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2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region

66 Ranked Colleges
4,132 Degrees Awarded
$17,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 Great Lakes region, there were 6,031 criminal justice studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,132 criminal justice studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 66 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.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the criminal justice studies program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 in the Great Lakes Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice Studies in the Great Lakes Region

#1

Purdue University Global

Indianapolis, Indiana
#12 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Purdue University Global. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Purdue University Global is located in Indianapolis, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 384 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

Purdue University Global did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at Purdue University Global

#2

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Platteville, Wisconsin
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Platteville. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. University of Wisconsin - Platteville is a public institution located in Platteville, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 121 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students list, UW - Platteville has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,718 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students per year to attend UW - Platteville.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at University of Wisconsin - Platteville

#3

Herzing University - Brookfield

Brookfield, Wisconsin
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Herzing University - Brookfield. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Herzing University - Brookfield is a small school located in Brookfield, Wisconsin that handed out 3 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Herzing University - Brookfield not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Herzing University - Brookfield is $22,628 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students.

With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at Herzing University - Brookfield

#10 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. This fairly large school is located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and it awarded 50 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Oshkosh not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW Oshkosh is $15,463 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students.

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

#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Eau Claire is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 67 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.

UW - Eau Claire also made our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is $16,020 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

#25 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 130 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUE, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $14,423 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students per year to attend SIUE.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

#14 in overall quality

Herzing University - Akron landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Herzing Akron is a small school located in Akron, Ohio that handed out 7 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Herzing Akron not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Herzing University - Akron is $22,416 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at Herzing University - Akron

#8

Herzing University - Madison

Madison, Wisconsin
#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Herzing University - Madison did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Herzing University - Madison also made our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #17. The estimated yearly cost for Herzing University - Madison is $24,205 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students.

Full Herzing University - Madison Criminal Justice Studies Report

University of Wisconsin - Parkside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #9. University of Wisconsin - Parkside is a small public school situated in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It awarded 76 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Parkside is $11,327 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students.

Full University of Wisconsin - Parkside Criminal Justice Studies Report

#10

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, Ohio

Youngstown State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large school is located in Youngstown, Ohio, and it awarded 110 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,947 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students per year to attend Youngstown State University.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Youngstown State University

#11

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Illinois State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Illinois State University is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 160 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State is $20,895 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Illinois State University Criminal Justice Studies Report

Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global is a fairly large school located in Marion, Indiana that handed out 45 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $22,207 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students per year to attend Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global.

Full Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global Criminal Justice Studies Report

#13

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, Michigan

Western Michigan University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large school is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and it awarded 112 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $19,433 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students per year to attend Western Michigan University.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Western Michigan University

#14

Herzing University - Kenosha

Kenosha, Wisconsin

Herzing University - Kenosha ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Herzing University - Kenosha is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It awarded 1 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Herzing University - Kenosha is $21,257 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at Herzing University - Kenosha

#15

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

With a ranking of #15, Governors State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. University Park, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to 63 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,077 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students per year to attend GSU.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at GSU

#16

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Wisconsin
#20 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. This large school is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and it awarded 96 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students list, UWM has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is $17,876 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at UWM

#17

University of Illinois at Springfield

Springfield, Illinois

University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #17. University of Illinois at Springfield is a small public school situated in Springfield, Illinois. It awarded 20 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Springfield is $12,477 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at University of Illinois at Springfield

Bowling Green State University - Main Campus landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Bowling Green, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 117 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $18,394 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students per year to attend BGSU.

Full BGSU Criminal Justice Studies Report

#18

University of Southern Indiana

Evansville, Indiana

University of Southern Indiana landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Evansville, Indiana, this fairly large public school awarded 39 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice studies students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern Indiana is $13,437 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students.

The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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 Southern Indiana

#20

Northern Michigan University

Marquette, Michigan

Northern Michigan University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Northern Michigan University is a medium-sized school located in Marquette, Michigan that handed out 73 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Northern Michigan University is $15,453 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at Northern Michigan University

#21

Oakland City University

Oakland City, Indiana
#11 in overall quality

Oakland City University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #21. Oakland City University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Oakland City, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Oakland City also made our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend Oakland City University is $11,894 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students.

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

Full Oakland City Criminal Justice Studies Report

#22

Lincoln College

Lincoln, Illinois

Lincoln College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #22. Located in Lincoln, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 26 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice studies students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $21,797 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students per year to attend Lincoln College.

Full Lincoln College Criminal Justice Studies Report

#23

University of Toledo

Toledo, Ohio

University of Toledo landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Toledo is a fairly large school located in Toledo, Ohio that handed out 103 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $17,630 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students per year to attend University of Toledo.

Full University of Toledo Criminal Justice Studies Report

#24

Siena Heights University

Adrian, Michigan
#3 in overall quality

With a ranking of #24, Siena Heights University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Siena Heights University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Adrian, Michigan. It awarded 53 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Siena Heights University also made our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $21,249 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students per year to attend Siena Heights University.

Full Siena Heights University Criminal Justice Studies Report

With a ranking of #25, Kent State University at Kent did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in Kent, Ohio, and it awarded 178 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Kent State University at Kent is $18,885 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students.

Full Kent State University at Kent Criminal Justice Studies Report

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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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