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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections in Texas

43 Ranked Colleges
4,591 Degrees Awarded
$12,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor's in Texas

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas” ranking as one item you can use to help make this 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 Texas, there were 8,895 criminal justice and corrections graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,704 and $25,140 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,591 criminal justice and corrections graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas” ranking analyzed 43 colleges that offered a degree 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.

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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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 in Texas

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

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections in Texas

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas. UT Rio Grande Valley is a large public school situated in Edinburg, Texas. It awarded 425 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Rio Grande Valley also took the #3 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is $4,514 for Texas Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

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%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at UT Rio Grande Valley

#2

Sam Houston State University

Huntsville, Texas

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Sam Houston State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas list. SHSU is a large school located in Huntsville, Texas that handed out 852 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

SHSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” list. It costs about $14,617 for texas bachelor’s degree criminal justice students per year to attend SHSU.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Sam Houston State University

Out of the 43 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A & M University - Central Texas landed the #3 spot on the list. Texas A & M University - Central Texas is located in Killeen, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 35 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

Texas A & M University - Central Texas not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” list.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Texas A & M University - Central Texas

#4

Tarleton State University

Stephenville, Texas

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Tarleton State University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas list. Tarleton State University is a fairly large public school situated in Stephenville, Texas. It awarded 150 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Tarleton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” list. It costs about $18,979 for Texas Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students per year to attend Tarleton State University.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Tarleton

Out of the 43 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at San Antonio landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in San Antonio, Texas, and it awarded 283 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

UTSA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” list. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at San Antonio is $13,853 for Texas Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

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

University of Houston - Downtown landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas ranking. University of Houston - Downtown is a fairly large public school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 223 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UH Downtown, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Houston - Downtown is $6,848 for Texas Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

Full UH Downtown Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

With a ranking of #7, University of North Texas at Dallas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas list. UNT Dallas is a small public school situated in Dallas, Texas. It awarded 78 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

UNT Dallas also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Texas at Dallas is $8,488 for Texas Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

Full UNT Dallas Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

University of North Texas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas ranking, coming in at #8. University of North Texas is located in Denton, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 261 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our texas bachelor’s degree criminal justice students list, UNT has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of North Texas is $15,086 for Texas Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at University of North Texas

#9

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas

Texas State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas list. Texas State is a large public school situated in San Marcos, Texas. It awarded 304 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas State, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Texas State University is $15,230 for texas bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

Full Texas State University Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

Texas A&M International University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas ranking. 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.

Texas A&M International University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” list. The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M International University is $3,074 for Texas Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Texas A&M International University

The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas ranking, coming in at #11. This large school is located in Arlington, Texas, and it awarded 196 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Arlington also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $14,246 for texas bachelor’s degree criminal justice students per year to attend The University of Texas at Arlington.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at UT Arlington

#12

Lamar University

Beaumont, Texas

Lamar University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas ranking. Lamar University is a fairly large public school situated in Beaumont, Texas. It awarded 97 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Lamar University also took the #17 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” ranking. It costs about $12,311 for Texas Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students per year to attend Lamar University.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Lamar University

The University of Texas at Tyler ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas list. The University of Texas at Tyler is a medium-sized public school situated in Tyler, Texas. It awarded 42 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Tyler not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” list. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Tyler is $10,974 for Texas Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at The University of Texas at Tyler

#14

Angelo State University

San Angelo, Texas

Angelo State University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas ranking. Located in San Angelo, Texas, this fairly large public school handed out 48 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our texas bachelor’s degree criminal justice students list, Angelo State has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Angelo State University is $13,819 for texas bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Angelo State University

The University of Texas at El Paso came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas ranking. UTEP is a large school located in El Paso, Texas that handed out 283 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

UTEP not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” list. It costs about $8,920 for texas bachelor’s degree criminal justice students per year to attend UTEP.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at The University of Texas at El Paso

#16

West Texas A&M University

Canyon, Texas

West Texas A&M University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas ranking. West Texas A&M University is located in Canyon, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 47 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for West Texas A&M University is $12,761 for Texas Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

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

#17

Texas Woman's University

Denton, Texas

Texas Woman’s University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas ranking, coming in at #17. This fairly large school is located in Denton, Texas, and it awarded 34 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

TWU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” list. It costs about $9,617 for Texas Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students per year to attend Texas Woman’s University.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Texas Woman’s University

#18

MSU Texas

Wichita Falls, Texas

With a ranking of #18, MSU Texas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas list. MSU Texas is located in Wichita Falls, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 44 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at MSU Texas, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” ranking. It costs about $10,045 for texas bachelor’s degree criminal justice students per year to attend MSU Texas.

Full MSU Texas Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

Stephen F Austin State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas ranking, coming in at #19. This fairly large school is located in Nacogdoches, Texas, and it awarded 48 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

SFASU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” list. The yearly cost to attend SFASU is $13,723 for texas bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at SFASU

University of Houston - Victoria ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas list. University of Houston - Victoria is a small public school situated in Victoria, Texas. It awarded 43 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,967 for texas bachelor’s degree criminal justice students per year to attend University of Houston - Victoria.

Full UH Victoria Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#21

Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi, Texas

Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas ranking, coming in at #21. Corpus Christi, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 83 students in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M Corpus Christi did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” list. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi is $16,332 for texas bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi

University of Phoenix - Texas ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas list. This small school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,237 for Texas Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students per year to attend University of Phoenix - Texas.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at UOPX - Texas

#23

Prairie View A & M University

Prairie View, Texas

Prairie View A & M University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas ranking, coming in at #23. PVAMU is a medium-sized public school situated in Prairie View, Texas. It awarded 94 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,582 for texas bachelor’s degree criminal justice students per year to attend PVAMU.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Prairie View A & M University

Texas A&M University - Commerce came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas ranking. This fairly large school is located in Commerce, Texas, and it awarded 79 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M University - Commerce is $13,017 for texas bachelor’s degree criminal justice students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Texas A&M University - Commerce

#25

Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, Texas

Wayland Baptist University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas list. Plainview, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 75 students in 2019-2020.

Wayland Baptist University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” list. The estimated yearly cost for Wayland Baptist University is $25,152 for Texas Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Wayland Baptist University

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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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