Best Forensic Science Schools Near Queens, NY (2026)

Queens, New York has 27 accredited schools offering forensic science programs, with tuition ranging from $5,170 to $57,660 per year for indexed programs. Queens has a population of about 2,333,054. In the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area, the top-earning forensic science-related role is Detective and Criminal Investigator at a median $106,440 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Forensic Science Schools to Queens

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

#1

CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice

New York, NY 10.2 miles from Queens BOC Score 71.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,195
Avg net price $3,203/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Programs offered: 23

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Hofstra University

Hempstead, NY 10.5 miles from Queens BOC Score 64.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $69,039
Avg net price $34,176/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 77

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Pace University

New York, NY 11.2 miles from Queens BOC Score 58.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $70,378
Avg net price $30,892/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 53

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Long Island University

Brookville, NY 11.5 miles from Queens BOC Score 49.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 86%
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,950
Avg net price $33,062/yr
Tuition
In‑state$42,432
Out‑of‑state$42,432
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 74

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Farmingdale State College

Farmingdale, NY 19.3 miles from Queens BOC Score 75.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 63%
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $69,781
Avg net price $10,867/yr
Tuition
In‑state$8,626
Out‑of‑state$18,536
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Programs offered: 39

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

St. Thomas Aquinas College

Sparkill, NY 19.9 miles from Queens BOC Score 62.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,909
Avg net price $19,994/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 21

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

University at Albany

Albany, NY 133.9 miles from Queens BOC Score 75.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 69%
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $67,979
Avg net price $17,167/yr
Tuition
In‑state$10,866
Out‑of‑state$31,256
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 60

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

CUNY Graduate School and University Center

New York, NY 135.5 miles from Queens BOC Score 62.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $65,991
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 52

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all New York schools on the New York forensic science page.


Forensic Science Wages Near Queens

Queens is part of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area (BLS area code 35620). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to New York statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Forensic Science Technician$81,670New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$72,531
Detective and Criminal Investigator$106,440New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$94,529
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer$105,540New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$93,730

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.


Queens at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Regional Price Parity (US=100)112.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Queens-Area Cities With Forensic Science Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited forensic science schools are near Queens, NY?

Our directory has 27 accredited schools offering forensic science programs near Queens. The closest is CUNY Queensborough Community College in Bayside, NY (2.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is CUNY Kingsborough Community College (14.0 miles). 10 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying forensic science roles near Queens?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying forensic science-related roles near Queens are: Detective and Criminal Investigator ($106,440), Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer ($105,540), Forensic Science Technician ($81,670). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with New York statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Valley Stream instead of Queens?

Valley Stream, NY is 7.6 miles from Queens and has its own set of local forensic science programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

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 Forensic Science Programs

Other Programs Available in Queens

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

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 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.