Criminal Justice and Corrections at Rochester Institute of Technology

RIT's Criminal Justice program sits in an unusual position: while it underperforms nationally (36th percentile), it actually beats most New York programs (60th percentile). This disconnect largely reflects New York's weaker-than-average criminal justice job market—the state median of $35,291 trails the national median by about $2,500. For a family weighing an RIT education, the question is whether this program justifies the institution's prestige and cost structure.

The numbers themselves aren't catastrophic. First-year earnings of $35,872 are modest but manageable against $26,000 in debt, and the 27% earnings growth to $45,395 by year four shows reasonable career progression. That said, RIT's admission standards (71% acceptance, 1378 SAT average) and reputation typically command stronger salary outcomes. Compare this to Utica University's criminal justice grads earning $45,521 right out of the gate, or even SUNY Delhi's $38,416, and RIT's value proposition weakens.

The small sample size here matters—we're looking at fewer than 30 graduates, so one or two atypical outcomes could skew these figures substantially. If your child is set on criminal justice at RIT specifically, understand they're likely choosing the school for reasons beyond this particular major's earning power. The safer play financially would be a SUNY option with comparable outcomes at roughly half the total cost.