$34,961
TuitionIn‑state$6,660
Out‑of‑state$6,660
Key stats
- Retention rate: 85%
- Programs offered: 10
Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher Education · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
21%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$40,092
TuitionIn‑state$13,920
Out‑of‑state$13,920
Key stats
- Retention rate: 100%
- Programs offered: 18
Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher Education · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
13%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$40,092
Avg net price
$17,833/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 39%
- Programs offered: 20
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
41%
Graduation rate
69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$63,066
Avg net price
$50,539/yr
TuitionIn‑state$35,810
Out‑of‑state$35,810
Key stats
- Retention rate: 90%
- Programs offered: 82
Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher Education · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
100%
Graduation rate
47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$53,804
Avg net price
$9,302/yr
TuitionIn‑state$26,610
Out‑of‑state$26,610
Key stats
- Retention rate: 70%
- Programs offered: 35
Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher Education · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
84%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$90,873
Avg net price
$36,586/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 92%
- Programs offered: 194
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
75%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$73,250
Avg net price
$29,561/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 85%
- Programs offered: 93
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$44,236
Avg net price
$10,648/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 67%
- Programs offered: 53
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all District of Columbia schools on the District of Columbia criminal justice page.
Criminal Justice Wages Near Washington
Washington is part of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area (BLS area code 47900). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to District of Columbia statewide.
| Occupation |
Median Wage |
Source |
COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
| Attorney |
$195,190 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
$179,238 |
| Judge or Magistrate |
$104,000 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
$95,500 |
| Police Supervisor |
$125,960 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
$115,666 |
| Detective or Criminal Investigator |
$156,750 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
$143,939 |
| Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer |
$84,000 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
$77,135 |
| Correctional Officer |
$70,570 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
$64,803 |
| Probation Officer |
$73,610 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
$67,594 |
| Forensic Science Technician |
$85,070 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
$78,118 |
| Paralegal or Legal Assistant |
$81,590 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
$74,922 |
| Information Security Analyst |
$148,950 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
$136,777 |
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Washington at a Glance
| Metric |
Value |
Source |
| Population |
672,079 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income |
$106,287 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ |
63.6% |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) |
108.9 (above U.S. average) |
BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Washington-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs
- Alexandria, VA – 7.0 mi away (155,810 pop)
- College Park, MD – 7.7 mi away (32,275 pop)
- Greenbelt, MD – 9.3 mi away (23,909 pop)
- Rockville, MD – 14.4 mi away (66,940 pop)
- Bowie, MD – 15.2 mi away (58,393 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Washington, DC?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Washington. The closest is University of the Potomac-Washington DC Campus in Washington, DC (0.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Trinity Washington University (1.7 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying criminal justice roles near Washington?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Washington are: Attorney ($195,190), Detective or Criminal Investigator ($156,750), Information Security Analyst ($148,950). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with District of Columbia statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Alexandria instead of Washington?
Alexandria, VA is 7.0 miles from Washington and has its own set of local criminal justice programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Washington an affordable place to study criminal justice?
Washington’s median household income of $106,287 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Washington while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and District of Columbia public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Learn More About Criminal Justice Programs
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Data verified: September 6, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
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