2026 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Iowa
[Criminal Justice](/majors/protective-security-safety-services/criminal-justice-and-corrections/criminal-justice/) 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 4 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for criminal justice students.
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2026 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Iowa
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in criminal justice, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Criminal Justice Schools
For return on investment in criminal justice, no school beat University Of Northern Iowa this year. Set in the city of Cedar Falls, University Of Northern Iowa is a large public institution. Students from in state pay about $9,936 in tuition and fees, compared with $21,712 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $19,500 to complete the criminal justice program here. Criminal Justice graduates of University Of Northern Iowa earn a median of $43,748 early in their careers. Set against $19,500 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 93% of applicants are accepted.
Waldorf College came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value criminal justice schools. Set in the rural area of Forest City, Waldorf College is a mid-sized private for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $25,978. Typical student debt for criminal justice graduates is $27,000. Soon after graduation, criminal justice degree recipients from Waldorf College generally make around $42,735. Set against $27,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Waldorf College admits about 77% of applicants.
Students looking for strong value in criminal justice will find it at Saint Ambrose University, which ranked #3. Located in the city of Davenport, Saint Ambrose University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $36,658. Criminal Justice graduates carry a median of $27,528 in student loans. Early-career criminal justice graduates make about $43,579. Set against $27,528 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 77% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Mount Mercy University earned it the #4 place for criminal justice. Mount Mercy University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cedar Rapids. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $40,878. Criminal Justice graduates carry a median of $25,500 in student loans. Criminal Justice graduates of Mount Mercy University earn a median of $48,841 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $25,500 median debt. The acceptance rate is 82%.
More Criminal Justice Rankings
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published 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.
