2026 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools in Utah

[Criminal Justice Studies](/majors/protective-security-safety-services/criminal-justice-and-corrections/criminal-justice-studies/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 5 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for criminal justice studies students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools in Utah
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the criminal justice studies degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools
For return on investment in criminal justice studies, no school beat Snow College this year. Located in the town of Ephraim, Snow College is a moderately-sized public university. Students from in state pay about $4,338 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $14,288. Criminal Justice Studies graduates carry a median of $10,440 in student loans. Criminal Justice Studies graduates of Snow College earn a median of $42,776 early in their careers. Set against $10,440 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Students looking for strong value in criminal justice studies will find it at Salt Lake Community College, which ranked #2. Salt Lake Community College is a very large public school located in the suburb of Salt Lake City. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $4,426, with out-of-state students paying around $14,244. Typical student debt for criminal justice studies graduates is $6,334. Early-career criminal justice studies graduates make about $44,042. That is a strong return on a $6,334 median debt.
Students looking for strong value in criminal justice studies will find it at Weber State University, which ranked #3. Set in the city of Ogden, Weber State University is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $6,557, while out-of-state students pay about $17,545. Typical student debt for criminal justice studies graduates is $19,828. Criminal Justice Studies graduates of Weber State University earn a median of $43,281 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $19,828 median debt.
A rank of #4 makes Dixie State College Of Utah one of the best values for criminal justice studies. Dixie State College Of Utah is a large public school located in the city of Saint George. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $6,306, compared with $18,246 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $17,399 to complete the criminal justice studies program here. Criminal Justice Studies graduates of Dixie State College Of Utah earn a median of $31,558 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled 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 · 5 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 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.