Best Criminal Justice Schools Near Bellingham, WA (2026)

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

Bellingham, Washington has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs, with tuition ranging from $5,032 to $20,451 per year for indexed programs. Bellingham has a population of about 92,367. Median household income is $65,821 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 46.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Washington, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Judge or Magistrate at a median $134,270 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Bellingham

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

Whatcom Community College

Bellingham, WA 3.0 miles from Bellingham
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
66.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,092
Avg net price $11,795/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 27

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Criminal Justice Wages Near Bellingham

Bellingham is part of the Bellingham, WA metro area (BLS area code 13380). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Washington statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney $131,480 Bellingham, WA $127,280
Judge or Magistrate $134,270 WA statewide $129,981
Police Supervisor $132,730 Bellingham, WA $128,490
Detective or Criminal Investigator $122,840 Bellingham, WA $118,916
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer $101,810 Bellingham, WA $98,558
Correctional Officer $83,030 Bellingham, WA $80,378
Probation Officer $98,940 Bellingham, WA $95,779
Forensic Science Technician $81,310 WA statewide $78,712
Paralegal or Legal Assistant $63,950 Bellingham, WA $61,907
Information Security Analyst $105,470 Bellingham, WA $102,101

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.

Bellingham at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 92,367 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $65,821 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 46.5% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 103.3 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Bellingham-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Bellingham, WA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Bellingham. The closest is Whatcom Community College in Bellingham, WA (3.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Shoreline Community College (69.7 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Bellingham are: Judge or Magistrate ($134,270), Police Supervisor ($132,730), Attorney ($131,480). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Washington statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Mount Vernon instead of Bellingham?

Mount Vernon, WA is 24.1 miles from Bellingham 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 Bellingham an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Bellingham’s median household income of $65,821 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Bellingham while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Washington 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 Bellingham

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

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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