2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections in the Great Lakes Region
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 in the Great Lakes Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.
With 113,581 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, criminal justice and corrections is the 6th most popular major in the United States. 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 Great Lakes region, there were 13,233 criminal justice and corrections graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,369 and $24,187 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 6,361 criminal justice and corrections graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking looked at 100 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
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 in the Great Lakes Region”.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Union Institute & University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Union is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 146 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Union, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Union is $16,585 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.
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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Purdue University Global. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. This large school is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it awarded 396 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students list, Purdue University Global has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.
Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Purdue University Global
Out of the 100 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Platteville landed the #3 spot on the list. 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.
UW - Platteville did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $15,718 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Platteville.
Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at University of Wisconsin - Platteville
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Herzing University - Brookfield. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Herzing University - Brookfield is a private not-for-profit institution located in Brookfield, Wisconsin. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Herzing University - Brookfield also took the #2 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $22,628 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students per year to attend Herzing University - Brookfield.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.
Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Herzing University - Brookfield
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Illinois University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. WIU is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 291 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.
WIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $16,210 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students per year to attend WIU.
With a ranking of #6, Ferris State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Big Rapids, Michigan, this fairly large public school awarded 288 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.
Ferris did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Ferris is $12,889 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.
With a ranking of #7, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. UW Oshkosh is a fairly large school located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin that handed out 50 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.
UW Oshkosh also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #14. The estimated yearly cost for UW Oshkosh is $15,463 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.
Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #8. Eau Claire, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 67 students in 2019-2020.
UW - Eau Claire also took the #9 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW - Eau Claire is $16,020 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.
Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at UW - Eau Claire
With a ranking of #9, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 130 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for SIUE is $14,423 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.
Herzing University - Akron landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Herzing University - Akron is a small school located in Akron, Ohio that handed out 7 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.
Herzing Akron did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Herzing Akron is $22,416 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.
Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Herzing Akron
Herzing University - Madison landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.
Herzing University - Madison also took the #23 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Herzing University - Madison is $24,205 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.
Full Herzing University - Madison Criminal Justice & Corrections Report
University of Wisconsin - Parkside ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and it awarded 76 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Parkside is $11,327 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.
Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at University of Wisconsin - Parkside
Grand Valley State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Allendale, Michigan, this large public school handed out 165 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students list, GVSU has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for GVSU is $17,646 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Grand Valley State University
Youngstown State University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Youngstown State University is a fairly large school located in Youngstown, Ohio that handed out 110 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Youngstown State University is $11,947 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.
Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Youngstown State University
Lake Superior State University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Lake Superior State University is a public institution located in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 44 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $12,398 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students per year to attend Lake Superior State University.
Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Lake Superior State University
Illinois State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 160 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.
Illinois State also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $20,895 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students per year to attend Illinois State.
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%.
Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Illinois State University
Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for SIUC is $16,945 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.
Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. IWU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Marion, Indiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 45 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global is $22,207 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.
Full Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global Criminal Justice & Corrections Report
Franklin University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Franklin University is $12,895 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.
Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Franklin University
Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It awarded 15 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.
The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Western Michigan University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Western Michigan University is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 112 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $19,433 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students per year to attend WMU.
Herzing University - Kenosha did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #22. Herzing University - Kenosha is located in Kenosha, Wisconsin and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Herzing University - Kenosha is $21,257 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.
Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Herzing University - Kenosha
Governors State University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in University Park, Illinois, this small public school handed out 63 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for GSU is $12,077 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #24. University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is a public institution located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 96 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend UWM is $17,876 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.
DeVry University - Illinois did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #25. DeVry University - Illinois is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 41 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for DeVry University - Illinois is $28,551 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.
Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at DeVry University - Illinois
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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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