Best Criminal Justice Schools Near Lancaster, SC (2026)

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

Lancaster, South Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs. Lancaster has a population of about 8,738. Median household income is $43,234 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 17.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Attorney at a median $157,180 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Lancaster

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

University of South Carolina-Lancaster

Lancaster, SC 0.9 miles from Lancaster
  • 2 year
27.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,426
Avg net price $9,801/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 3

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Criminal Justice Wages Near Lancaster

Lancaster is part of the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area (BLS area code 16740). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to South Carolina statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney $157,180 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $161,542
Judge or Magistrate $72,610 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $74,625
Police Supervisor $107,150 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $110,123
Detective or Criminal Investigator $71,460 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $73,443
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer $63,190 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $64,943
Correctional Officer $54,600 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $56,115
Probation Officer $62,220 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $63,947
Forensic Science Technician $59,240 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $60,884
Paralegal or Legal Assistant $59,870 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $61,531
Information Security Analyst $131,440 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $135,087

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.

Lancaster at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 8,738 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $43,234 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 17.3% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 97.3 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Lancaster-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Lancaster, SC?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Lancaster. The closest is University of South Carolina-Lancaster in Lancaster, SC (0.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Central Piedmont Community College (34.2 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Lancaster are: Attorney ($157,180), Information Security Analyst ($131,440), Police Supervisor ($107,150). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with South Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Rock Hill instead of Lancaster?

Rock Hill, SC is 20.5 miles from Lancaster 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 Lancaster an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Lancaster’s median household income of $43,234 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lancaster while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and South Carolina 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 Lancaster

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

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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