About 85 percent of the full-time faculty hold terminal degrees in their field. The college operates on a semester calendar and awards associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees. A doctoral degree can be earned in conjunction with the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York. John Jay's programs cover numerous aspects of criminal justice, such as correction administration, forensic psychology, security management, legal studies, police science, and social control. In addition, the college offers studies in fire science, public administration, and computer information systems. Students in accelerated programs can earn both a bachelor's and a master's degree within a shorter period of time than normally required to obtain each degree separately. Many students choose to hold internships or participate in cooperative education programs that alternate semesters of class work with semesters of paid employment.

Approximately a quarter of the 8,800 students who attend John Jay are already members of criminal justice and fire service agencies. Since these students sometimes have rotating work-shifts, the college often has daytime and evening sections of the same class, and students can choose between them according to their schedules. The majority of students are state residents and commute to classes. The numbers of men and women attending are relatively equal. About 40 percent of the undergraduates are over the age of 25.

Extracurricular activities include a drama group, a student-run newspaper, a campus radio station, and intramural sports. Varsity sports teams compete in Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.