Best Criminal Justice Schools Near Stow, OH (2026)

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Stow, Ohio has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs, with tuition ranging from $13,135 to $27,417 per year for indexed programs. Stow has a population of about 34,317. Median household income is $91,933 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 48.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Akron, OH metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Attorney at a median $126,270 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Stow

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Stow, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Stow 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:

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

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Kent State University at Kent

Kent, OH 5.2 miles from Stow
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
53.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,388
Avg net price $20,787/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 181

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Akron Main Campus

Akron, OH 8.0 miles from Stow
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
48.4 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 60%
Graduation rate 50%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,600
Avg net price $13,946/yr
Tuition
In‑state$13,135
Out‑of‑state$20,815
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 159

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Herzing University-Akron

Akron, OH 10.7 miles from Stow
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
34.4 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 95%
Graduation rate 20%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,909
Avg net price $18,934/yr
Tuition
In‑state$13,450
Out‑of‑state$13,450
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 39%
  • Programs offered: 12

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Walsh University

North Canton, OH 21.2 miles from Stow
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
60.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,764
Avg net price $20,493/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 47

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Kent State University at Stark

North Canton, OH 21.3 miles from Stow
  • 4 year
40.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 29%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,388
Avg net price $10,897/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 54%
  • Programs offered: 7

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Bryant & Stratton College-Parma

Parma, OH 23.9 miles from Stow
  • 4 year
18.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 27%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $32,568
Avg net price $12,849/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 40%
  • Programs offered: 12

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Malone University

Canton, OH 24.4 miles from Stow
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
48.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,909
Avg net price $20,948/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 50

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

University of Mount Union

Alliance, OH 25.2 miles from Stow
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
53.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 78%
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,217
Avg net price $23,280/yr
Tuition
In‑state$36,600
Out‑of‑state$36,600
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 58

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Criminal Justice Wages Near Stow

Stow is part of the Akron, OH metro area (BLS area code 10420). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Ohio statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney $126,270 Akron, OH $135,193
Judge or Magistrate $68,760 Akron, OH $73,619
Police Supervisor $99,840 Akron, OH $106,895
Detective or Criminal Investigator $76,230 Akron, OH $81,617
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer $74,650 Akron, OH $79,925
Correctional Officer $45,310 Akron, OH $48,512
Probation Officer $56,830 Akron, OH $60,846
Forensic Science Technician $106,330 Akron, OH $113,844
Paralegal or Legal Assistant $60,290 Akron, OH $64,550
Information Security Analyst $104,530 Akron, OH $111,916

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.

Stow at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 34,317 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $91,933 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 48.3% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 93.4 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Stow-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Stow, OH?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Stow. The closest is Kent State University at Kent in Kent, OH (5.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Stark State College (21.1 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Stow are: Attorney ($126,270), Forensic Science Technician ($106,330), Information Security Analyst ($104,530). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Ohio statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Kent instead of Stow?

Kent, OH is 4.3 miles from Stow 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 Stow an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Stow’s median household income of $91,933 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Stow while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Ohio 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 Stow

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

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.

Back to Best Criminal Justice Schools in Ohio: Online Programs (2026)