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2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

40 Ranked Colleges
2,972 Degrees Awarded
$7,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois 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 Illinois, there were 2,972 criminal justice and corrections graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,492 and $25,635 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 40 colleges that offer a degree in criminal justice and corrections. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality criminal justice and corrections programs that also have a lower cost than 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 and corrections program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Criminal Justice & Corrections 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 in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k”.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 40 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 29 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for UChicago is $2,712 for Illinois Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at University of Chicago

#2

Moraine Valley Community College

Palos Hills, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Moraine Valley Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Moraine Valley Community College is located in Palos Hills, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 52 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

MVCC also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend Moraine Valley Community College is $340 for illinois criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Moraine Valley Community College Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#3

Elgin Community College

Elgin, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Elgin Community College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Elgin, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 29 degrees to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

ECC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for ECC is $2,384 for illinois criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at ECC

#4

William Rainey Harper College

Palatine, Illinois
#14 in overall quality

Out of the 40 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, William Rainey Harper College landed the #4 spot on the list. Palatine, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminal justice degrees to 40 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Harper College, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Harper College is $5,913 for Illinois Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at William Rainey Harper College

#5

South Suburban College

South Holland, Illinois

Out of the 40 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, South Suburban College landed the #5 spot on the list. South Suburban College is located in South Holland, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

SSC also took the #25 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SSC is $3,866 for illinois criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at SSC

With a ranking of #6, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 134 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUE, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $8,055 for Illinois Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full SIUE Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#7

Triton College

River Grove, Illinois

Triton College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. Triton College is a medium-sized school located in River Grove, Illinois that handed out 18 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Triton College is $4,546 for illinois criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Triton College

#8

Kankakee Community College

Kankakee, Illinois

Kankakee Community College landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Kankakee, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminal justice degrees to 48 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Kankakee Community College is $5,202 for Illinois Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Kankakee Community College

#9

College of Lake County

Grayslake, Illinois

With a ranking of #9, College of Lake County did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. College of Lake County is a public institution located in Grayslake, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 36 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend College of Lake County is $3,742 for Illinois Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full College of Lake County Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

With a ranking of #10, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. UIC is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 207 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIC, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Chicago is $10,648 for Illinois Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at University of Illinois at Chicago

Lewis and Clark Community College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Godfrey, Illinois, this small public school awarded 38 diplomas to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $2,719 for illinois criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lewis and Clark Community College.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Lewis and Clark Community College

#12

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

Governors State University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Governors State University is located in University Park, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 69 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

GSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Governors State University is $10,872 for illinois criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at GSU

#13

Morton College

Cicero, Illinois

Morton College landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Morton College is a small public school situated in Cicero, Illinois. It awarded 32 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Morton College is $3,351 for illinois criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Morton College

#14

Lincoln Land Community College

Springfield, Illinois

With a ranking of #14, Lincoln Land Community College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. LLCC is a small school located in Springfield, Illinois that handed out 2 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,915 for illinois criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend LLCC.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Lincoln Land Community College

#15

Southwestern Illinois College

Belleville, Illinois

Southwestern Illinois College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. Southwestern Illinois College is a medium-sized school located in Belleville, Illinois that handed out 132 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Southwestern Illinois College is $5,506 for illinois criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Southwestern Illinois College Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#16

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

With a ranking of #16, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Macomb, Illinois, and it awarded 344 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend WIU is $13,942 for illinois criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full WIU Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#17

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

With a ranking of #17, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Illinois State is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 167 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k list, Illinois State has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $14,470 for illinois criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Illinois State.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 Illinois State University

#18

Lewis University

Romeoville, Illinois

Lewis University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Romeoville, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 154 diplomas to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

Lewis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Lewis is $12,821 for Illinois Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Lewis

#19

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois

Saint Xavier University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 41 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

SXU also took the #19 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Saint Xavier University is $11,266 for Illinois Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at SXU

#20

Oakton Community College

Des Plaines, Illinois

Oakton Community College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Oakton Community College is a public institution located in Des Plaines, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Oakton Community College is $5,195 for illinois criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Oakton Community College

#21

McHenry County College

Crystal Lake, Illinois

McHenry County College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Crystal Lake, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for McHenry County College is $5,620 for Illinois Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full MCC Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

With a ranking of #22, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 2 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $13,658 for illinois criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#23

University of Illinois at Springfield

Springfield, Illinois

University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Springfield, Illinois, and it awarded 20 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

UIS also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #17. It costs about $9,771 for Illinois Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Illinois at Springfield.

Full University of Illinois at Springfield Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#24

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois

Aurora University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Aurora University is a medium-sized school located in Aurora, Illinois that handed out 67 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Aurora, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Aurora is $14,103 for Illinois Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Aurora Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#25

Kaskaskia College

Centralia, Illinois

Kaskaskia College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Kaskaskia College is a small public school situated in Centralia, Illinois. It awarded 35 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Kaskaskia College is $6,215 for illinois criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Kaskaskia College Criminal Justice & Corrections 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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