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2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k

10 Ranked Colleges
194 Degrees Awarded
$13,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 33,568 people earned their degree in criminal justice, making the major the 32nd most popular in the United States.

Across Pennsylvania, there were 727 criminal justice graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 194 criminal justice graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 10 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in criminal justice. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent criminal justice 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 program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Criminal Justice Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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.

Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 10 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice (Income $0-$30k) in Pennsylvania

#1

Lehigh Carbon Community College

Schnecksville, Pennsylvania
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lehigh Carbon Community College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k. This medium-sized school is located in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 22 associates’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

LCCC also took the #4 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $5,243 for pennsylvania associate degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend LCCC.

Read more about Criminal Justice at LCCC

#2

Harrisburg Area Community College

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harrisburg Area Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. HACC is a public institution located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 63 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

HACC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $9,933 for Pennsylvania Associate Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Harrisburg Area Community College.

Full Harrisburg Area Community College Criminal Justice Report

#9 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pennsylvania Highlands Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Pennsylvania Highlands Community College is a small public school situated in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It awarded 14 associates’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Pennsylvania Highlands also made our “Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for Pennsylvania Highlands is $5,536 for pennsylvania associate degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Criminal Justice at Pennsylvania Highlands

#4

Mansfield University of Pennsylvania

Mansfield, Pennsylvania
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Mansfield University of Pennsylvania landed the #4 spot on the list. Mansfield, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s criminal justice degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

Mansfield University also took the #5 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $15,083 for Pennsylvania Associate Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Mansfield University of Pennsylvania.

Full Mansfield University of Pennsylvania Criminal Justice Report

#5

Peirce College

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#7 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Peirce College landed the #5 spot on the list. Peirce College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 13 associates’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Peirce did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $5,180 for Pennsylvania Associate Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Peirce College.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice at Peirce

#6

Clarion University of Pennsylvania

Clarion, Pennsylvania
#6 in overall quality

Clarion University of Pennsylvania came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Clarion, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 16 associates’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania associate degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k list, Clarion University has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Clarion University is $16,235 for pennsylvania associate degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Clarion University Criminal Justice Report

#7

York College of Pennsylvania

York, Pennsylvania
#2 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, York College of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. YCP is a private not-for-profit institution located in York, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

YCP also made our “Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $16,618 for Pennsylvania Associate Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend YCP.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full YCP Criminal Justice Report

#8

Lock Haven University

Lock Haven, Pennsylvania
#3 in overall quality

Lock Haven University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Lock Haven University is a small public school situated in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. It awarded 4 associates’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania associate degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k list, LHU has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for LHU is $16,690 for pennsylvania associate degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full LHU Criminal Justice Report

#9

Harcum College

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
#8 in overall quality

Harcum College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out associates’s criminal justice degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

Harcum College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $22,065 for pennsylvania associate degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Harcum College.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Criminal Justice at Harcum College

#10

South Hills School of Business & Technology

State College, Pennsylvania
#10 in overall quality

South Hills School of Business & Technology came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. State College, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out associates’s criminal justice degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

South Hills School of Business & Technology did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $18,599 for Pennsylvania Associate Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend South Hills School of Business & Technology.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Criminal Justice at South Hills School of Business & Technology

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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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