Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice Studies in the Plains States Region (With Aid)

41 Ranked Colleges
1,797 Degrees Awarded
$15,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in the Plains States Region 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. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this 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.

Across the Plains States region, there were 2,432 criminal justice studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,797 criminal justice studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,786 and $25,576 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 41 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in criminal justice studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great criminal justice studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the criminal justice studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to 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 in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid

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

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice Studies in the Plains States Region (With Aid)

#1

Minot State University

Minot, North Dakota
#18 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Minot State University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. MSU is a small school located in Minot, North Dakota that handed out 41 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

MSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Minot State University is $11,898 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students with aid.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Minot State University

#2

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, Minnesota
#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Saint Cloud State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid. Saint Cloud State University is a fairly large public school situated in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. It awarded 73 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

St. Cloud State University also took the #6 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Saint Cloud State University is $14,267 for plains states region bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students with aid.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at St. Cloud State University

#3

Truman State University

Kirksville, Missouri
#14 in overall quality

Out of the 41 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Truman State University landed the #3 spot on the list. Kirksville, Missouri is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to 37 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Truman State, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $12,462 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students with aid per year to attend Truman State University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Truman State University

#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Minnesota State University - Mankato. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid. This fairly large school is located in Mankato, Minnesota, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Minnesota State Mankato also took the #3 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $16,221 for plains states region bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students with aid per year to attend Minnesota State Mankato.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 Minnesota State Mankato

#13 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Nebraska at Omaha. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. UNOMAHA is a fairly large public school situated in Omaha, Nebraska. It awarded 192 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UNOMAHA also took the #13 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNOMAHA is $14,040 for plains states region bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students with aid.

Full UNOMAHA Criminal Justice Studies Report

#6

Winona State University

Winona, Minnesota
#1 in overall quality

Winona State University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Winona, Minnesota, this medium-sized public school awarded 68 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice studies students in 2019-2020.

Winona State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $17,656 for plains states region bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students with aid per year to attend Winona State.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Winona State Criminal Justice Studies Report

#7

Bemidji State University

Bemidji, Minnesota
#15 in overall quality

Bemidji State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Bemidji, Minnesota, and it awarded 63 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Bemidji State University, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $15,868 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students with aid per year to attend Bemidji State University.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Bemidji State University

#8

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, North Dakota
#4 in overall quality

University of North Dakota ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. UND is located in Grand Forks, North Dakota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 65 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

UND did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Dakota is $15,738 for plains states region bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 University of North Dakota

#24 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Fort Hays State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. FHSU is located in Hays, Kansas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 51 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at FHSU, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $12,053 for plains states region bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students with aid per year to attend FHSU.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Fort Hays State University

#5 in overall quality

North Dakota State University - Main Campus ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Fargo, North Dakota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to 47 students in 2019-2020.

North Dakota State University also made our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend North Dakota State University - Main Campus is $16,584 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 North Dakota State University

#11

Metropolitan State University

Saint Paul, Minnesota
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, Metropolitan State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and it awarded 83 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Metro State also made our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend Metropolitan State University is $15,225 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students with aid.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Metropolitan State University

#12

Missouri Western State University

Saint Joseph, Missouri

Missouri Western State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Missouri Western State University is a small public school situated in Saint Joseph, Missouri. It awarded 44 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Missouri Western is $10,958 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students with aid.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at Missouri Western State University

#13

Wayne State College

Wayne, Nebraska

With a ranking of #13, Wayne State College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Wayne, Nebraska, and it awarded 51 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend WSC is $13,765 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students with aid.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at WSC

#14

Concordia University, Saint Paul

Saint Paul, Minnesota
#21 in overall quality

Concordia University, Saint Paul landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Concordia University, Saint Paul is a medium-sized school located in Saint Paul, Minnesota that handed out 22 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Concordia University, Saint Paul did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Concordia University, Saint Paul is $16,245 for plains states region bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students with aid.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at Concordia University, Saint Paul

#19 in overall quality

Minnesota State University - Moorhead came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. MSU Moorhead is a public institution located in Moorhead, Minnesota. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

MSU Moorhead not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Minnesota State University - Moorhead is $16,893 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students with aid.

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 Minnesota State University - Moorhead Criminal Justice Studies Report

#16

Wichita State University

Wichita, Kansas

Wichita State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. WSU is a fairly large public school situated in Wichita, Kansas. It awarded 84 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for WSU is $14,382 for plains states region bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students with aid.

Full WSU Criminal Justice Studies Report

#17

Pittsburg State University

Pittsburg, Kansas

With a ranking of #17, Pittsburg State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Pittsburg, Kansas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Pitt State is $14,436 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students with aid.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Pitt State

#18

University of Mary

Bismarck, North Dakota
#16 in overall quality

University of Mary did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. Bismarck, North Dakota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.

UMary did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Mary is $17,410 for plains states region bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at UMary

#23 in overall quality

With a ranking of #19, University of Nebraska at Kearney did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Kearney, Nebraska is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to 26 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students with aid list, UNK has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Nebraska at Kearney is $16,017 for plains states region bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students with aid.

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 full report on Criminal Justice Studies at UNK

#20

Peru State College

Peru, Nebraska

Peru State College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. Peru, Nebraska is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to 29 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Peru State is $14,058 for plains states region bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students with aid.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Peru State College

#21

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, South Dakota
#20 in overall quality

University of South Dakota did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. University of South Dakota is a public institution located in Vermillion, South Dakota. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 49 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

USD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $18,555 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students with aid per year to attend University of South Dakota.

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 USD Criminal Justice Studies Report

#23

Waldorf University

Forest City, Iowa
#9 in overall quality

Waldorf University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Waldorf University is a small private for-profit school situated in Forest City, Iowa. It awarded 28 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Waldorf, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Waldorf University is $20,036 for plains states region bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students with aid.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at Waldorf

#24

Simpson College

Indianola, Iowa
#8 in overall quality

Simpson College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Simpson College is located in Indianola, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

Simpson College also took the #8 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Simpson College is $19,151 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Simpson College Criminal Justice Studies Report

#25

Lindenwood University

Saint Charles, Missouri
#25 in overall quality

Lindenwood University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Lindenwood University is located in Saint Charles, Missouri and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 90 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

Lindenwood University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Lindenwood University is $17,491 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at Lindenwood University

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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.

Featured Criminal Justice Administration Schools

Find Schools Near You