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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice Studies in Illinois

17 Ranked Colleges
1,106 Degrees Awarded
$18,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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

Across Illinois, there were 1,305 criminal justice studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,106 criminal justice studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 17 colleges that offer a degree 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

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students.

Top 17 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice Studies in Illinois

#1

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Illinois State is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 160 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois State, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State is $20,895 for illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at Illinois State

#2

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Governors State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Located in University Park, Illinois, this small public school handed out 63 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice studies students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at GSU, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $12,077 for illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students per year to attend GSU.

Full GSU Criminal Justice Studies Report

#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. SIUE is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 130 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $14,423 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 195 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC also made our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $13,312 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students.

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%.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at UIC

#9 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Springfield. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. Springfield, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.

UIS did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $12,477 for illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students per year to attend UIS.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at UIS

#16 in overall quality

Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #6. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 44 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Northeastern Illinois University also took the #16 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $15,843 for illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students per year to attend Northeastern Illinois University.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Criminal Justice Studies Report

#7

Lincoln College

Lincoln, Illinois
#12 in overall quality

Lincoln College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Lincoln College is a small school located in Lincoln, Illinois that handed out 26 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Lincoln College also made our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend Lincoln College is $21,797 for illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students.

Full Lincoln College Criminal Justice Studies Report

#8

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Aurora University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Aurora, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to 67 students in 2019-2020.

Aurora did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $17,215 for illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students per year to attend Aurora.

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 more about Criminal Justice Studies at Aurora

#9

Chicago State University

Chicago, Illinois
#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Chicago State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to 26 students in 2019-2020.

CSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Chicago State University is $11,733 for illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Chicago State University

#10

North Park University

Chicago, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

North Park University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois 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 16 students in 2019-2020.

North Park did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for North Park is $19,170 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at North Park

#11

Lewis University

Romeoville, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Lewis University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This medium-sized school is located in Romeoville, Illinois, and it awarded 109 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Lewis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Lewis University is $18,664 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 more about Criminal Justice Studies at Lewis University

#12

Quincy University

Quincy, Illinois
#13 in overall quality

Quincy University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Quincy, Illinois 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 13 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students list, Quincy U has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Quincy University is $17,497 for illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students.

Full Quincy University Criminal Justice Studies Report

#13

Benedictine University

Lisle, Illinois
#14 in overall quality

Benedictine University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Benedictine University is a small school located in Lisle, Illinois that handed out 24 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Benedictine U also took the #14 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Benedictine U is $25,143 for illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students.

Full Benedictine U Criminal Justice Studies Report

#14

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

Olivet Nazarene University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 32 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice studies students in 2019-2020.

Olivet Nazarene not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Olivet Nazarene is $20,195 for illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students.

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%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at Olivet Nazarene University

#15

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

Saint Xavier University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Saint Xavier University is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 41 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

SXU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for SXU is $14,528 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at SXU

#16

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois
#15 in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, Roosevelt University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois 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 34 students in 2019-2020.

Roosevelt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Roosevelt University is $22,749 for illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at Roosevelt

#17

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #17, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 83 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago also took the #4 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola University Chicago is $35,407 for illinois 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%. The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.

Full Loyola Chicago 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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