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2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region

24 Ranked Colleges
994 Degrees Awarded
$18,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 10,182 people earned their degree in criminology, making the major the 82nd most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, criminology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,583 and had an average of $24,397 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 1,346 criminology graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,341 and $24,710 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 994 criminology graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 24 colleges that offered a degree in criminology. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality criminology programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the criminology program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Criminology Schools

The criminology 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 “Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. 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 a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students.

Top 24 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminology in the Great Lakes Region

#1

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Located in River Falls, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school handed out 24 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminology students in 2019-2020.

UW - River Falls also made our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $13,748 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students per year to attend UW - River Falls.

The low 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 full report on Criminology at UW - River Falls

#2

University of Wisconsin - Stout

Menomonie, Wisconsin

Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Stout landed the #2 spot on the list. UW - Stout is a medium-sized public school situated in Menomonie, Wisconsin. It awarded 20 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Stout, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,839 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Stout.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminology at University of Wisconsin - Stout

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Located in Whitewater, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school awarded 66 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminology students in 2019-2020.

UW - Whitewater also took the #5 spot in our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW - Whitewater is $15,249 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students.

Read full report on Criminology at UW - Whitewater

Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 75 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s criminology students in 2019-2020.

SIUC also made our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $16,945 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students per year to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Read full report on Criminology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#5

Eastern Michigan University

Ypsilanti, Michigan

Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Michigan University landed the #5 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and it awarded 111 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students list, Eastern Michigan has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,924 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students per year to attend Eastern Michigan University.

Read more about Criminology at Eastern Michigan

With a ranking of #6, Wright State University - Lake Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Celina, Ohio, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wright State University - Lake Campus, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wright State University - Lake Campus is $12,099 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students.

Read more about Criminology at Wright State University - Lake Campus

#7

National Louis University

Chicago, Illinois

National Louis University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. National Louis University is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 29 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

NLU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for National Louis University is $14,957 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students.

Read more about Criminology at National Louis University

#8

Indiana State University

Terre Haute, Indiana

Indiana State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #8. Indiana State University is a fairly large school located in Terre Haute, Indiana that handed out 141 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

Indiana State also made our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend Indiana State University is $13,896 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students.

Read more about Criminology at Indiana State

#9

Cleveland State University

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Cleveland, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminology degrees to 76 students in 2019-2020.

Cleveland State University also took the #16 spot in our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cleveland State University is $17,278 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students.

Read more about Criminology at Cleveland State University

Wright State University - Main Campus ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Wright State University - Main Campus is a fairly large school located in Dayton, Ohio that handed out 52 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

Wright State University - Main Campus did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Wright State University - Main Campus is $16,823 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students.

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

University of Akron Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #11. University of Akron Main Campus is located in Akron, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

University of Akron Main Campus did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Akron Main Campus is $17,792 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students.

Read more about Criminology at University of Akron Main Campus

Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #12. Ohio State is a large public school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 143 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

Ohio State also made our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $17,616 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students per year to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

#13

Lakeland University

Plymouth, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #13, Lakeland University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Lakeland University is located in Plymouth, Wisconsin and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

Lakeland also took the #10 spot in our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lakeland is $20,687 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students.

Full Lakeland Criminology Report

#14

Mount St. Joseph University

Cincinnati, Ohio

Mount St. Joseph University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Mount St. Joseph University is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

Mount St. Joe also made our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend Mount St. Joe is $21,913 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students.

Full Mount St. Joe Criminology Report

#15

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois

With a ranking of #15, Dominican University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Dominican U is a private not-for-profit institution located in River Forest, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Dominican U, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Dominican University is $19,268 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Dominican University Criminology Report

With a ranking of #16, Ohio State University - Mansfield Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Ohio State University - Mansfield Campus is located in Mansfield, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

Ohio State University - Mansfield Campus did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State University - Mansfield Campus is $15,834 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Ohio State University - Mansfield Campus Criminology Report

#17

Rockford University

Rockford, Illinois
#22 in overall quality

Rockford University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #17. Rockford, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s criminology degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

Rockford also took the #22 spot in our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Rockford University is $22,197 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students.

The impressive 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.

Full Rockford University Criminology Report

#18

Ohio Dominican University

Columbus, Ohio

Ohio Dominican University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

ODU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for ODU is $19,960 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students.

Read more about Criminology at Ohio Dominican University

#19

Capital University

Columbus, Ohio

Capital University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #19. Capital University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Capital also took the #6 spot in our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Capital is $22,642 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%.

Full Capital Criminology Report

#20

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois

Concordia University, Chicago ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This medium-sized school is located in River Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

Concordia University, Chicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Concordia University, Chicago is $16,512 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students.

Read more about Criminology at Concordia University, Chicago

#21

Marquette University

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Marquette University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #21. Marquette is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 75 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students list, Marquette has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $29,756 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students per year to attend Marquette University.

The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Criminology at Marquette University

#22

Wittenberg University

Springfield, Ohio
#19 in overall quality

Wittenberg University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Wittenberg University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Springfield, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Wittenberg did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $22,886 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students per year to attend Wittenberg University.

Read full report on Criminology at Wittenberg University

#23

Valparaiso University

Valparaiso, Indiana

Valparaiso University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Valparaiso University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Valparaiso, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Valpo, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Valparaiso University is $18,852 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 Valparaiso University Criminology Report

#24

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#18 in overall quality

DePaul University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. DePaul University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 6 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul also made our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #18. It costs about $30,090 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students per year to attend DePaul University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full DePaul Criminology Report

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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).
  • 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

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • 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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