Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Gainesville, GA (2026)

Gainesville, Georgia has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs, with tuition ranging from $4,458 to $45,359 per year for indexed programs. Gainesville has a population of about 44,051. Median household income is $64,636 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 26.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Gainesville, GA metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Judge or Magistrate at a median $144,790 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Gainesville

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Gainesville. Distances are calculated from Gainesville city center.

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:

  • 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 Gainesville. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Lanier Technical College

Gainesville, GA 4.1 miles from Gainesville BOC Score51.3
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#2

University of North Georgia

Dahlonega, GA 18.8 miles from Gainesville BOC Score48.9
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#3

Truett McConnell University

Cleveland, GA 21.6 miles from Gainesville BOC Score33.1
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#4

Georgia Gwinnett College

Lawrenceville, GA 23.5 miles from Gainesville BOC Score36.6
Published tuition$4,458 - $18,033
Online programsYes

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#5

Piedmont University

Demorest, GA 25.1 miles from Gainesville BOC Score45.5
Published tuition$30,680 - $45,359
Online programsYes

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Georgia schools on the Georgia criminal justice page.


Criminal Justice Wages Near Gainesville

Gainesville is part of the Gainesville, GA metro area (BLS area code 23580). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Georgia statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney$134,830GA statewide$139,287
Judge or Magistrate$144,790Gainesville, GA$149,576
Police Supervisor$79,350Gainesville, GA$81,973
Detective or Criminal Investigator$62,520Gainesville, GA$64,587
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer$61,400Gainesville, GA$63,430
Correctional Officer$48,730Gainesville, GA$50,341
Probation Officer$58,960Gainesville, GA$60,909
Forensic Science Technician$63,600GA statewide$65,702
Paralegal or Legal Assistant$56,200Gainesville, GA$58,058
Information Security Analyst$101,860Gainesville, GA$105,227

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.


Gainesville at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population44,051Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$64,636Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+26.2%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)96.8 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Gainesville-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Gainesville, GA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Gainesville. The closest is Lanier Technical College in Gainesville, GA (4.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Piedmont University (25.1 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminal justice roles near Gainesville?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Gainesville are: Judge or Magistrate ($144,790), Attorney ($134,830), Information Security Analyst ($101,860). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Georgia statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Sugar Hill instead of Gainesville?

Sugar Hill, GA is 18.0 miles from Gainesville 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 Gainesville an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Gainesville’s median household income of $64,636 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Gainesville while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Georgia 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

Other Programs Available in Gainesville

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Gainesville:

Data verified: June 11, 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.