by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 113,121 criminal justice and corrections students received their degree, making the major the 7th most popular in the country. In 2019-2020, criminal justice and corrections graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $35,465 and had an average of $25,425 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 13,463 criminal justice and corrections graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,578 and $23,701 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 272 colleges that offered a degree in criminal justice and corrections. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular criminal justice and corrections programs in the United States.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Purdue University Global. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region. Purdue University Global is a large public school situated in Indianapolis, Indiana. It awarded 876 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Purdue University Global
Out of the 272 schools in the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Gateway Community College landed the #2 spot on the list. Steubenville, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminal justice degrees to 572 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Eastern Gateway Community College
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ferris State University. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region. Ferris State University is a fairly large school located in Big Rapids, Michigan that handed out 386 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Ferris State University Criminal Justice & Corrections Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Cincinnati - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region list. UC is a public institution located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 373 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad 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%.
Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Illinois University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 305 degrees to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
Ivy Tech Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it awarded 581 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Ivy Tech Community College
With a ranking of #7, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Illinois at Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 203 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Kent State University at Kent landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Kent State is located in Kent, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 191 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Kent State University at Kent
Michigan State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #9. Michigan State is a large school located in East Lansing, Michigan that handed out 180 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
With a ranking of #10, Union Institute & University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Union is a small school located in Cincinnati, Ohio that handed out 178 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%.
Illinois State University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 159 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Illinois State University Criminal Justice & Corrections Report
Grand Valley State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #12. Allendale, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminal justice degrees to 156 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.
Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is located in Indianapolis, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 151 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Criminal Justice & Corrections Report
University of Wisconsin - Platteville landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Wisconsin - Platteville is a medium-sized school located in Platteville, Wisconsin that handed out 151 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at University of Wisconsin - Platteville
Lewis University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Romeoville, Illinois, and it awarded 145 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Lewis University
Ball State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. Ball State University is located in Muncie, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 128 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Ball State University
Wayne State University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Wayne State University is a large public school situated in Detroit, Michigan. It awarded 124 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #18, University of Toledo did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Toledo is a public institution located in Toledo, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 122 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at University of Toledo
Youngstown State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Youngstown, Ohio, and it awarded 118 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Youngstown State University Criminal Justice & Corrections Report
With a ranking of #20, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 115 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad 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 Indiana University - Bloomington Criminal Justice & Corrections Report
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee ranked #21 on this year’s Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region list. UWM is a public institution located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 112 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Bowling Green State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #22. BGSU is a fairly large public school situated in Bowling Green, Ohio. It awarded 110 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
Western Michigan University landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. WMU is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 106 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Western Michigan University
Vincennes University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #23. Vincennes, Indiana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminal justice degrees to 110 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Vincennes University
Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 96 diplomas to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.
Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Loyola University Chicago
Not only did these schools make the top 41 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
