Best Criminal Justice Schools Near Harrisonburg, VA (2026)

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

Harrisonburg, Virginia has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs, with tuition ranging from $5,646 to $20,788 per year for indexed programs. Harrisonburg has a population of about 51,492. Median household income is $59,752 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 36.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Harrisonburg, VA metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Attorney at a median $127,070 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Harrisonburg

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Harrisonburg, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Harrisonburg 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 Harrisonburg. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

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

Sort:
#1

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA 0.2 miles from Harrisonburg
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
77.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 82%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $69,954
Avg net price $23,322/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Programs offered: 75

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Criminal Justice Wages Near Harrisonburg

Harrisonburg is part of the Harrisonburg, VA metro area (BLS area code 25500). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Virginia statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney $127,070 Harrisonburg, VA $133,899
Judge or Magistrate $104,000 VA statewide $109,589
Police Supervisor $81,440 Harrisonburg, VA $85,817
Detective or Criminal Investigator $112,760 VA statewide $118,820
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer $58,260 Harrisonburg, VA $61,391
Correctional Officer $50,950 Harrisonburg, VA $53,688
Probation Officer $54,100 Harrisonburg, VA $57,007
Forensic Science Technician $68,900 VA statewide $72,603
Paralegal or Legal Assistant $50,870 Harrisonburg, VA $53,604
Information Security Analyst $103,920 Harrisonburg, VA $109,505

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.

Harrisonburg at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 51,492 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $59,752 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 36.7% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 94.9 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Harrisonburg-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Harrisonburg, VA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Harrisonburg. The closest is James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA (0.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Laurel Ridge Community College (52.8 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Harrisonburg are: Attorney ($127,070), Detective or Criminal Investigator ($112,760), Judge or Magistrate ($104,000). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Virginia statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Staunton instead of Harrisonburg?

Staunton, VA is 21.7 miles from Harrisonburg 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 Harrisonburg an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Harrisonburg’s median household income of $59,752 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Harrisonburg while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Virginia 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 Harrisonburg

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

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 Virginia (2026)