7 Criminal Justice colleges in New Jersey with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $63,678.
Most rankings ignore accessibility. We flipped the model: first, filter for schools that actually enroll and graduate low-income students (60th percentile+ mobility). Then rank by earnings. These 7 Criminal Justice programs made the cut.
Rutgers University-New Brunswick leads the rankings, producing Criminal Justice graduates earning $74,479 while maintaining a 99th percentile mobility score. At the other end, graduates still earn $52,745—demonstrating that schools serving low-income students can compete on outcomes across the earnings spectrum.
New Jersey City University serves 52% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $52,745. Even better: graduates face just a 9% payment burden, landing in the 'Good' affordability category. Access AND manageable debt.
Earnings: $74,479 | Mobility: 99th percentile
52.4% Pell students with $52,745 earnings
9.2% payment burden | Good - payment 8-12% of discretionary
17.1% family burden | Manageable - payment 12-18% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | $74,479 | $21,500 | Good | $25,294 | Challenging | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #2 | $73,323 | $23,250 | Good | $30,611 | Challenging | 87th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | Seton Hall UniversityPrivate | $70,196 | $22,750 | Good | $40,003 | High | 75th percentile mobility |
| #4 | Rowan UniversityPublic | $59,988 | $20,500 | Manageable | $27,445 | High | 94th percentile mobility |
| #5 | $57,780 | $22,334 | Good | $20,000 | Challenging | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #6 | Kean UniversityPublic | $57,237 | $23,250 | Good | $22,000 | Challenging | 92th percentile mobility |
| #7 | $52,745 | $18,500 | Good | $13,884 | Manageable | 84th percentile mobility |
Our social mobility rankings answer: "Which schools deliver the best outcomes for students from low-income backgrounds?"
This is not simply "which schools admit the most low-income students" — it's which schools both serve low-income students and deliver strong earnings outcomes.
Data based on 2024-2025 Dept of Education reporting standards. Learn about our methodology →
