2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Criminal Justice Studies is the 16th most popular major in the country with 46,252 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 30,900 criminal justice studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 389 colleges that offered a degree in criminal justice studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent criminal justice studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the criminal justice studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. 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 “Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice Studies (Income $0-$30k)
Out of the 389 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #1 spot on the list. UT Rio Grande Valley is a large school located in Edinburg, Texas that handed out 1 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.
UT Rio Grande Valley also claimed a top spot on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is $2,993 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to 307 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $1,379 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Florida International University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. FIU is located in Miami, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 600 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on this list, FIU is in the top on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. It costs about $5,002 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend FIU.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full Florida International University Criminal Justice Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Florida State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Florida State is a public institution located in Tallahassee, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 511 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, Florida State has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Florida State University is $5,360 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at Florida State University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Central Florida. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Central Florida is a public institution located in Orlando, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 483 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UCF is also in the top of our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend University of Central Florida is $6,211 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #6, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 117 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.
IU Bloomington also took the #20 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Bloomington is $4,969 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low 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%.
Full Indiana University - Bloomington Criminal Justice Studies Report
With a ranking of #7, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Cal State Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 334 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Cal State Fullerton is also in the top of our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $4,291 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Cal State Fullerton
American Public University System did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. American Public University System is a private for-profit institution located in Charles Town, West Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 447 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
American Military University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $10,013 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend American Military University.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%.
Full American Public University System Criminal Justice Studies Report
California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. CSUDH is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 203 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Dominguez Hills is $2,455 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 more about Criminal Justice Studies at California State University - Dominguez Hills
California State University - Stanislaus ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stan State is a fairly large school located in Turlock, California that handed out 223 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $3,410 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Stanislaus.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
The University of West Florida did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Pensacola, Florida, this fairly large public school awarded 81 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice studies students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $4,140 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The University of West Florida.
Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at The University of West Florida
With a ranking of #12, University of North Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Jacksonville, Florida is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to 178 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UNF is $5,097 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low 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 Studies at University of North Florida
Northeastern University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. Northeastern is a large school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 38 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Northeastern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Northeastern University is $10,239 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, 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 97%.
University of North Texas landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of North Texas is a large public school situated in Denton, Texas. It awarded 261 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNT is also in the top of our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend University of North Texas is $8,521 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Indian River State College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Indian River State College is a fairly large public school situated in Fort Pierce, Florida. It awarded 71 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $1,402 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Indian River State College.
Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Indian River State College
San Diego State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. SDSU is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 317 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on this list, SDSU is in the top on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $8,870 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Indiana University - Northwest ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Indiana University - Northwest is located in Gary, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 27 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend IU Northwest is $3,287 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Elizabeth City State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, this small public school handed out 20 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice studies students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for ECSU is $1,217 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full Elizabeth City State University Criminal Justice Studies Report
California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. California State University - San Bernardino is a fairly large public school situated in San Bernardino, California. It awarded 294 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend CSUSB is $5,077 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at California State University - San Bernardino
University of Wisconsin - Platteville landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UW - Platteville is located in Platteville, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 121 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.
UW - Platteville also took the #17 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Platteville is $12,117 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
University of North Texas at Dallas landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UNT Dallas is located in Dallas, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 78 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend UNT Dallas is $7,732 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at University of North Texas at Dallas
With a ranking of #22, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSULB is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 208 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $6,364 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Truman State University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Truman State is a public institution located in Kirksville, Missouri. The school has a small population, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on this list, Truman State is in the top on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Truman State University is $7,564 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%.
Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Truman State University
Florida Atlantic University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. Florida Atlantic University is located in Boca Raton, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 309 bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Florida Atlantic University is $6,085 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Oakland City University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Oakland City, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice studies degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on this list, Oakland City is in the top on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Oakland City University is $8,326 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Indiana University - Kokomo | Kokomo, IN |
| 52 | Fayetteville State University | Fayetteville, NC |
| 53 | Minnesota State University - Mankato | Mankato, MN |
| 54 | Southeastern Oklahoma State University | Durant, OK |
| 55 | MSU Texas | Wichita Falls, TX |
| 56 | Centenary University | Hackettstown, NJ |
| 57 | Bemidji State University | Bemidji, MN |
| 57 | Marshall University | Huntington, WV |
| 59 | Frostburg State University | Frostburg, MD |
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Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice Studies (Income $48-$75k)
Criminal Justice Studies students with family income $48-$75k
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Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice Studies (Income $30-$48k)
Criminal Justice Studies students with family income $30-$48k
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice Studies (Income $75-$110k)
Criminal Justice Studies students with family income $75-$110k
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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