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2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

97 Ranked Colleges
6,361 Degrees Awarded
$8,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 113,581 criminal justice and corrections students received their degree, making the major the 6th most popular in the country. In 2017-2018, criminal justice and corrections graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $31,952 and had an average of $24,936 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 13,233 criminal justice and corrections graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,369 and $24,187 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 6,361 criminal justice and corrections 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 For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 97 colleges that offered a degree in criminal justice and corrections. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent criminal justice and corrections programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the criminal justice and corrections program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. 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 a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

#1

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

Out of the 97 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #1 spot on the list. Indiana University - Bloomington is a public institution located in Bloomington, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 117 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at IU Bloomington, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Bloomington is $4,969 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Indiana University - Bloomington

#2

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Michigan State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Michigan State University is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 139 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

Michigan State also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $6,686 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Michigan State University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Michigan State

#3

Ferris State University

Big Rapids, Michigan

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 For Those Making $0-$30k. Ferris is located in Big Rapids, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 288 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

Ferris not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Ferris is $7,207 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Ferris State University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Northwest. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Gary, Indiana, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,287 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend IU Northwest.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Indiana University - Northwest

#5

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Platteville, Wisconsin

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Platteville. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Wisconsin - Platteville is a public institution located in Platteville, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 121 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Platteville not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $12,117 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - Platteville.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at University of Wisconsin - Platteville

#6

Oakland City University

Oakland City, Indiana

Oakland City University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Oakland City University is a small school located in Oakland City, Indiana that handed out 15 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k list, Oakland City has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Oakland City is $8,326 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Oakland City University Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is a large public school situated in Indianapolis, Indiana. It awarded 134 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is $5,052 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

University of Wisconsin - Parkside came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Wisconsin - Parkside is located in Kenosha, Wisconsin and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 76 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $6,652 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - Parkside.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at UW - Parkside

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UW - Eau Claire is a fairly large school located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin that handed out 67 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k list, UW - Eau Claire has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $11,528 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - Eau Claire.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at UW - Eau Claire

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school awarded 50 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

UW Oshkosh also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #14. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is $11,687 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#11

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Ball State is a public institution located in Muncie, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 113 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Ball State is $8,403 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Ball State Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 130 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $8,055 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at SIUE

#13

Lake Superior State University

Sault Ste Marie, Michigan

Lake Superior State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lake Superior State University is located in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 44 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Lake Superior State University is $7,067 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Lake Superior State University Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#14

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, Michigan

Grand Valley State University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. GVSU is a large public school situated in Allendale, Michigan. It awarded 165 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at GVSU, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Grand Valley State University is $11,578 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at GVSU

#15

University of Southern Indiana

Evansville, Indiana

University of Southern Indiana came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. USI is located in Evansville, Indiana and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 39 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for USI is $8,244 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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 USI Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#16

Indiana University - South Bend

South Bend, Indiana

Indiana University - South Bend came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in South Bend, Indiana, this small public school handed out 29 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - South Bend is $4,641 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Indiana University - South Bend

#17

Franklin University

Columbus, Ohio

Franklin University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. Columbus, Ohio 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 20 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Franklin University is $11,328 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Franklin University

University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. University of Illinois at Chicago is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 195 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $10,648 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UIC.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at University of Illinois at Chicago

#19

Indiana University - East

Richmond, Indiana

Indiana University - East ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k 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.

The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - East is $3,622 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Indiana University - East

#20

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

Governors State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. GSU is located in University Park, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 63 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $10,872 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend GSU.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at GSU

#21

Indiana University - Kokomo

Kokomo, Indiana

Indiana University - Kokomo landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. IU Kokomo is located in Kokomo, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 25 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $4,360 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend IU Kokomo.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Indiana University - Kokomo

#22

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan

Oakland University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. Oakland University is a fairly large school located in Rochester Hills, Michigan that handed out 62 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Oakland University is $7,490 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Oakland

#23

Indiana University - Southeast

New Albany, Indiana

Indiana University - Southeast ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in New Albany, Indiana, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Southeast is $6,697 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Indiana University - Southeast

#24

Northern Michigan University

Marquette, Michigan

With a ranking of #24, Northern Michigan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northern Michigan University is a public institution located in Marquette, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 74 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Northern Michigan University is $9,137 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Northern Michigan University

#25

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 291 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k list, WIU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Western Illinois University is $13,942 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at WIU

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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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