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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections in Illinois (With Aid)

9 Ranked Colleges
176 Degrees Awarded
$20,500 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master's in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

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 Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” 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.

Across Illinois, there were 2,972 criminal justice and corrections graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,492 and $25,635 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 176 criminal justice and corrections graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 9 colleges that offered 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.

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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid.

Top 9 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections in Illinois (With Aid)

#1

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Governors State University landed the #1 spot on the list. University Park, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s criminal justice degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at GSU, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at GSU are $14,674, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Governors State University

#4 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s criminal justice degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIC are $27,036, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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

#3

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Illinois University landed the #3 spot on the list. Western Illinois University is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 49 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Western Illinois University are $11,996, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Western Illinois University Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Edwardsville, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified masters’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree criminal justice students with aid list, SIUE has also earned the #0 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SIUE are $9,300, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at SIUE

#5

Lewis University

Romeoville, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lewis University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Lewis is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Romeoville, Illinois. It awarded 45 masters’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Lewis also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Lewis University are $14,780.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Lewis University

#6

Chicago State University

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago State University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Chicago State University is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 12 masters’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree criminal justice students with aid list, CSU has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at CSU are $15,056, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full CSU Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#7

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Illinois State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Illinois State is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 7 masters’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #5. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois State University are $11,069.

Full Illinois State University Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#8

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 29 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Chicago are $61,548.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at UChicago

#9

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Loyola University Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 masters’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

Loyola Chicago also took the #6 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Loyola University Chicago are $19,154, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Loyola Chicago

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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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