2027 Best Criminal Justice & Police Science Schools in Illinois
Criminal Justice & Police Science programs are offered at a focused set of schools across the country. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.
College Factual analyzed 15 schools to build this 2027 ranking of the best criminal justice & police science schools.
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Best Schools for Criminal Justice & Police Science in Illinois
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the criminal justice & police science degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Criminal Justice & Police Science
Harper College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in criminal justice & police science. This very large public university is located in the suburb of Palatine. Harper College awarded about 22 criminal justice & police science degrees in the most recent data year. Criminal Justice & Police Science graduates of Harper College earn a median of $38,474 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $10,963.
Get the full criminal justice & police science details for Harper College
Eastern Illinois University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in criminal justice & police science, landing the #2 spot this year. Eastern Illinois University is a large public school located in the town of Charleston. Eastern Illinois University graduates 47% of students within six years. Eastern Illinois University awarded about 29 criminal justice & police science degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the criminal justice & police science program make about $40,489 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $24,293 to complete this degree.
More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Eastern Illinois University
A rank of #3 makes Moraine Valley Community College one of the top schools for criminal justice & police science. This large public university is located in the suburb of Palos Hills. About 29 criminal justice & police science degrees were awarded at Moraine Valley Community College in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, criminal justice & police science degree recipients from Moraine Valley Community College generally make around $43,844. Typical student debt for the program is $11,149.
More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Moraine Valley Community College
Elgin Community College is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in criminal justice & police science, landing the #4 spot this year. This large public university is located in the city of Elgin. There were roughly 21 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Elgin Community College in the most recent data year. Graduates of the criminal justice & police science program make about $43,975 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $7,727.
See the full criminal justice & police science program report for Elgin Community College
Students looking for a strong criminal justice & police science program will find one at College Of Dupage, which ranked #5. College Of Dupage is a very large public school located in the suburb of Glen Ellyn. About 39 criminal justice & police science degrees were awarded at College Of Dupage in the most recent year. Criminal Justice & Police Science graduates of College Of Dupage earn a median of $28,749 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $7,521 to complete this degree.
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Joliet Junior College placed #6 among the best criminal justice & police science schools. This very large public university is located in the suburb of Joliet. About 24 criminal justice & police science degrees were awarded at Joliet Junior College in the most recent year. Graduates of the criminal justice & police science program make about $40,118 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $11,995 to complete this degree.
More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Joliet Junior College
Southwestern Illinois College earned the #7 position for criminal justice & police science this year. Southwestern Illinois College is a large public school located in the suburb of Belleville. There were roughly 253 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Southwestern Illinois College in the most recent data year. Criminal Justice & Police Science graduates of Southwestern Illinois College earn a median of $44,345 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $11,000.
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College Of Lake County came in at #8 for criminal justice & police science this year. Set in the suburb of Grayslake, College Of Lake County is a very large public institution. College Of Lake County awarded about 32 criminal justice & police science degrees in the most recent data year. Criminal Justice & Police Science graduates of College Of Lake County earn a median of $50,314 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $9,785 to complete this degree.
See the full criminal justice & police science program report for College Of Lake County
Lewis And Clark Community College landed the #9 spot for criminal justice & police science this year. This moderately-sized public university is located in the suburb of Godfrey. There were roughly 28 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Lewis And Clark Community College in the most recent data year. Students who receive their criminal justice & police science degree from Lewis And Clark Community College earn around $31,763 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $9,120 to complete this degree.
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Mchenry County College ranked #10 on our 2027 list of the best criminal justice & police science schools. This large public university is located in the rural area of Crystal Lake. About 29 criminal justice & police science degrees were awarded at Mchenry County College in the most recent year. Criminal Justice & Police Science graduates of Mchenry County College earn a median of $24,177 early in their careers. Mchenry County College graduates carry a median of $7,440 in student loans.
More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Mchenry County College
Oakton Community College earned the #11 position for criminal justice & police science this year. Set in the city of Des Plaines, Oakton Community College is a large public institution. About 10 criminal justice & police science degrees were awarded at Oakton Community College in the most recent year. Students who receive their criminal justice & police science degree from Oakton Community College earn around $48,838 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $7,750 to complete this degree.
More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Oakton Community College
Kankakee Community College earned the #12 position for criminal justice & police science this year. This mid-sized public university is located in the city of Kankakee. About 45 criminal justice & police science degrees were awarded at Kankakee Community College in the most recent year. Graduates of the criminal justice & police science program make about $60,509 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $13,289 to complete this degree.
Read more about the criminal justice & police science program at Kankakee Community College
Illinois Valley Community College came in at #13 for criminal justice & police science this year. Located in the town of Oglesby, Illinois Valley Community College is a mid-sized public university. There were roughly 29 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Illinois Valley Community College in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, criminal justice & police science degree recipients from Illinois Valley Community College generally make around $33,224. Students borrow a median of $8,099 to complete this degree.
Get the full criminal justice & police science details for Illinois Valley Community College
Southeastern Illinois College earned the #14 position for criminal justice & police science this year. This mid-sized public university is located in the rural area of Harrisburg. About 12 criminal justice & police science degrees were awarded at Southeastern Illinois College in the most recent year.
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Morton College earned the #15 position for criminal justice & police science this year. Located in the suburb of Cicero, Morton College is a moderately-sized public university. There were roughly 11 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Morton College in the most recent data year. Graduates of the criminal justice & police science program make about $31,143 in their early career. Morton College graduates carry a median of $7,734 in student loans.
More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Morton College
More Criminal Justice & Police Science Rankings
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 15 schools evaluated.
- 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.
