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2023 Most Popular Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections in the Southwest Region

193 Ranked Colleges
16,306 Degrees Awarded
$25,900 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Criminal Justice & Corrections is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 7th of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 113,121 degrees were awarded to students with this major. 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 Southwest region, there were 16,306 criminal justice and corrections graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,694 and $26,138 respectively.

This year’s “Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region” ranking looked at 193 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in criminal justice and corrections. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in criminal justice and corrections.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 Southwest Region” 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region”.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Phoenix - Arizona. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region. University of Phoenix - Arizona is a large private for-profit school situated in Tempe, Arizona. It awarded 1,554 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at UOPX - Arizona

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Sam Houston State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region list. Located in Huntsville, Texas, this large public school awarded 1,031 diplomas to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at SHSU

3

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 #3 for the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region. UT Rio Grande Valley is a large school located in Edinburg, Texas that handed out 544 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UT Rio Grande Valley Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Arizona State University - Skysong. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region. Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, this large public school handed out 444 diplomas to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Arizona State University - Skysong Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

5
Grand Canyon University crest
Grand Canyon University
Phoenix, Arizona

Out of the 193 schools in the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Grand Canyon University landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Phoenix, Arizona, and it awarded 419 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Grand Canyon University

6

With a ranking of #6, American InterContinental University - Online did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region list. American InterContinental University - Online is a private for-profit institution located in Schaumburg, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 391 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at American InterContinental University - Online

7

Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #7. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large public school situated in Tempe, Arizona. It awarded 414 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, 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%.

Full Arizona State University - Tempe Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

8
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, Texas

Texas State University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region list. San Marcos, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminal justice degrees to 365 students in 2020-2021.

Full Texas State Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

9

The University of Texas at San Antonio landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region ranking. The University of Texas at San Antonio is a large public school situated in San Antonio, Texas. It awarded 338 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UTSA Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

10
South Texas College crest
South Texas College
McAllen, Texas

With a ranking of #10, South Texas College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region list. This large school is located in McAllen, Texas, and it awarded 358 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at South Texas College

11

University of North Texas came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region ranking. UNT is located in Denton, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 296 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full University of North Texas Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

12

El Paso Community College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in El Paso, Texas, this large public school awarded 321 degrees to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at El Paso Community College

13

With a ranking of #13, The University of Texas at El Paso did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region list. Located in El Paso, Texas, this large public school awarded 259 diplomas to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.

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

14

University of Houston - Downtown came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region ranking. UH Downtown is a fairly large school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 269 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 University of Houston - Downtown

15

Texas A&M International University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Laredo, Texas, and it awarded 224 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.

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

16
Tarleton crest
Tarleton State University
Stephenville, Texas

Tarleton State University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Tarleton is a public institution located in Stephenville, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 221 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Tarleton State University Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

17

With a ranking of #17, The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region list. UT Arlington is a public institution located in Arlington, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 190 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.

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

18
Lamar University crest
Lamar University
Beaumont, Texas

Lamar University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #18. This fairly large school is located in Beaumont, Texas, and it awarded 181 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Lamar University Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

19
El Centro College crest
El Centro College
Dallas, Texas

El Centro College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Dallas, Texas, this large public school handed out 324 diplomas to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at El Centro College

20
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

University of Arizona landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Tucson, Arizona, this large public school awarded 168 diplomas to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full University of Arizona Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

21
North Harris Montgomery crest
Lone Star College System
The Woodlands, Texas

Lone Star College System did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #21. North Harris Montgomery is a public institution located in The Woodlands, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 163 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Lone Star College System Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

22

With a ranking of #22, New Mexico State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region list. This fairly large school is located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and it awarded 150 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at NMSU Main Campus

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Prairie View A & M University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #24. This medium-sized school is located in Prairie View, Texas, and it awarded 140 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Prairie View A & M University

25

University of New Mexico - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #25. This large school is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and it awarded 128 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at UNM

Rest of the Best 30 in Most Well Attended Criminal Justice Major in the Southwest Region

Not only did these schools make the top 30 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

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Notes and References

References

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