2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid
19
Ranked Colleges
1,617
Degrees Awarded
$18,100
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking.
Criminal Justice is the 27th most popular major in the country with 32,891 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
Across the Plains States region, there were 1,617 criminal justice graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 19 colleges that offered a degree 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.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the criminal justice 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 Criminal Justice Schools
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.
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.
Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region criminal justice students with aid.
Top 19 Best Value Colleges for Criminal Justice in the Plains States Region (With Aid)
Out of the 19 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Missouri Southern State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Missouri Southern is located in Joplin, Missouri and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 106 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
Missouri Southern also made our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend Missouri Southern State University is $9,526 for Plains States Region Criminal Justice students with aid.
Read full report on Criminal Justice at Missouri Southern State University
Out of the 19 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Bellevue University landed the #2 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Bellevue, Nebraska, and it awarded 16 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
Bellevue University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Bellevue University is $17,288 for plains states region criminal justice students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Criminal Justice at Bellevue University
Out of the 19 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Central Missouri landed the #3 spot on the list. UCM is a fairly large school located in Warrensburg, Missouri that handed out 128 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region criminal justice students with aid list, UCM has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCM is $14,058 for Plains States Region Criminal Justice students with aid.
Full UCM Criminal Justice Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Park University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Parkville, Missouri, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 179 degrees to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
Park University also made our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for Park University is $14,619 for Plains States Region Criminal Justice students with aid.
Read full report on Criminal Justice at Park University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central Christian College of Kansas. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Central Christian College of Kansas is a small private not-for-profit school situated in McPherson, Kansas. It awarded 41 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
Central Christian College also took the #7 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Central Christian College of Kansas is $13,256 for Plains States Region Criminal Justice students with aid.
Read full report on Criminal Justice at Central Christian College of Kansas
Washburn University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Topeka, Kansas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s criminal justice degrees to 41 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region criminal justice students with aid list, Washburn University has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Washburn University is $14,339 for plains states region criminal justice students with aid.
Read full report on Criminal Justice at Washburn University
University of Missouri - Kansas City came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Kansas City, Missouri, this fairly large public school awarded 8 diplomas to qualified ’s criminal justice students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMKC, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $15,702 for Plains States Region Criminal Justice students with aid per year to attend UMKC.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Criminal Justice at UMKC
Waldorf University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Waldorf University is a small school located in Forest City, Iowa that handed out 7 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
Waldorf did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $20,541 for Plains States Region Criminal Justice students with aid per year to attend Waldorf University.
Full Waldorf University Criminal Justice Report
Concordia University, Saint Paul landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Concordia University, Saint Paul is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 27 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Concordia University, Saint Paul also took the #11 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $15,880 for Plains States Region Criminal Justice students with aid per year to attend Concordia University, Saint Paul.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Concordia University, Saint Paul Criminal Justice Report
Grantham University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Grantham University is a medium-sized school located in Lenexa, Kansas that handed out 177 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Grantham University, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Grantham University is $9,245 for Plains States Region Criminal Justice students with aid.
Read full report on Criminal Justice at Grantham University
Mount Mercy University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Mount Mercy University is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 39 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
Mount Mercy also took the #12 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $22,668 for Plains States Region Criminal Justice students with aid per year to attend Mount Mercy.
Read more about Criminal Justice at Mount Mercy University
Culver - Stockton College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. Culver - Stockton is a private not-for-profit institution located in Canton, Missouri. The school has a small population, and it awarded 25 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region criminal justice students with aid list, Culver - Stockton has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Culver - Stockton is $21,278 for plains states region criminal justice students with aid.
Read more about Criminal Justice at Culver - Stockton
Columbia College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Columbia College Missouri is a private not-for-profit institution located in Columbia, Missouri. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 187 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Columbia College Missouri not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Columbia College Missouri is $26,668 for Plains States Region Criminal Justice students with aid.
Read full report on Criminal Justice at Columbia College
University of St Thomas Minnesota landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UST MN is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.
UST MN also made our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend University of St Thomas Minnesota is $31,066 for Plains States Region Criminal Justice students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad 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%.
Read full report on Criminal Justice at University of St Thomas Minnesota
Central Methodist University - College of Liberal Arts & Sciences ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Central Methodist University - College of Liberal Arts & Sciences is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Fayette, Missouri. It awarded 15 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
CMU CLAS also made our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $25,095 for plains states region criminal justice students with aid per year to attend Central Methodist University - College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.
Read more about Criminal Justice at Central Methodist University - College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Evangel University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Evangel is a small school located in Springfield, Missouri that handed out 8 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Evangel, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Evangel is $23,719 for Plains States Region Criminal Justice students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Criminal Justice at Evangel
With a ranking of #17, Hannibal - LaGrange University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Hannibal, Missouri, and it awarded 13 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
HLGU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $20,946 for Plains States Region Criminal Justice students with aid per year to attend Hannibal - LaGrange University.
The impressive undergraduate 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 HLGU Criminal Justice Report
With a ranking of #18, Drury University - College of Continuing Professional Studies did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Drury University - CCPS is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Springfield, Missouri. It awarded 125 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
Drury University - CCPS did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Drury University - College of Continuing Professional Studies is $14,746 for Plains States Region Criminal Justice students with aid.
Full Drury University - College of Continuing Professional Studies Criminal Justice Report
With a ranking of #19, Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. CMU CGES is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Fayette, Missouri. It awarded 15 ’s criminal justice degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region criminal justice students with aid list, CMU CGES has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $13,505 for plains states region criminal justice students with aid per year to attend CMU CGES.
Full Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies Criminal Justice 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
- *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.
