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2024 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois

26 Colleges in Illinois
3,037 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$37,966 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #7 in popularity, criminal justice & corrections is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 26 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,037 degrees in criminal justice & corrections during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Criminal Justice & Corrections School

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois The criminal justice program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Criminal Justice & Corrections rankings. For our Best Overall Criminal Justice & Corrections School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Criminal Justice & Corrections Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Criminal Justice
Bachelor's Degrees in Criminal Justice
Master's Degrees in Criminal Justice
Doctor's Degrees in Criminal Justice

The criminal justice school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.


 

Best Schools for Criminal Justice & Corrections in Illinois

The schools below may not offer all types of criminal justice degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Illinois Schools in Criminal Justice

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$99,684 Median Starting Salary

University of Chicago is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in criminal justice & corrections. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were approximately 23 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the criminal justice & corrections degree program at University of Chicago earn $61,718 more than the standard college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from University of Chicago

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
203 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$34,572 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in criminal justice & corrections needs to look into University of Illinois at Chicago. Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.

There were about 203 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, criminal justice degree recipients typically earn around $34,572 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from University of Illinois at Chicago

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
159 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$36,805 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in criminal justice & corrections needs to take a look at Illinois State University. Illinois State is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Normal. A Best Colleges rank of #231 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.

There were about 159 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program report average early career income of $36,805.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Illinois State University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
305 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$43,995 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in criminal justice & corrections has to check out Western Illinois University. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 39th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 305 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at WIU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the criminal justice & corrections major at Western Illinois University earn $6,029 more than the typical graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Western Illinois University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
96 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
2.1% Growth in Graduates

Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #137 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.

There were approximately 96 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program report average early career income of $36,200.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Loyola University Chicago

6
Lewis crest
Lewis University
Romeoville, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
145 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$33,463 Median Starting Salary

Lewis is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Romeoville. A Best Colleges rank of #587 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Lewis is a great university overall.

There were approximately 145 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Lewis in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, criminal justice degree recipients usually make about $33,463 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Lewis University

7
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
74 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
9.5% Growth in Graduates

Aurora is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Aurora. A Best Colleges rank of #354 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Aurora is a great university overall.

There were roughly 74 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Aurora in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program report average early career wages of $33,959.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Aurora University

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
94 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$33,961 Median Starting Salary

SIUE is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Edwardsville. A Best Colleges rank of #703 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SIUE is a great university overall.

There were approximately 94 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at SIUE in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, criminal justice degree recipients generally make around $33,961 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
33 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
27.3% Growth in Graduates

Benedictine U is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Lisle. A Best Colleges rank of #595 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Benedictine U is a great university overall.

There were roughly 33 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Benedictine U in the most recent year we have data available. Criminal Justice & Corrections degree recipients from Benedictine University receive an earnings boost of around $3,826 over the average earnings of criminal justice & corrections majors.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Benedictine University

10
Elmhurst crest
Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, IL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
77.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Elmhurst, Elmhurst is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #403 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Elmhurst is a great university overall.

There were approximately 31 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Elmhurst in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the criminal justice program earn around $32,970 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Elmhurst University

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 2,094
Ohio 314 2,798
Indiana 294 2,197
Wisconsin 273 1,134

View All Rankings >

One of 4 majors within the Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting area of study, Criminal Justice & Corrections has other similar majors worth exploring.

Criminal Justice Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Criminal Justice Studies 1,158
Criminal Justice & Police Science 787
Criminal Justice 526
Criminal Justice and Corrections, General 427
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice 55
Security & Loss Prevention Services 39
Securities Services Administration/Management 26
Corrections 16
Juvenile Corrections 3

View All Criminal Justice Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fire Protection 597
Homeland Security 257
Security Science and Technology 74
Other Homeland Security 7

View All Criminal Justice Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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