Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Bristol, TN (2026)

Updated June 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Bristol, Tennessee has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs. Bristol has a population of about 27,490. Median household income is $55,007 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 29.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Tennessee, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Judge or Magistrate at a median $208,350 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Bristol

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Bristol. Distances are calculated from Bristol 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 Bristol. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

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Published tuitionContact school for pricing

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Published tuitionContact school for pricing

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Published tuitionContact school for pricing

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Published tuitionContact school for pricing

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

Criminal Justice Wages Near Bristol

Bristol is part of the Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA metro area (BLS area code 28700). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Tennessee statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney	$107,560	Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA	$124,491
Judge or Magistrate	$208,350	TN statewide	$241,146
Police Supervisor	$74,970	Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA	$86,771
Detective or Criminal Investigator	$84,660	Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA	$97,986
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer	$48,620	Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA	$56,273
Correctional Officer	$48,440	Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA	$56,065
Probation Officer	$58,930	Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA	$68,206
Forensic Science Technician	$70,500	TN statewide	$81,597
Paralegal or Legal Assistant	$54,210	Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA	$62,743
Information Security Analyst	$102,450	Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA	$118,576

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.

Bristol at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	27,490	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$55,007	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	29.8%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	86.4 (below U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024

Other Bristol-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

Johnson City, TN – 17.6 mi away (127,134 pop)
Kingsport, TN – 18.5 mi away (116,745 pop)
Boone, NC – 38.7 mi away (25,039 pop)
Greeneville, TN – 43.1 mi away (23,953 pop)
Morristown, TN – 65.1 mi away (60,098 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Bristol, TN?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Bristol. The closest is King University in Bristol, TN (3.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Milligan University (18.3 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Bristol are: Judge or Magistrate ($208,350), Attorney ($107,560), Information Security Analyst ($102,450). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Tennessee statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Johnson City instead of Bristol?

Johnson City, TN is 17.6 miles from Bristol 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 Bristol an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Bristol’s median household income of $55,007 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Bristol while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Tennessee 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 Bristol

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

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.

Back to Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Tennessee (2026)

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