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2023 Best Value Colleges for Criminology (With Aid)

133 Ranked Colleges
11,039 Degrees Awarded
$13,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2020-2021, 11,039 people earned their degree in criminology, making the major the 76th most popular in the United States.

This year’s “Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 133 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in criminology. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent criminology programs, but they also 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 criminology program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Criminology Schools

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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.

Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for criminology students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Criminology (With Aid)

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid. John Jay College of Criminal Justice is a fairly large school located in New York, New York that handed out 219 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $2,699 for Criminology students with aid per year to attend John Jay.

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 more about Criminology at John Jay

2
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid. University of Florida is a large public school situated in Gainesville, Florida. It awarded 179 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.

UF also took the #5 spot in our “Best Criminology Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UF is $5,135 for Criminology students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%.

Full University of Florida Criminology Report

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminology degrees to 404 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Fresno State, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Criminology Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $6,230 for criminology students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Criminology at California State University - Fresno

4

Out of the 133 schools in the Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of South Florida - Main Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. USF Tampa is located in Tampa, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 442 ’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

USF Tampa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Criminology Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend USF Tampa is $8,346 for Criminology students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Criminology at USF Tampa

5

Out of the 133 schools in the Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #5 spot on the list. UC Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 498 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our criminology students with aid list, UC Irvine has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Criminology Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $12,209 for Criminology students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminology at University of California - Irvine

6

University of Maryland - College Park landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. UMCP is located in College Park, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 346 ’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

UMCP not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Criminology Schools” list. It costs about $18,048 for Criminology students with aid per year to attend UMCP.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Maryland - College Park Criminology Report

7

University of Missouri - St Louis came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Saint Louis, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminology degrees to 107 students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend UMSL is $12,232 for Criminology students with aid.

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 Criminology at UMSL

8

The University of Texas at Dallas came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Richardson, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminology degrees to 74 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UT Dallas is also in the top of our “Best Criminology Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Criminology Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Dallas is $15,526 for criminology students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminology at UT Dallas

9
UD crest
University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware

University of Delaware landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Delaware is a large public school situated in Newark, Delaware. It awarded 138 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UD, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Criminology Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Delaware is $18,967 for Criminology students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Criminology at University of Delaware

10
NAU crest
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, Arizona

Northern Arizona University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Flagstaff, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminology degrees to 284 students in 2020-2021.

NAU also took the #15 spot in our “Best Criminology Schools” ranking. It costs about $14,308 for Criminology students with aid per year to attend NAU.

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%.

Full NAU Criminology Report

11

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 151 ’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

UMN Twin Cities also took the #6 spot in our “Best Criminology Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UMN Twin Cities is $17,878 for criminology students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Criminology Report

12

Central New Mexico Community College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Central New Mexico Community College is a fairly large school located in Albuquerque, New Mexico that handed out 81 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Central New Mexico Community College is $3,322 for Criminology students with aid.

Full Central New Mexico Community College Criminology Report

13

California State University - San Marcos did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. California State University - San Marcos is a fairly large public school situated in San Marcos, California. It awarded 266 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $13,218 for criminology students with aid per year to attend California State University - San Marcos.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminology at California State University - San Marcos

14

University of Nevada - Reno did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. UNR is a public institution located in Reno, Nevada. The school has a large population, and it awarded 177 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UNR also took the #13 spot in our “Best Criminology Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Nevada - Reno is $14,930 for criminology students with aid.

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 more about Criminology at UNR

15

University of Houston - Clear Lake ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 47 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend University of Houston - Clear Lake is $15,001 for criminology students with aid.

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%.

Read full report on Criminology at University of Houston - Clear Lake

16

University of Wisconsin - River Falls did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. UW - River Falls is a medium-sized public school situated in River Falls, Wisconsin. It awarded 41 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - River Falls is $13,844 for Criminology students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminology at UW - River Falls

17
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

University of Iowa landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Iowa is located in Iowa City, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 97 ’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

Iowa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Criminology Schools” list. It costs about $19,401 for Criminology students with aid per year to attend Iowa.

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 2.2% 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 Iowa Criminology Report

18
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah

University of Utah landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. U of U is a large public school situated in Salt Lake City, Utah. It awarded 124 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $13,572 for Criminology students with aid per year to attend University of Utah.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Utah Criminology Report

19
Indiana State crest
Indiana State University
Terre Haute, Indiana

Indiana State University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Indiana State University is located in Terre Haute, Indiana and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 136 ’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $14,270 for Criminology students with aid per year to attend Indiana State.

Read full report on Criminology at Indiana State University

20

With a ranking of #20, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid list. UW - Whitewater is located in Whitewater, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 74 ’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend UW - Whitewater is $14,417 for Criminology students with aid.

Read full report on Criminology at UW - Whitewater

21
SUNY Old Westbury crest
SUNY Old Westbury
Old Westbury, New York

SUNY Old Westbury came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. SUNY Old Westbury is a small school located in Old Westbury, New York that handed out 54 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for SUNY Old Westbury is $10,182 for Criminology students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 SUNY Old Westbury Criminology Report

22
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #22. University of Pennsylvania is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 46 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.

UPenn not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Criminology Schools” list. It costs about $25,046 for Criminology students with aid per year to attend University of Pennsylvania.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.

Full University of Pennsylvania Criminology Report

23

Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Ohio State is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 147 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Ohio State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Criminology Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State is $16,845 for Criminology students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminology at Ohio State University - Main Campus

24

University of Minnesota - Duluth ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid list. UMN Duluth is a medium-sized public school situated in Duluth, Minnesota. It awarded 46 ’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our criminology students with aid list, UMN Duluth has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Criminology Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Duluth is $18,505 for criminology students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Minnesota - Duluth Criminology Report

25

Missouri State University - Springfield did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Criminology Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Springfield, Missouri, this large public school handed out 139 diplomas to qualified ’s criminology students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our criminology students with aid list, Missouri State has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Criminology Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Missouri State is $16,718 for Criminology students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 Missouri State Criminology Report

Notes and References

References

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