Best Criminology Schools Near Erie, PA (2026)

Erie, Pennsylvania has 21 accredited schools offering criminology programs, with tuition ranging from $7,492 to $45,770 per year for indexed programs. Erie has a population of about 94,156. Median household income is $43,397 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 22.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Erie, PA metro area, the top-earning criminology-related role is Detective and Criminal Investigator at a median $96,470 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Criminology Schools to Erie

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

#1

Gannon University

Erie, PA 1.1 miles from Erie BOC Score 61.8
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,845
Avg net price $22,553/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 50

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Mercyhurst University

Erie, PA 1.3 miles from Erie BOC Score 57.0
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $47,452
Avg net price $19,444/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 44

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Pennsylvania schools on the Pennsylvania criminology page.


Criminology Wages Near Erie

Erie is part of the Erie, PA metro area (BLS area code 21500). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Pennsylvania statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
SociologistN/APA statewide
Detective and Criminal Investigator$96,470Erie, PA$106,011
Probation Officer and Correctional Treatment Specialist$63,150Erie, PA$69,396
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer$80,860Erie, PA$88,857

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.


Erie at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population94,156Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$43,397Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+22.3%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)91.0 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Erie-Area Cities With Criminology Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminology schools are near Erie, PA?

Our directory has 21 accredited schools offering criminology programs near Erie. The closest is Gannon University in Erie, PA (1.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Hilbert College (77.6 miles). 9 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminology roles near Erie?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminology-related roles near Erie are: Detective and Criminal Investigator ($96,470), Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer ($80,860), Probation Officer and Correctional Treatment Specialist ($63,150). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Pennsylvania statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Meadville instead of Erie?

Meadville, PA is 32.6 miles from Erie and has its own set of local criminology programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Erie an affordable place to study criminology?

Erie’s median household income of $43,397 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Erie while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Pennsylvania 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 Criminology Programs

Other Programs Available in Erie

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

Data verified: August 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 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.