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2022 Best Value Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region

117 Ranked Colleges
16,347 Degrees Awarded
$5,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

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 in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 Southwest region, there were 16,347 criminal justice and corrections graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,942 and $25,383 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 117 colleges that offer a degree in criminal justice and corrections. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great criminal justice and corrections 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 and corrections program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique 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 in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

#1

South Texas College

McAllen, Texas

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend South Texas College. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. South Texas College is located in McAllen, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 413 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

South Texas College also took the #5 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend South Texas College is $904 for Southwest Region Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at South Texas College

Out of the 117 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #2 spot on the list. UT Rio Grande Valley is a large public school situated in Edinburg, Texas. It awarded 436 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Rio Grande Valley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $2,993 for southwest region criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

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%.

Full The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas A & M University - Central Texas. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Texas A & M University - Central Texas is located in Killeen, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 42 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

Texas A & M University - Central Texas did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region” list.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Texas A & M University - Central Texas

Out of the 117 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Austin Community College District landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 136 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Austin Community College District, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Austin Community College District is $3,134 for southwest region criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Austin Community College District

#5

El Paso Community College

El Paso, Texas

Out of the 117 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, El Paso Community College landed the #5 spot on the list. El Paso Community College is located in El Paso, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 356 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $3,978 for southwest region criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend El Paso Community College.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at El Paso Community College

Texas A&M International University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Laredo, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminal justice degrees to 213 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $2,261 for southwest region criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas A&M International University.

Full Texas A&M International University Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#7

Grayson College

Denison, Texas

Grayson College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Grayson College is located in Denison, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 41 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Grayson College is $6,639 for Southwest Region Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Grayson College Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

Collin County Community College District landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Collin County Community College District is a large school located in McKinney, Texas that handed out 78 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Collin County Community College District not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Collin County Community College District is $4,565 for Southwest Region Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Collin County Community College District Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

With a ranking of #9, University of North Texas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Denton, Texas, this large public school awarded 278 degrees to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

UNT also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend University of North Texas is $8,521 for southwest region criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at UNT

#10

Amarillo College

Amarillo, Texas

Amarillo College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. Amarillo College is a public institution located in Amarillo, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 89 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Amarillo College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Amarillo College is $4,740 for Southwest Region Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Amarillo College

#11

South Plains College

Levelland, Texas

South Plains College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. South Plains College is located in Levelland, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 98 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

South Plains College also took the #23 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for South Plains College is $6,211 for southwest region criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full South Plains College Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#12

Del Mar College

Corpus Christi, Texas

With a ranking of #12, Del Mar College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. DMC is a public institution located in Corpus Christi, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 69 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

DMC also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #24. The estimated yearly cost for Del Mar College is $4,638 for southwest region criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Del Mar College

#13

Pima Community College

Tucson, Arizona

Pima Community College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Pima County Community College District is a public institution located in Tucson, Arizona. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 121 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Pima County Community College District is $2,574 for Southwest Region Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Pima County Community College District

#14

Redlands Community College

El Reno, Oklahoma
Top 25% in overall quality

Redlands Community College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Redlands Community College is a small public school situated in El Reno, Oklahoma. It awarded 20 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Redlands Community College is $4,735 for Southwest Region Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

#15

Lone Star College System

The Woodlands, Texas

Lone Star College System landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Lone Star College System is a large school located in The Woodlands, Texas that handed out 131 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

North Harris Montgomery not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend North Harris Montgomery is $7,146 for southwest region criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Lone Star College System Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

With a ranking of #16, University of North Texas at Dallas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Dallas, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminal justice degrees to 87 students in 2019-2020.

UNT Dallas not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $7,732 for Southwest Region Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of North Texas at Dallas.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at University of North Texas at Dallas

#18

Tarrant County College District

Fort Worth, Texas

Tarrant County College District ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Tarrant County College is a public institution located in Fort Worth, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 70 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,225 for Southwest Region Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Tarrant County College.

Full Tarrant County College Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#19

Central New Mexico Community College

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Central New Mexico Community College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Central New Mexico Community College is a large public school situated in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It awarded 62 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $2,604 for southwest region criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CNM.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at CNM

The University of Texas at San Antonio did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. The University of Texas at San Antonio is located in San Antonio, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 300 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

UTSA also took the #17 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at San Antonio is $10,516 for Southwest Region Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at The University of Texas at San Antonio

Oklahoma State University - Oklahoma City came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Oklahoma State University - Oklahoma City is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 31 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for OSU-OKC is $5,742 for Southwest Region Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Oklahoma State University - Oklahoma City

McLennan Community College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. MCC is located in Waco, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 109 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for MCC is $5,970 for Southwest Region Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full McLennan Community College Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#23

Northern Oklahoma College

Tonkawa, Oklahoma

Northern Oklahoma College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Tonkawa, Oklahoma, this small public school handed out 34 degrees to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Northern Oklahoma College is $6,155 for Southwest Region Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Northern Oklahoma College

#24

Rio Salado College

Tempe, Arizona

Rio Salado College landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Tempe, Arizona, and it awarded 2,084 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Rio Salado College, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Rio Salado College is $9,102 for southwest region criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Rio Salado College

#25

Temple College

Temple, Texas

Temple College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Temple, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminal justice degrees to 46 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Temple College is $3,672 for Southwest Region Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Temple College

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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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