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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections (Income $48-$75k)

648 Ranked Colleges
51,953 Degrees Awarded
$32,434 Avg Salary
Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $48-$75k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that 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.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 51,953 criminal justice and corrections graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 648 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

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.

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 for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k”.

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 for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections (Income $48-$75k)

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. UT Rio Grande Valley is a large school located in Edinburg, Texas that handed out 425 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UT Rio Grande Valley also did well on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is $6,405 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at UT Rio Grande Valley

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend John Jay College of Criminal Justice. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. John Jay is located in New York, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1,582 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

John Jay also took the #21 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $7,751 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend John Jay.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at John Jay

Out of the 648 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #3 spot on the list. Cal State LA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 307 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Cal State LA is also in the top of our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $5,644 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Cal State LA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Florida International University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Florida International University is a public institution located in Miami, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 600 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

FIU excels when it comes to criminal justice quality. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend FIU is $10,298 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at FIU

Out of the 648 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M International University landed the #5 spot on the list. Laredo, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 190 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M International University is $3,809 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

#6

American Public University System

Charles Town, West Virginia

American Public University System landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. American Military University is a private for-profit institution located in Charles Town, West Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 542 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $48-$75k list, American Military University has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,461 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend American Military University.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%.

Full American Military University Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

University of Central Florida landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UCF is a large public school situated in Orlando, Florida. It awarded 483 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, UCF is in the top on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $11,161 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Central Florida.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UCF Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#8

The University of West Florida

Pensacola, Florida

The University of West Florida came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Pensacola, Florida, this fairly large public school awarded 81 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,511 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend The University of West Florida.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at UWF

#9

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida

With a ranking of #9, Florida State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Florida State University is a large school located in Tallahassee, Florida that handed out 537 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $48-$75k list, Florida State has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Florida State University is $10,583 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Florida State University Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

With a ranking of #10, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large public school situated in Carson, California. It awarded 203 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUDH is $6,907 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at CSUDH

California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #11. Stan State is a fairly large school located in Turlock, California that handed out 223 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $7,772 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Full Stan State Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

California State University - Fullerton ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school handed out 334 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, Cal State Fullerton is in the top on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $9,427 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Fullerton Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#13

Oakland City University

Oakland City, Indiana

Oakland City University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Oakland City, Indiana, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 15 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, Oakland City is in the top on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Oakland City University is $13,239 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

#14

University of Minnesota - Crookston

Crookston, Minnesota

University of Minnesota - Crookston did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #14. This small school is located in Crookston, Minnesota, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Crookston is $8,680 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at UMN Crookston

#15

Indian River State College

Fort Pierce, Florida

With a ranking of #15, Indian River State College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Indian River State College is a public institution located in Fort Pierce, Florida. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 71 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Indian River State College is $3,889 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Indian River State College

#16

University of Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming

University of Wyoming came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Laramie, Wyoming is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 71 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UW is $11,491 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 University of Wyoming Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#17

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #17. Bloomington, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 117 students in 2019-2020.

IU Bloomington also claimed a top spot on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for IU Bloomington is $12,060 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

#18

Franklin University

Columbus, Ohio

Franklin University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 20 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Franklin University is $11,869 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Franklin University Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#19

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. San Bernardino, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 294 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUSB is $8,924 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at CSUSB

With a ranking of #20, The University of Texas at San Antonio did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. San Antonio, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 283 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UTSA is $13,827 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

#21

Citadel Military College of South Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina

Citadel Military College of South Carolina landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This small school is located in Charleston, South Carolina, and it awarded 64 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

On top of its placing in this ranking, The Citadel also did well on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend The Citadel is $15,483 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Full The Citadel Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

University of Nevada - Las Vegas ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Nevada - Las Vegas is a large school located in Las Vegas, Nevada that handed out 268 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

UNLV also claimed a top spot on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for UNLV is $12,470 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at UNLV

University of North Texas at Dallas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #23. Dallas, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 78 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of North Texas at Dallas is $9,127 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full University of North Texas at Dallas Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#24

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Platteville, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Platteville landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UW - Platteville is located in Platteville, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 121 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $48-$75k list, UW - Platteville has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Platteville is $15,152 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at UW - Platteville

#25

Elizabeth City State University

Elizabeth City, North Carolina

Elizabeth City State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This small school is located in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,930 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend ECSU.

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

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#26

University of North Georgia

Dahlonega, Georgia
#27

University of North Florida

Jacksonville, Florida
#29

Minot State University

Minot, North Dakota
#30

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, Minnesota
#32

Ferris State University

Big Rapids, Michigan
#33

Heritage University

Toppenish, Washington
#34

Winona State University

Winona, Minnesota
#36

Truman State University

Kirksville, Missouri
#38

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia
#39

Florida Gulf Coast University

Fort Myers, Florida
#40

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas
#41

St. Joseph's College - New York

Brooklyn, New York
#43

Polk State College

Winter Haven, Florida
#44

Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, Florida
#45

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky
#46

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts
#49

Dalton State College

Dalton, Georgia
#49

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Eau Claire, Wisconsin

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k

While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

Rank College Location
51 Washington State University Pullman, WA
52 The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX
53 MSU Texas Wichita Falls, TX
54 University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE
55 University of Wisconsin - Parkside Kenosha, WI
56 Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI
57 Rhode Island College Providence, RI
58 Texas Woman’s University Denton, TX
59 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Edwardsville, IL
60 University of Phoenix - Arizona Tempe, AZ
61 Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX
62 Mansfield University of Pennsylvania Mansfield, PA
63 University of North Texas Denton, TX
64 Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI
65 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
Rank College Location
66 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
67 Governors State University University Park, IL
68 University of Illinois at Springfield Springfield, IL
69 Worcester State University Worcester, MA
70 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND
71 University of Massachusetts - Lowell Lowell, MA
72 Southwest Minnesota State University Marshall, MN
73 Appalachian State University Boone, NC
74 Monroe College Bronx, NY
75 Utah Valley University Orem, UT
76 Weber State University Ogden, UT
77 The University of Texas at Tyler Tyler, TX
78 Western Illinois University Macomb, IL
79 University of Phoenix - California Costa Mesa, CA
80 University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD
81 Bemidji State University Bemidji, MN
82 Nevada State College Henderson, NV
83 University of Puerto Rico - Carolina Carolina, PR
84 University of Michigan - Dearborn Dearborn, MI
85 Fort Hays State University Hays, KS
86 Louisiana State University - Alexandria Alexandria, LA
86 Northeastern State University Tahlequah, OK
88 North Dakota State University - Main Campus Fargo, ND
89 Marshall University Huntington, WV
90 Southeastern Oklahoma State University Durant, OK
Rank College Location
91 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
92 University of Houston - Victoria Victoria, TX
93 Indiana University - South Bend South Bend, IN
93 University of Alaska Anchorage Anchorage, AK
95 Lewis - Clark State College Lewiston, ID
95 Medaille College Buffalo, NY
97 Fayetteville State University Fayetteville, NC
98 McNeese State University Lake Charles, LA
98 Augusta University Augusta, GA

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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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