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2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice in the Plains States Region

6 Ranked Colleges
207 Degrees Awarded
$15,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 33,568 people earned their degree in criminal justice, making the major the 32nd most popular in the United States.

Across the Plains States region, there were 1,698 criminal justice graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 207 criminal justice graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,069 and $19,434 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region” ranking looked at 6 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in criminal justice. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent criminal justice programs, but they also cost less that 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 program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The criminal justice school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. 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 Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region associate degree criminal justice students.

Top 6 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice in the Plains States Region

#1

Park University

Parkville, Missouri
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Park University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region. This fairly large school is located in Parkville, Missouri, and it awarded 30 associates’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region associate degree criminal justice students list, Park University has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Park University is $15,579 for plains states region associate degree criminal justice students.

Full Park University Criminal Justice Report

#2

Columbia College

Columbia, Missouri
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region list. Located in Columbia, Missouri, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 49 degrees to qualified associates’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia College Missouri, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $26,730 for plains states region associate degree criminal justice students per year to attend Columbia College.

Read more about Criminal Justice at Columbia College Missouri

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central Christian College of Kansas. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region list. Central Christian College is a private not-for-profit institution located in McPherson, Kansas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Central Christian College, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $14,386 for plains states region associate degree criminal justice students per year to attend Central Christian College.

Read full report on Criminal Justice at Central Christian College of Kansas

#4

Washburn University

Topeka, Kansas
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Washburn University landed the #4 spot on the list. Washburn University is a medium-sized school located in Topeka, Kansas that handed out 3 associates’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region associate degree criminal justice students list, Washburn University has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Washburn University is $14,481 for Plains States Region Associate Degree Criminal Justice students.

Read more about Criminal Justice at Washburn University

#5

Grantham University

Lenexa, Kansas
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Grantham University landed the #5 spot on the list. Grantham University is a medium-sized private for-profit school situated in Lenexa, Kansas. It awarded 102 associates’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region associate degree criminal justice students list, Grantham University has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Grantham University is $8,409 for plains states region associate degree criminal justice students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice at Grantham University

#6 in overall quality

Drury University - College of Continuing Professional Studies landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Springfield, Missouri, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 degrees to qualified associates’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region associate degree criminal justice students list, Drury University - CCPS has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Drury University - CCPS is $13,233 for Plains States Region Associate Degree Criminal Justice students.

Full Drury University - College of Continuing Professional Studies Criminal Justice 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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