2026 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools in Nevada
[Criminal Justice Studies](/majors/protective-security-safety-services/criminal-justice-and-corrections/criminal-justice-studies/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 4 schools to find the best return on investment for criminal justice studies students.
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2026 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools in Nevada
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in criminal justice studies, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools
For return on investment in criminal justice studies, no school beat College Of Southern Nevada this year. College Of Southern Nevada is a very large public school located in the city of Las Vegas. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $4,358, with out-of-state students paying around $13,024. Students borrow a median of $6,687 to complete the criminal justice studies program here. Early-career criminal justice studies graduates make about $26,301. That is a strong return on a $6,687 median debt.
Truckee Meadows Community College is a great value for students pursuing a degree in criminal justice studies, landing the #2 spot this year. Located in the city of Reno, Truckee Meadows Community College is a large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $3,352, with out-of-state students paying around $12,018. Typical student debt for criminal justice studies graduates is $12,290. Criminal Justice Studies graduates of Truckee Meadows Community College earn a median of $52,785 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Students looking for strong value in criminal justice studies will find it at University Of Nevada Las Vegas, which ranked #3. Set in the city of Las Vegas, University Of Nevada Las Vegas is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $9,748, while out-of-state students pay about $27,411. Typical student debt for criminal justice studies graduates is $20,484. Early-career criminal justice studies graduates make about $37,639. Set against $20,484 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of Nevada Las Vegas admits about 96% of applicants.
More Criminal Justice Studies Rankings
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 4 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
