2023 Best Value Colleges for Criminal Justice in the Plains States Region
20
Ranked Colleges
1,617
Degrees Awarded
$18,100
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Criminal Justice is the 27th most popular major in the country with 32,891 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
Across the Plains States region, there were 1,617 criminal justice graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking analyzed 20 colleges that offered a degree in criminal justice. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great criminal justice programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the criminal justice program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” list to help you make the college decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most 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 in the Plains States Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region.
Top 20 Best Value Colleges for Criminal Justice in the Plains States Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Walden University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large private for-profit school awarded 258 degrees to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region criminal justice students list, Walden University has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Criminal Justice at Walden University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Park University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region list. Park University is located in Parkville, Missouri and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 179 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Park University, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Park University is $14,619 for Plains States Region Criminal Justice students.
Read full report on Criminal Justice at Park University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Bellevue University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region. Located in Bellevue, Nebraska, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 16 diplomas to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Bellevue University, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Bellevue University is $17,288 for Plains States Region Criminal Justice students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Criminal Justice at Bellevue University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in Columbia, Missouri, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 187 diplomas to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia College Missouri, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia College Missouri is $26,668 for plains states region criminal justice students.
Read more about Criminal Justice at Columbia College Missouri
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Concordia University, Saint Paul. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region. Concordia University, Saint Paul is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
Concordia University, Saint Paul also took the #11 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $15,880 for plains states region criminal justice students per year to attend Concordia University, Saint Paul.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Criminal Justice at Concordia University, Saint Paul
Missouri Southern State University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Missouri Southern State University is a public institution located in Joplin, Missouri. The school has a small population, and it awarded 106 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region criminal justice students list, Missouri Southern has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Missouri Southern is $9,526 for plains states region criminal justice students.
Full Missouri Southern State University Criminal Justice Report
University of Central Missouri landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Warrensburg, Missouri, and it awarded 128 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region criminal justice students list, UCM has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $14,058 for Plains States Region Criminal Justice students per year to attend UCM.
Read more about Criminal Justice at University of Central Missouri
Central Christian College of Kansas landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. McPherson, Kansas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s criminal justice degrees to 41 students in 2020-2021.
Central Christian College also took the #7 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Central Christian College is $13,256 for Plains States Region Criminal Justice students.
Full Central Christian College of Kansas Criminal Justice Report
With a ranking of #9, University of St Thomas Minnesota did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and it awarded 10 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
UST MN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UST MN is $31,066 for Plains States Region Criminal Justice students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UST MN Criminal Justice Report
Waldorf University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Forest City, Iowa, this small private for-profit school handed out 7 degrees to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
Waldorf also made our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend Waldorf University is $20,541 for plains states region criminal justice students.
Read full report on Criminal Justice at Waldorf
With a ranking of #11, Washburn University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region list. Topeka, Kansas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminal justice degrees to 41 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region criminal justice students list, Washburn University has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Washburn University is $14,339 for Plains States Region Criminal Justice students.
Read more about Criminal Justice at Washburn University
Mount Mercy University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 39 degrees to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
Mount Mercy did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Mount Mercy is $22,668 for plains states region criminal justice students.
Read full report on Criminal Justice at Mount Mercy
Evangel University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region list. This small school is located in Springfield, Missouri, and it awarded 8 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
Evangel did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Evangel University is $23,719 for plains states region criminal justice students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% 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 Evangel Criminal Justice Report
Central Methodist University - College of Liberal Arts & Sciences came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. CMU CLAS is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fayette, Missouri. The school has a small population, and it awarded 15 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
CMU CLAS also took the #16 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Central Methodist University - College of Liberal Arts & Sciences is $25,095 for Plains States Region Criminal Justice students.
Full Central Methodist University - College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Criminal Justice Report
Culver - Stockton College landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. This small school is located in Canton, Missouri, and it awarded 25 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region criminal justice students list, Culver - Stockton has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Culver - Stockton College is $21,278 for Plains States Region Criminal Justice students.
Full Culver - Stockton Criminal Justice Report
University of Missouri - Kansas City came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. UMKC is located in Kansas City, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
UMKC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UMKC is $15,702 for plains states region criminal justice students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Missouri - Kansas City Criminal Justice Report
Grantham University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Grantham University is located in Lenexa, Kansas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 177 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
Grantham University also made our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #18. The estimated yearly cost for Grantham University is $9,245 for Plains States Region Criminal Justice students.
Read more about Criminal Justice at Grantham University
Hannibal - LaGrange University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #18. This small school is located in Hannibal, Missouri, and it awarded 13 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
HLGU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $20,946 for plains states region criminal justice students per year to attend Hannibal - LaGrange University.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Criminal Justice at Hannibal - LaGrange University
Drury University - College of Continuing Professional Studies ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region list. Springfield, Missouri is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s criminal justice degrees to 125 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region criminal justice students list, Drury University - CCPS has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Drury University - CCPS is $14,746 for Plains States Region Criminal Justice students.
Read full report on Criminal Justice at Drury University - CCPS
With a ranking of #20, Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region list. CMU CGES is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Fayette, Missouri. It awarded 15 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
CMU CGES not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend CMU CGES is $13,505 for Plains States Region Criminal Justice students.
Read more about Criminal Justice at CMU CGES
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