Best Criminal Justice Schools Near Vancouver, WA (2026)

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

Vancouver, Washington has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs. Vancouver has a population of about 192,696. Median household income is $78,156 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 31.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Judge or Magistrate at a median $178,260 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Vancouver

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

Centralia College

Centralia, WA 76.6 miles from Vancouver
  • 4 year
56.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,140
Avg net price $9,862/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 26

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA 97.7 miles from Vancouver
  • 4 year
44.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,092
Avg net price $28,119/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 69%
  • Programs offered: 40

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Pierce College District

Lakewood, WA 106.2 miles from Vancouver
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
69.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $47,532
Avg net price $10,222/yr
Tuition
In‑state$5,418
Out‑of‑state$5,976
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 38

Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and UniversitiesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Clover Park Technical College

Lakewood, WA 106.6 miles from Vancouver
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
63.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,787
Avg net price $9,864/yr
Tuition
In‑state$6,634
Out‑of‑state$6,634
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 45

Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and UniversitiesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

University of Washington-Tacoma Campus

Tacoma, WA 111.5 miles from Vancouver
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
83.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,466
Avg net price $10,163/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 41

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Bates Technical College

Tacoma, WA 111.9 miles from Vancouver
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
65.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $50,051
Avg net price $6,292/yr
Tuition
In‑state$6,027
Out‑of‑state$12,165
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 44

Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and UniversitiesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Heritage University

Toppenish, WA 117.4 miles from Vancouver
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
50.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,416
Avg net price $14,598/yr
Tuition
In‑state$20,928
Out‑of‑state$20,928
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 57%
  • Programs offered: 22

Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and UniversitiesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Green River College

Auburn, WA 117.7 miles from Vancouver
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
56.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 40%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $50,712
Avg net price $13,803/yr
Tuition
In‑state$4,711
Out‑of‑state$5,263
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 51

Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and UniversitiesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Criminal Justice Wages Near Vancouver

Vancouver is part of the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area (BLS area code 38900). 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 $155,330 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA $147,372
Judge or Magistrate $178,260 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA $169,127
Police Supervisor $128,500 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA $121,917
Detective or Criminal Investigator $119,350 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA $113,235
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer $97,200 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA $92,220
Correctional Officer $84,640 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA $80,304
Probation Officer $83,510 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA $79,231
Forensic Science Technician $87,460 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA $82,979
Paralegal or Legal Assistant $75,430 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA $71,565
Information Security Analyst $154,940 WA statewide $147,002

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.

Vancouver at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 192,696 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $78,156 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 31.5% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 105.4 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Vancouver-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Vancouver. The closest is Warner Pacific University in Portland, OR (8.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Clackamas Community College (21.6 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Vancouver are: Judge or Magistrate ($178,260), Attorney ($155,330), Information Security Analyst ($154,940). 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 Portland instead of Vancouver?

Portland, OR is 7.2 miles from Vancouver 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 Vancouver an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Vancouver’s median household income of $78,156 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Vancouver 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 Vancouver

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

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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