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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice Studies (With Aid)

390 Ranked Colleges
30,900 Degrees Awarded
$8,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 46,252 people earned their degree in criminal justice studies, making the major the 16th most popular in the United States.

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 Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 390 colleges that offered a degree in criminal justice studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality criminal justice studies programs that also have a lower cost than 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Criminal Justice Studies Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice Studies (With Aid)

Top 15% in overall quality

Out of the 390 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #1 spot on the list. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a large school located in Edinburg, Texas that handed out 1 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Rio Grande Valley also claimed a top spot on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. 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 UT Rio Grande Valley is $4,514 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 UT Rio Grande Valley Criminal Justice Studies Report

Top 25% in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 307 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $2,768 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students with aid.

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%.

Full Cal State LA Criminal Justice Studies Report

#3

American Public University System

Charles Town, West Virginia
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend American Public University System. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. American Military University is a private for-profit institution located in Charles Town, West Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 447 bachelors’s 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. It costs about $10,222 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students with aid per year to attend American Military University.

With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at American Military University

Out of the 390 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #4 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 203 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills is $4,215 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full CSUDH Criminal Justice Studies Report

Top 10% in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Florida International University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Florida International University is located in Miami, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 600 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

On top of its placing in this ranking, FIU also did well on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend FIU is $7,296 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at FIU

Top 20% in overall quality

California State University - Fullerton came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cal State Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 334 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton excels when it comes to criminal justice studies quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $7,991 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students with aid per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Cal State Fullerton

California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Turlock, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to 223 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,019 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students with aid per year to attend Stan State.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at California State University - Stanislaus

#7

Indian River State College

Fort Pierce, Florida

Indian River State College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Indian River State College is a fairly large public school situated in Fort Pierce, Florida. It awarded 71 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $2,003 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students with aid per year to attend Indian River State College.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at Indian River State College

With a ranking of #9, University of North Texas at Dallas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UNT Dallas is located in Dallas, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 78 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend University of North Texas at Dallas is $8,488 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students with aid.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at University of North Texas at Dallas

#10

Elizabeth City State University

Elizabeth City, North Carolina

Elizabeth City State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. ECSU 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 estimated yearly cost for ECSU is $2,350 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students with aid.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Elizabeth City State University

#11

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 Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. This fairly large school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 294 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUSB is $7,342 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students with aid.

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

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at California State University - San Bernardino

#12

University of Central Florida

Orlando, Florida
Top 10% in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, University of Central Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UCF is a public institution located in Orlando, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 483 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCF also claimed a top spot on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $10,274 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students with aid per year to attend UCF.

The low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UCF Criminal Justice Studies Report

#13

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida
#10 in overall quality

Florida State University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Florida State is a large school located in Tallahassee, Florida that handed out 511 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Florida State also made our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for Florida State University is $9,789 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Florida State Criminal Justice Studies Report

#14

The University of West Florida

Pensacola, Florida

With a ranking of #14, The University of West Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. The University of West Florida 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 $7,406 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students with aid.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at UWF

Indiana University - Northwest did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Gary, Indiana, this small public school awarded 27 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice studies students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Northwest is $7,755 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students with aid.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at IU Northwest

Top 15% in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Sac State is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 494 bachelors’s degrees 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 estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $9,979 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at Sac State

Top 10% in overall quality

University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. UIC is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 195 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC excels when it comes to criminal justice studies quality. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. It costs about $13,312 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students with aid per year to attend University of Illinois at Chicago.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Criminal Justice Studies Report

#17

Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina
Top 25% in overall quality

Appalachian State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. This large school is located in Boone, North Carolina, and it awarded 127 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,920 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students with aid per year to attend Appalachian State.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Appalachian State University

#19

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#20 in overall quality

Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large school located in Bloomington, Indiana that handed out 117 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

IU Bloomington did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $13,253 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students with aid per year to attend IU Bloomington.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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

Top 10% in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UW Oshkosh is a fairly large public school situated in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It awarded 50 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Oshkosh excels when it comes to criminal justice studies quality. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. It costs about $15,463 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at UW Oshkosh

Top 25% in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Long Beach is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 208 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 89%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at CSULB

#22

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

Governors State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #22. Governors State University is located in University Park, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 63 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for GSU is $12,077 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students with aid.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at GSU

Top 15% in overall quality

University of Nevada - Las Vegas came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Nevada - Las Vegas is a public institution located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The school has a large population, and it awarded 268 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UNLV excels when it comes to criminal justice studies quality. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend University of Nevada - Las Vegas is $11,424 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students with aid.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at University of Nevada - Las Vegas

University of Wisconsin - Parkside ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Kenosha, Wisconsin, this small public school handed out 76 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice studies students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UW - Parkside is $11,327 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students with aid.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at UW - Parkside

#25

University of North Florida

Jacksonville, Florida

University of North Florida did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #25. 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 $9,606 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students with aid per year to attend UNF.

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%.

Full UNF Criminal Justice Studies Report

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

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

#27

Oakland City University

Oakland City, Indiana
#28

Rhode Island College

Providence, Rhode Island
#29

Florida Gulf Coast University

Fort Myers, Florida
#32

University of North Georgia

Dahlonega, Georgia
#33

Minot State University

Minot, North Dakota
#34

Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, Florida
#35

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Platteville, Wisconsin
#36

Fayetteville State University

Fayetteville, North Carolina
#37

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#38

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, Minnesota
#39

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
#40

Truman State University

Kirksville, Missouri
#41

Rutgers University - Newark

Newark, New Jersey
#42

Sam Houston State University

Huntsville, Texas
#43

Polk State College

Winter Haven, Florida
#47

MSU Texas

Wichita Falls, Texas
#49

University of Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming
#50

Texas Woman's University

Denton, Texas

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

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

Rank College Location
51 University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD
52 Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, KY
53 University of Houston - Downtown Houston, TX
54 University of North Texas Denton, TX
55 North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC
56 Heritage University Toppenish, WA
57 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
58 McNeese State University Lake Charles, LA
59 Worcester State University Worcester, MA

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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