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2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois

24 Ranked Colleges
1,786 Degrees Awarded
$19,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois

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 in Illinois” 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 Illinois, there were 2,972 criminal justice and corrections graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,492 and $25,635 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,786 criminal justice and corrections graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 24 colleges that offer 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.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the criminal justice and corrections program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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 Bachelor’s in Illinois” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to 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 Bachelor’s in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois.

Top 24 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections in Illinois

#1

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Illinois State is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 160 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

Illinois State also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State University is $20,895 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

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%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Illinois State

#2

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Illinois University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 291 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WIU, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $16,210 for illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice students per year to attend Western Illinois University.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at WIU

#3

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Governors State University landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in University Park, Illinois, this small public school awarded 63 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

GSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Governors State University is $12,077 for illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

Full Governors State University Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 130 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice students list, SIUE has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $14,423 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students per year to attend SIUE.

Full SIUE Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #5 spot on the list. UIC is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 195 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $13,312 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students per year to attend UIC.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UIC Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

University of Illinois at Springfield came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. University of Illinois at Springfield is a small school located in Springfield, Illinois that handed out 20 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice students list, UIS has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Springfield is $12,477 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at University of Illinois at Springfield

#12 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

SIUC also took the #12 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SIUC is $16,945 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at SIUC

Northeastern Illinois University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Northeastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 44 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Northeastern Illinois University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $15,843 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students per year to attend Northeastern Illinois University.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Northeastern Illinois University

#9

DeVry University - Illinois

Chicago, Illinois

DeVry University - Illinois ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. DeVry University - Illinois is a private for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice students list, DeVry University - Illinois has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $28,551 for illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice students per year to attend DeVry University - Illinois.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at DeVry University - Illinois

#10

Lincoln College

Lincoln, Illinois

Lincoln College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Lincoln, Illinois, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Lincoln College also took the #18 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lincoln College is $21,797 for illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Lincoln College

#11

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois

Aurora University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Aurora is a medium-sized school located in Aurora, Illinois that handed out 67 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice students list, Aurora has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Aurora University is $17,215 for illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

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 Aurora University Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#12

Chicago State University

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #12, Chicago State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

CSU also took the #23 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Chicago State University is $11,733 for illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at CSU

#13

University of Phoenix - Illinois

Schaumburg, Illinois

With a ranking of #13, University of Phoenix - Illinois did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Schaumburg, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

UOPX - Illinois also took the #24 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.

The student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at UOPX - Illinois

#14

North Park University

Chicago, Illinois

North Park University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.

North Park not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for North Park is $19,170 for illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full North Park Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#15

Lewis University

Romeoville, Illinois

Lewis University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #15. Lewis University is a medium-sized school located in Romeoville, Illinois that handed out 109 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice students list, Lewis has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Lewis University is $18,664 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

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%.

Full Lewis Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#16

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois

With a ranking of #16, Bradley University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Bradley University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Peoria, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Bradley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Bradley University is $25,634 for illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, 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 86%.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Bradley

#17

Quincy University

Quincy, Illinois

Quincy University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Quincy University is located in Quincy, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice students list, Quincy U has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Quincy University is $17,497 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

Full Quincy University Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#18

Benedictine University

Lisle, Illinois

Benedictine University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Benedictine U is located in Lisle, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice students list, Benedictine U has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Benedictine U is $25,143 for illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

Full Benedictine University Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#19

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois

University of St Francis came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Joliet, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

University of Saint Francis also took the #13 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of St Francis is $17,538 for illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at University of St Francis

#20

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Olivet Nazarene is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bourbonnais, Illinois. It awarded 32 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Olivet Nazarene also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #17. It costs about $20,195 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students per year to attend Olivet Nazarene University.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 Olivet Nazarene University Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#21

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois

Saint Xavier University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Saint Xavier University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SXU also took the #16 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $14,528 for illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice students per year to attend SXU.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at SXU

#22

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois

Elmhurst University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Elmhurst, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.

Elmhurst also took the #10 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Elmhurst University is $21,485 for illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.0% 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 more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Elmhurst University

#23

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Roosevelt is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 34 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Roosevelt also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #21. The estimated yearly cost for Roosevelt is $22,749 for illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

Full Roosevelt University Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#24

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 83 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loyola Chicago, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Loyola University Chicago is $35,407 for illinois bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.

Read full report on 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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