2026 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools in Montana
[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. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 4 schools to find the best return on investment for criminal justice studies students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools in Montana
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 Montana State University Billings this year. Montana State University Billings is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Billings. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $7,280, with out-of-state students paying around $22,897. Criminal Justice Studies graduates carry a median of $25,465 in student loans. Criminal Justice Studies graduates of Montana State University Billings earn a median of $48,764 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $25,465 median debt.
More Criminal Justice Studies Rankings
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, 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 1 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.
