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2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

40 Ranked Colleges
2,972 Degrees Awarded
$8,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Criminal Justice & Corrections is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 6th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 113,581 degrees were awarded to students with this major. 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.

This year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 40 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

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. 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 Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois criminal justice students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. UChicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 29 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois criminal justice students whose families make $30-$48k list, UChicago has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $2,800 for Illinois Criminal Justice students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Chicago.

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 impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.

Full UChicago Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#2

Moraine Valley Community College

Palos Hills, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Moraine Valley Community College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. MVCC is a public institution located in Palos Hills, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 52 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois criminal justice students whose families make $30-$48k list, MVCC has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend MVCC is $1,513 for Illinois Criminal Justice students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full MVCC 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 $30-$48k. This medium-sized school is located in Elgin, Illinois, and it awarded 29 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at ECC, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $3,717 for Illinois Criminal Justice students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend ECC.

Full Elgin Community College Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#4

William Rainey Harper College

Palatine, Illinois
#14 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend William Rainey Harper College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Harper College is a fairly large school located in Palatine, Illinois that handed out 40 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Harper College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Harper College is $6,497 for illinois criminal justice students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Harper College Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#5

South Suburban College

South Holland, Illinois

Out of the 40 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, South Suburban College landed the #5 spot on the list. South Suburban College is a small public school situated in South Holland, Illinois. It awarded 23 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

SSC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend South Suburban College is $5,169 for illinois criminal justice students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at SSC

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. This fairly large school is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, and 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 yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $9,938 for illinois criminal justice students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at SIUE

#7

Kankakee Community College

Kankakee, Illinois

Kankakee Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Kankakee, Illinois, this small public school handed out 48 degrees to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,045 for Illinois Criminal Justice students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Kankakee Community College.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Kankakee Community College

#8

Triton College

River Grove, Illinois

Triton College landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Triton College is a medium-sized school located in River Grove, Illinois that handed out 18 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $4,579 for illinois criminal justice students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Triton College.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Triton College

#9

College of Lake County

Grayslake, Illinois

College of Lake County landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. College of Lake County is located in Grayslake, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 36 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $4,136 for illinois criminal justice students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend College of Lake County.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at College of Lake County

With a ranking of #10, Lewis and Clark Community College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Lewis and Clark Community College is a small public school situated in Godfrey, Illinois. It awarded 38 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Lewis and Clark Community College is $3,658 for illinois criminal justice students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. UIC is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 207 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois criminal justice students whose families make $30-$48k list, UIC has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $11,185 for Illinois Criminal Justice students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UIC.

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

#12

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

Governors State University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in University Park, Illinois, this small public school handed out 69 degrees to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

GSU also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $12,046 for Illinois Criminal Justice students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend GSU.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at GSU

#13

University of Illinois at Springfield

Springfield, Illinois

University of Illinois at Springfield came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Springfield, Illinois, this small public school handed out 20 degrees to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIS, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $8,323 for Illinois Criminal Justice students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Illinois at Springfield.

Full University of Illinois at Springfield Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#14

Morton College

Cicero, Illinois

Morton College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Cicero, Illinois, and it awarded 32 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Morton College is $3,769 for Illinois Criminal Justice students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Morton College

#15

Southwestern Illinois College

Belleville, Illinois

Southwestern Illinois College landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Belleville, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 132 diplomas to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,762 for Illinois Criminal Justice students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Southwestern Illinois College.

Full SWIC Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#16

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Macomb, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminal justice degrees to 344 students in 2019-2020.

WIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Western Illinois University is $14,526 for Illinois Criminal Justice students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Western Illinois University Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#17

Lincoln Land Community College

Springfield, Illinois

Lincoln Land Community College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #17. Lincoln Land Community College is a small public school situated in Springfield, Illinois. It awarded 2 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Lincoln Land Community College is $4,819 for illinois criminal justice students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at LLCC

#18

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

With a ranking of #18, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school handed out 167 degrees to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

Illinois State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State University is $14,999 for illinois criminal justice students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Full Illinois State University Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#19

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #19, Saint Xavier University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. SXU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 41 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois criminal justice students whose families make $30-$48k list, SXU has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Saint Xavier University is $11,962 for illinois criminal justice students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Saint Xavier University

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k 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 $14,306 for Illinois Criminal Justice students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#21

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois

Aurora University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #21. This medium-sized school is located in Aurora, Illinois, and it awarded 67 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Aurora also took the #8 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $13,845 for Illinois Criminal Justice students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Aurora.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Aurora Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#22

McHenry County College

Crystal Lake, Illinois

McHenry County College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. MCC is a public institution located in Crystal Lake, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for MCC is $6,143 for Illinois Criminal Justice students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at McHenry County College

#23

Oakton Community College

Des Plaines, Illinois

Oakton Community College landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Oakton Community College is a medium-sized public school situated in Des Plaines, Illinois. It awarded 10 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,985 for illinois criminal justice students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Oakton Community College.

Full Oakton Community College Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#24

Lewis University

Romeoville, Illinois

Lewis University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #24. Lewis is located in Romeoville, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 154 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

Lewis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $13,377 for illinois criminal justice students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Lewis University.

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 University

#25

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois

University of St Francis landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Saint Francis is a private not-for-profit institution located in Joliet, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Saint Francis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Saint Francis is $11,229 for illinois criminal justice students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 Saint Francis

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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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