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2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

384 Ranked Colleges
30,900 Degrees Awarded
$6,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $30-$48k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Criminal Justice Studies is the 16th most popular major in the country with 46,252 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 30,900 criminal justice studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 384 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in criminal justice studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent criminal justice studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the criminal justice studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Criminal Justice Studies Schools

The criminal justice studies school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k”.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice Studies (Income $30-$48k)

Top 15% in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k. UT Rio Grande Valley is located in Edinburg, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on this list, UT Rio Grande Valley is in the top on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is $3,473 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at UT Rio Grande Valley

#2

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 384 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeastern University landed the #2 spot on the list. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to 38 students in 2019-2020.

Northeastern also made our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Northeastern is $12,823 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Northeastern University

Top 25% in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 307 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $2,117 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at California State University - Los Angeles

Top 10% in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Florida International University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k. Florida International University is a public institution located in Miami, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 600 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, FIU is also in the top of our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for FIU is $6,683 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Florida International University Criminal Justice Studies Report

#5

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida
#10 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Florida State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k. Florida State University is a public institution located in Tallahassee, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 511 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Florida State also took the #10 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $6,816 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Florida State.

The low student loan default rate of 3.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at Florida State

#6

The University of West Florida

Pensacola, Florida

The University of West Florida landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UWF is located in Pensacola, Florida and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 81 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for The University of West Florida is $3,912 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at The University of West Florida

Top 10% in overall quality

University of Central Florida landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Central Florida is a large public school situated in Orlando, Florida. It awarded 483 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UCF is also in the top of our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $7,847 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Central Florida.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at University of Central Florida

#8

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#20 in overall quality

Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Bloomington, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to 117 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, IU Bloomington has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Bloomington is $6,192 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full IU Bloomington Criminal Justice Studies Report

California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. CSUDH is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 203 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills is $3,115 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at CSUDH

California State University - Stanislaus landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large school located in Turlock, California that handed out 223 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,958 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Stan State.

The low student loan default rate of 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at California State University - Stanislaus

#11

American Public University System

Charles Town, West Virginia
#1 in overall quality

American Public University System landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. American Public University System is a large private for-profit school situated in Charles Town, West Virginia. It awarded 447 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

American Military University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend American Military University is $10,917 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full American Military University Criminal Justice Studies Report

Top 20% in overall quality

California State University - Fullerton landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 334 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

On top of its placing in this ranking, Cal State Fullerton also did well on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $6,100 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at Cal State Fullerton

#13

University of North Texas

Denton, Texas
Top 20% in overall quality

University of North Texas landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Denton, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to 261 students in 2019-2020.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UNT also did well on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UNT is $9,082 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at UNT

#14

University of North Florida

Jacksonville, Florida

University of North Florida landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Jacksonville, Florida, this fairly large public school handed out 178 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice studies students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,942 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of North Florida.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at University of North Florida

Indiana University - Northwest did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #15. This small school is located in Gary, Indiana, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Northwest is $4,960 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full IU Northwest Criminal Justice Studies Report

#16

Elizabeth City State University

Elizabeth City, North Carolina

With a ranking of #16, Elizabeth City State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Elizabeth City State University is a public institution located in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend ECSU is $1,919 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Elizabeth City State University

#17

Indian River State College

Fort Pierce, Florida

Indian River State College landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Fort Pierce, Florida is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to 71 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Indian River State College is $1,475 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Indian River State College Criminal Justice Studies Report

#18

University of Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming

University of Wyoming landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Wyoming is a fairly large school located in Laramie, Wyoming that handed out 71 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wyoming is $9,200 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full UW Criminal Justice Studies Report

#19

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #19. CSUSB is a public institution located in San Bernardino, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 294 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $5,869 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at CSUSB

Top 25% in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to 208 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $7,595 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at California State University - Long Beach

The University of Texas at San Antonio did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #21. UTSA is located in San Antonio, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 283 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $11,109 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend The University of Texas at San Antonio.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at UTSA

#22

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Platteville, Wisconsin
#17 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Platteville landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Platteville, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school awarded 121 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice studies students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Platteville, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $12,930 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Platteville.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Top 15% in overall quality

With a ranking of #23, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to 494 students in 2019-2020.

Sac State excels when it comes to criminal justice studies quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $7,823 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Sac State Criminal Justice Studies Report

#24

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
Top 15% in overall quality

San Diego State University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to 317 students in 2019-2020.

SDSU also claimed a top spot on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $10,594 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at SDSU

Top 25% in overall quality

With a ranking of #25, Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it awarded 133 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for IUPUI is $6,315 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Criminal Justice Studies Report

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#27

Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, Florida
#28

Truman State University

Kirksville, Missouri
#29

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky
#31

Minot State University

Minot, North Dakota
#33

University of North Georgia

Dahlonega, Georgia
#34

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
#35

Florida Gulf Coast University

Fort Myers, Florida
#39

Oakland City University

Oakland City, Indiana
#40

Texas Woman's University

Denton, Texas
#41

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, Minnesota
#44

Boston University

Boston, Massachusetts
#45

Indiana University - South Bend

South Bend, Indiana
#46

Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina
#47

Bemidji State University

Bemidji, Minnesota
#48

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois
#50

Winona State University

Winona, Minnesota

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

Rank College Location
51 University of Illinois at Springfield Springfield, IL
52 The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX
53 Rhode Island College Providence, RI
54 Fayetteville State University Fayetteville, NC
55 MSU Texas Wichita Falls, TX
56 Indiana University - Kokomo Kokomo, IN
57 University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE
58 Marshall University Huntington, WV

Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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