2026 Best Value Criminal Justice & Police Science Schools in Kentucky
[Criminal Justice & Police Science](/majors/protective-security-safety-services/criminal-justice-and-corrections/criminal-justice-and-police-science/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for criminal justice & police science students.
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2026 Best Value Criminal Justice & Police Science Schools in Kentucky
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the criminal justice & police science degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Criminal Justice & Police Science Schools
For return on investment in criminal justice & police science, no school beat Eastern Kentucky University this year. Set in the town of Richmond, Eastern Kentucky University is a large public institution. Students from in state pay about $10,320 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $21,230. Typical student debt for criminal justice & police science graduates is $25,000. Criminal Justice & Police Science graduates of Eastern Kentucky University earn a median of $36,021 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $25,000 median debt. The acceptance rate is 78%.
A rank of #2 makes Midway College one of the best values for criminal justice & police science. Located in the rural area of Midway, Midway College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $19,110. Typical student debt for criminal justice & police science graduates is $26,723. Early-career criminal justice & police science graduates make about $42,586. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 95% of applicants are accepted.
A rank of #3 makes Sullivan University one of the best values for criminal justice & police science. Set in the city of Louisville, Sullivan University is a mid-sized private for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $15,480. Criminal Justice & Police Science graduates carry a median of $34,249 in student loans. Soon after graduation, criminal justice & police science degree recipients from Sullivan University generally make around $54,104. Set against $34,249 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
