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2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region

32 Ranked Colleges
1,328 Degrees Awarded
$17,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Criminal Justice is the 32nd most popular major in the country with 33,568 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 2,365 criminal justice graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,328 criminal justice graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 32 colleges that offered a degree 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.

More Ways to Rank Criminal Justice Schools

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 a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region”.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice in the Great Lakes Region

#1

Union Institute & University

Cincinnati, Ohio
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Union Institute & University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Union Institute & University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Cincinnati, Ohio. It awarded 146 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Union not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Criminal Justice Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Union is $16,585 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Union Institute & University Criminal Justice Report

#2

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Illinois University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 291 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students list, WIU has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Western Illinois University is $16,210 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice at WIU

#3

Ferris State University

Big Rapids, Michigan
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ferris State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Ferris State University is a fairly large school located in Big Rapids, Michigan that handed out 46 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Ferris not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Criminal Justice Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Ferris State University is $12,889 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice at Ferris

#4

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, Michigan
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Grand Valley State University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. GVSU is located in Allendale, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 165 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students list, GVSU has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Grand Valley State University is $17,646 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Grand Valley State University Criminal Justice Report

#5

Lake Superior State University

Sault Ste Marie, Michigan
#16 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lake Superior State University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Lake Superior State University is a small school located in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan that handed out 42 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students list, Lake Superior State University has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lake Superior State University is $12,398 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

Full Lake Superior State University Criminal Justice Report

#11 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

SIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Criminal Justice Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $16,945 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#7

Franklin University

Columbus, Ohio
#22 in overall quality

Franklin University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 20 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

Franklin University also took the #22 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Franklin University is $12,895 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice at Franklin University

With a ranking of #8, Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Trine is located in Fort Wayne, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses Criminal Justice Report

#9

DeVry University - Illinois

Chicago, Illinois
#20 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, DeVry University - Illinois did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. DeVry University - Illinois is a large private for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 41 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

DeVry University - Illinois also made our “Best Criminal Justice Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #20. It costs about $28,551 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students per year to attend DeVry University - Illinois.

Read more about Criminal Justice at DeVry University - Illinois

#10

Ashland University

Ashland, Ohio
#7 in overall quality

Ashland University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #10. Ashland is located in Ashland, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 28 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students list, Ashland has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Ashland University is $20,111 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminal Justice at Ashland University

#11

Indiana University - East

Richmond, Indiana
#25 in overall quality

Indiana University - East ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Indiana University - East is located in Richmond, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 47 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

IU East not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Criminal Justice Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - East is $7,722 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

Read more about Criminal Justice at Indiana University - East

#12

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan
#13 in overall quality

Oakland University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #12. Oakland University is a public institution located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Oakland, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $11,802 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students per year to attend Oakland.

Full Oakland University Criminal Justice Report

Calumet College of Saint Joseph came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Calumet College of Saint Joseph is a private not-for-profit institution located in Whiting, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 43 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,275 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students per year to attend CCSJ.

Read full report on Criminal Justice at Calumet College of Saint Joseph

#14

University of Phoenix - Illinois

Schaumburg, Illinois

University of Phoenix - Illinois did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Schaumburg, Illinois, this small private for-profit school handed out 1 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Criminal Justice at UOPX - Illinois

Miami University - Hamilton landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Miami University - Hamilton is a public institution located in Hamilton, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,559 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students per year to attend Miami University - Hamilton.

Read more about Criminal Justice at Miami University - Hamilton

#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. IUPUI is a large public school situated in Indianapolis, Indiana. It awarded 1 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

IUPUI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Criminal Justice Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is $11,285 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

Read more about Criminal Justice at IUPUI

#17

Tiffin University

Tiffin, Ohio
#23 in overall quality

Tiffin University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Tiffin, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 46 students in 2019-2020.

Tiffin University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Criminal Justice Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Tiffin University is $21,746 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice at Tiffin University

#18

Miami University - Middletown

Middletown, Ohio

With a ranking of #18, Miami University - Middletown did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Middletown, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Miami University - Middletown is $14,630 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

Read more about Criminal Justice at Miami University - Middletown

#19

Heidelberg University

Tiffin, Ohio
#14 in overall quality

Heidelberg University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Heidelburg College is a small school located in Tiffin, Ohio that handed out 4 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students list, Heidelburg College has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Heidelberg University is $20,893 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

Full Heidelberg University Criminal Justice Report

#20

Carroll University

Waukesha, Wisconsin
#9 in overall quality

Carroll University landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Carroll University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Waukesha, Wisconsin. The school has a small population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Carroll U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Criminal Justice Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Carroll University is $23,355 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.2% 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 at Carroll University

#21

Concordia University, Wisconsin

Mequon, Wisconsin
#18 in overall quality

With a ranking of #21, Concordia University, Wisconsin did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Mequon, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Concordia University, Wisconsin, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Concordia University, Wisconsin is $23,855 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 at Concordia University, Wisconsin

#22

Carthage College

Kenosha, Wisconsin
#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #22, Carthage College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Carthage is located in Kenosha, Wisconsin and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students list, Carthage has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Carthage College is $28,191 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminal Justice at Carthage College

#23

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Bradley University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Peoria, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 12 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Bradley, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Bradley University is $25,634 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full Bradley University Criminal Justice Report

#24

Olivet College

Olivet, Michigan
#24 in overall quality

Olivet College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #24. Olivet is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Olivet, Michigan. It awarded 5 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Olivet, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $21,464 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students per year to attend Olivet College.

Full Olivet College Criminal Justice Report

#25

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#2 in overall quality

Michigan State University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Michigan State is a large public school situated in East Lansing, Michigan. It awarded 139 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan State also took the #2 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $19,173 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students per year to attend Michigan State University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Criminal Justice at Michigan State

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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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