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2023 Best Criminal Justice Studies Colleges for Veterans in Illinois

15 Ranked Colleges
1,158 Degrees Awarded
$27,600 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice Studies

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, veterans have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice Studies” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 46,814 people earned their degree in criminal justice studies, making the major the 16th most popular in the United States.

Across Illinois, there were 1,158 criminal justice studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice Studies” ranking, we looked at 15 colleges that offer a degree in criminal justice studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great criminal justice studies programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the criminal justice studies program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Criminal Justice Studies Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice Studies” 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice Studies

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois vets studying criminal justice studies.

Top 15 Best Criminal Justice Studies Colleges for Veterans in Illinois

1
Lewis crest
Lewis University
Romeoville, 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 Studies list. Romeoville, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s criminal justice studies degrees to 113 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our illinois vets studying criminal justice studies list, Lewis has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 6,437 students enrolled at Lewis, 23 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 16 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,559. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through 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%.

Read More…

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice Studies. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminal justice studies degrees to 94 students in 2020-2021.

SIUE also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 3 of the 12,860 students enrolled at SIUE were GI Bill® students, of which 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $23,082. 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.

Full SIUE Veteran Student Life Report

3

Out of the 15 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice Studies that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school handed out 203 degrees to qualified ’s criminal justice studies students in 2020-2021.

UIC also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, University of Illinois at Chicago supports 33,518 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $23,878. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Illinois at Chicago does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

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…

4

Out of the 15 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice Studies that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Illinois State is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 159 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Illinois State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 20,720 students enrolled at Illinois State, 530 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 163 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,997. In addition to receiving other benefits, 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 More…

5
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 15 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice Studies that were part of this year’s ranking, Loyola University Chicago landed the #5 spot on the list. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 96 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our illinois vets studying criminal justice studies list, Loyola Chicago has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 16,893 students enrolled at Loyola Chicago, 261 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 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. In addition to receiving other benefits, 78 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Loyola Chicago offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 Loyola University Chicago Veteran Student Life Report

6
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, Illinois

Aurora University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice Studies ranking. Aurora, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s criminal justice studies degrees to 66 students in 2020-2021.

Aurora did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 6,265 students enrolled at Aurora University, 3 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 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. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Aurora University offers credit for military training for eligible students.

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…

7
Benedictine U crest
Benedictine University
Lisle, Illinois

With a ranking of #7, Benedictine University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice Studies list. This small school is located in Lisle, Illinois, and it awarded 33 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our illinois vets studying criminal justice studies list, Benedictine U has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 3,779 students enrolled at Benedictine University, 89 were 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. Benedictine 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%.

Read More…

8
GSU crest
Governors State University
University Park, Illinois

Governors State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice Studies ranking. Governors State University is a public institution located in University Park, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 62 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

GSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 4,650 students enrolled at Governors State University, 146 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 80 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,291. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Governors State University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

[Read full report on veteran student life at GSU]](/colleges/governors-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

9
SXU crest
Saint Xavier University
Chicago, Illinois

Saint Xavier University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice Studies ranking, coming in at #9. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 28 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.

SXU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, Saint Xavier University supports 3,764 students, and 65 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 49 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $11,740. To help with additional expenses, 3 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Saint Xavier University offers credit for military training for eligible students.

Read More…

10

With a ranking of #10, Northeastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice Studies list. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 51 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Northeastern Illinois University also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” 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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,460. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Veteran Student Life Report

11
CSU crest
Chicago State University
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #11, Chicago State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice Studies list. Chicago State University is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 37 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

CSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 94 of the 2,644 students enrolled at CSU were GI Bill® students, of which 48 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,489. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through 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…

12
Roosevelt crest
Roosevelt University
Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice Studies ranking. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 24 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Roosevelt also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” 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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,071. In addition to receiving other benefits, 20 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Full Roosevelt Veteran Student Life Report

13
Olivet Nazarene crest
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice Studies ranking. Olivet Nazarene University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bourbonnais, Illinois. It awarded 29 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Olivet Nazarene, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 57 of the 3,764 students enrolled at Olivet Nazarene were GI Bill® students, of which 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. During this same period, 11 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Olivet Nazarene offers credit for military training for eligible students.

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 University Veteran Student Life Report

14

University of Illinois at Springfield ranked #14 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice Studies list. University of Illinois at Springfield is a small public school situated in Springfield, Illinois. It awarded 20 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.

UIS not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 214 of the 4,146 students enrolled at UIS were GI Bill® students, of which 106 were 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 received scholarships through 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 UIS]](/colleges/university-of-illinois-at-springfield/student-life/veterans/)

15
North Park crest
North Park University
Chicago, Illinois

North Park University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Criminal Justice Studies ranking. North Park is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 16 ’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.

North Park did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, North Park supports 2,831 students, and 30 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 23 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $11,080. On top of their other funding sources, 2 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. North Park does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 North Park University Veteran Student Life Report

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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