Best Criminology Schools Near Williamsburg, VA (2026)

Williamsburg, Virginia has 15 accredited schools offering criminology programs, with tuition ranging from $2,642 to $49,466 per year for indexed programs. Williamsburg has a population of about 15,564. Median household income is $70,206 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 48.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area, the top-earning criminology-related role is Detective and Criminal Investigator at a median $93,790 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Criminology Schools to Williamsburg

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

#1

Hampton University

Hampton, VA 26.7 miles from Williamsburg BOC Score 55.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,159
Avg net price $25,319/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 24

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Norfolk State University

Norfolk, VA 37.9 miles from Williamsburg BOC Score 42.3
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,666
Avg net price $15,282/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 24

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Virginia State University

Petersburg, VA 38.3 miles from Williamsburg BOC Score 42.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,543
Avg net price $15,840/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 22

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Virginia Wesleyan University

Virginia Beach, VA 39.6 miles from Williamsburg BOC Score 43.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 48%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $50,074
Avg net price $19,676/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 11

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

ECPI University

Virginia Beach, VA 41.5 miles from Williamsburg BOC Score 55.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 53%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,837
Avg net price $22,965/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 55%
  • Programs offered: 43

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Longwood University

Farmville, VA 92.8 miles from Williamsburg BOC Score 61.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,347
Avg net price $19,066/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 16

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

University of Virginia-Main Campus

Charlottesville, VA 111.6 miles from Williamsburg BOC Score 86.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 94%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $86,863
Avg net price $21,565/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 97%
  • Programs offered: 42

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA 112.5 miles from Williamsburg BOC Score 81.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $76,343
Avg net price $17,915/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 80

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Criminology Wages Near Williamsburg

Williamsburg is part of the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area (BLS area code 47260). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Virginia statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
SociologistN/AVA statewide
Detective and Criminal Investigator$93,790Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC$95,802
Probation Officer and Correctional Treatment Specialist$58,830Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC$60,092
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer$59,690Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC$60,970

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.


Williamsburg at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population15,564Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$70,206Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+48.5%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)97.9 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Williamsburg-Area Cities With Criminology Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminology schools are near Williamsburg, VA?

Our directory has 15 accredited schools offering criminology programs near Williamsburg. The closest is Hampton University in Hampton, VA (26.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Roanoke-Chowan Community College (67.5 miles). 9 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminology roles near Williamsburg?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminology-related roles near Williamsburg are: Detective and Criminal Investigator ($93,790), Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer ($59,690), Probation Officer and Correctional Treatment Specialist ($58,830). 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 Newport News instead of Williamsburg?

Newport News, VA is 15.4 miles from Williamsburg 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 Williamsburg an affordable place to study criminology?

Williamsburg’s median household income of $70,206 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Williamsburg 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 Criminology Programs

Other Programs Available in Williamsburg

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

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.