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Career outcomes brief

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# CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

[Overview](/school/cuny-john-jay-college-of-criminal-justice/)[Cost & aid](/school/cuny-john-jay-college-of-criminal-justice/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/cuny-john-jay-college-of-criminal-justice/admissions/)[Majors](/school/cuny-john-jay-college-of-criminal-justice/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/cuny-john-jay-college-of-criminal-justice/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much do John Jay College graduates earn?

The reported median is $60,020 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is \-$5,590 per year.

Graduates earn about $4,864 more than the model expects for similar students. That puts the gap at the 71st percentile.

Azimuth places the university at the 57th percentile for return. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures adds $5,662.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $798. Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $247.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $60,020, at the 51st percentile. That is $5,590 below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Earnings at CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice depend heavily on the field a student chooses. The earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $55,672 on the downside to $71,925 on the upside, with $60,020 as the typical scenario.

The highest-earning program is Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management, where graduates earn a median of $96,069 four years after completion. Philosophy and Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences follow, at $78,041 and $77,144 respectively.

The largest program, Criminal Justice, awards 1,601 degrees a year and reports median earnings of $59,343, close to the typical scenario.

An estimated 27.5% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the college's program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings figures capture only those working and not enrolled, this estimate indicates that a sizable portion of completers may be building additional human capital outside the earnings snapshot.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$60,020

**Rank for difference from expectations**
71st percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**John Jay College reported median**
$60,020

**Peer schools comparable schools · $5,590 above John Jay College**
$65,610

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $4,864 below John Jay College**
$55,156

School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. [How the model works](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/).

## How could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $55,672 to $71,925, around the reported median of $60,020. Compare the lower scenario with [John Jay College borrowing and monthly payments](/school/cuny-john-jay-college-of-criminal-justice/cost/) to see how a smaller income could change your plan.

Modeled from the school’s program mix; not salary percentiles or a forecast for one graduate.

Earnings four years after completion

Planning rangeReported median

**Lower estimate**
$55,672

**Median · reported**
$60,020

**Higher estimate**
$71,925

Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates.

[Why the downside matters](/analysis/median-roi-hides-a-harsh-reality/) explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. [Read about the move to four-year earnings](/analysis/college-scorecard-2026-4-year-vs-10-year-earnings-2-2/).

## Do John Jay College graduates earn more than expected?

Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls [value added](/methodology/#value-added).

John Jay College graduates’ reported earnings are $4,864 above that expectation, the 71st percentile for this measure. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls.

The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending John Jay College caused a student to earn. [Read how expected earnings are estimated](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/).

What explains value-added earnings?

**Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.**
+$5,662

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$798

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
+$4,864

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

## Which fields at John Jay College report the highest earnings?

CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice concentrates its bachelor's degrees in Security & Protective Services, which accounts for 53.4% of awards, and Psychology, at 14.8%. Within those families, [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) two programs nationally.

Criminal Justice is the largest, with 1,601 degrees awarded, a median of $59,343 four years after completion, and an Azimuth national rank of #6. Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology awards 499 degrees, earns $55,595, and holds a national rank of #4.

The highest-earning program is Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management, where completers reach $96,069 with 197 degrees awarded. Criminology and Security Science and Technology sit in a moderate band, at $57,396 and $60,416 respectively, on 239 and 160 degrees awarded.

CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice has 10 nationally ranked bachelor's programs and earnings data for 15 programs. The largest, Criminal Justice, awarded 1,601 degrees and ranks #6 nationally and #1 in New York, with a median of $59,343 four years after completion.

Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology awarded 499 degrees and ranks #4 nationally, with median earnings of $55,595. Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management awarded 197 degrees and shows the highest median among the largest programs at $96,069.

Criminology awarded 239 degrees, and Security Science and Technology awarded 160 degrees with a median of $60,416.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management**
$96,069

**Philosophy**
$78,041

**Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences**
$77,144

**Fire Protection**
$72,228

**Public Administration**
$66,834

**Political Science and Government**
$62,150

**Security Science and Technology**
$60,416

**Criminal Justice and Corrections**
$59,343

[Explore John Jay College program cohorts and field ranks](/school/cuny-john-jay-college-of-criminal-justice/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context.

## Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the college's program mix show a downside of $55,672, a typical outcome of $60,020, and an upside of $71,925. Among the largest programs, Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management graduates earn a median of $96,069 four years after completion, while Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology sits at $55,595.

Four years after completing a bachelor's degree at CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice, the median earnings of federally aided completers stand at $60,020. That figure is below the $65,610 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $5,590.

The four-year earnings cohort includes 3,765 completers. Graduates earn about $4,864 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that ranks in the 71st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios anchored on the college's program mix point to a typical outcome of $60,020, a downside scenario of $55,672, and an upside scenario of $71,925. An estimated 27.5% of programs' graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the program mix.

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).