2023 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Illinois
19
Ranked Colleges
1,658
Degrees Awarded
$35,382
Avg Salary
Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice for a Bachelor’s” ranking - to help you make that decision.
With 113,121 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, criminal justice and corrections is the 7th most popular major in the United States. 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 Illinois, there were 3,037 criminal justice and corrections graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,966 and $27,282 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,658 criminal justice and corrections graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,117 and $25,584 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice for a Bachelor’s” ranking analyzed 19 colleges that offered a degree in criminal justice and corrections. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality criminal justice and corrections programs as well as strong veteran support.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the criminal justice and corrections program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. 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 “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice for a Bachelor’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice for a Bachelor’s
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice for a Bachelor’s”.
Top 19 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Illinois
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lewis University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice for a Bachelor’s list. Lewis University is a medium-sized school located in Romeoville, Illinois that handed out 97 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
Lewis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Of the 6,437 students enrolled at Lewis University, 23 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 16 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,559. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Lewis University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Edwardsville, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 92 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree vets studying criminal justice list, SIUE has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Among the 12,860 students enrolled at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 3 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $23,082. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Read More…
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice for a Bachelor’s list. UIC is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 192 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Among the 33,518 students enrolled at UIC, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $23,878. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 veteran student life at University of Illinois at Chicago]](/colleges/university-of-illinois-at-chicago/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Illinois State University is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 145 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
Illinois State also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3.According to our most recent data, Illinois State supports 20,720 students, and 530 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 163 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,997. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Illinois University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice for a Bachelor’s list. WIU is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 258 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
WIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Our most recent data shows that 330 of the 7,490 students enrolled at Western Illinois University were GI Bill® students, of which 62 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,652. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at WIU]](/colleges/western-illinois-university/student-life/veterans/)
Loyola University Chicago landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice for a Bachelor’s ranking. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 87 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
Loyola Chicago also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4.Our most recent data shows that 261 of the 16,893 students enrolled at Loyola University Chicago were GI Bill® students, of which 165 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $17,263. On top of their other funding sources, 78 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 veteran student life at Loyola Chicago]](/colleges/loyola-university-chicago/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #7, Aurora University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice for a Bachelor’s list. Aurora University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Aurora, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 66 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Aurora not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Our most recent data shows that 3 of the 6,265 students enrolled at Aurora University were GI Bill® students, of which 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,999. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Aurora University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 Veteran Student Life Report
Benedictine University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice for a Bachelor’s ranking. Benedictine University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lisle, Illinois. It awarded 33 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
Benedictine U also took the #8 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Among the 3,779 students enrolled at Benedictine U, 89 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 66 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $9,915. To help with additional expenses, 10 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
Governors State University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice for a Bachelor’s ranking. GSU is a public institution located in University Park, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
GSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.According to our most recent data, Governors State University supports 4,650 students, and 146 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 80 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,291. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Governors State University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Full Governors State University Veteran Student Life Report
Elmhurst University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #10. Elmhurst is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Elmhurst, Illinois. It awarded 31 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree vets studying criminal justice list, Elmhurst has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, Elmhurst University supports 3,421 students, and 77 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 57 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,985. During this same period, 7 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Elmhurst University Veteran Student Life Report
Saint Xavier University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice for a Bachelor’s ranking. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
SXU also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #12.According to our most recent data, SXU supports 3,764 students, and 65 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 49 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $11,740. On top of their other funding sources, 3 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Full Saint Xavier University Veteran Student Life Report
Northeastern Illinois University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 51 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
Northeastern Illinois University also took the #15 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, Northeastern Illinois University supports 7,119 students, and 147 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 83 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,460. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Read More…
Chicago State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #13. Chicago State University is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 32 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
CSU also took the #18 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Of the 2,644 students enrolled at CSU, 94 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 48 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,489. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read More…
Roosevelt University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice for a Bachelor’s ranking. Roosevelt is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 24 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Roosevelt, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Of the 4,680 students enrolled at Roosevelt University, 95 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 43 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,071. To help with additional expenses, 20 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Roosevelt University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Roosevelt University]](/colleges/roosevelt-university/student-life/veterans/)
Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 29 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree vets studying criminal justice list, Olivet Nazarene has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Among the 3,764 students enrolled at Olivet Nazarene, 57 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 35 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,334. To help with additional expenses, 11 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Olivet Nazarene Veteran Student Life Report
University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #16. University of Illinois at Springfield is a small public school situated in Springfield, Illinois. It awarded 20 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
UIS did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.According to our most recent data, UIS supports 4,146 students, and 214 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 106 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,253. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Illinois at Springfield Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #17, DeVry University - Illinois did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private for-profit school handed out 25 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at DeVry University - Illinois, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 53 of the 20,832 students enrolled at DeVry University - Illinois were GI Bill® students, of which 40 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,929. In addition to receiving other benefits, 1 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Full DeVry University - Illinois Veteran Student Life Report
North Park University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice for a Bachelor’s ranking. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
North Park did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Our most recent data shows that 30 of the 2,831 students enrolled at North Park were GI Bill® students, of which 23 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $11,080. To help with additional expenses, 2 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read More…
Eureka College ranked #19 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice for a Bachelor’s list. Eureka College is located in Eureka, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
Eureka College also took the #19 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Of the 511 students enrolled at Eureka College, 10 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,176. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Eureka College]](/colleges/eureka-college/student-life/veterans/)
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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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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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