2025 Best Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois
6
Colleges in Illinois
478
Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
If you pursue a degree in
criminal justice, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #27 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 6 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 478 degrees in criminal justice annually.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Criminal Justice School
Your choice of criminal justice school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for criminal justice schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Pick Your Criminal Justice Degree Level
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Criminal Justice Schools in Illinois ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.
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.
Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.
Best Schools for Criminal Justice in Illinois
The schools below may not offer all types of criminal justice degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.
Top Illinois Schools in Criminal Justice
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In IL
225
Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
Any student pursuing a degree in criminal justice has to take a look at Western Illinois University. WIU is a moderately-sized public university located in the remote town of Macomb. This university ranks 37th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were about 225 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at WIU in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in criminal justice from Western Illinois University
Aurora University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in criminal justice. Located in the large suburb of Aurora, Aurora is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #348 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Aurora is a great university overall.
There were approximately 12 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at Aurora in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in criminal justice from Aurora University
Bachelors
Degree Type
BS in Criminal Justice - Criminology & Crime Analysis
Program Name
Track and understand criminal behavior by earning a BS in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Criminology & Crime Analysis.
More information about a degree in BS in Criminal Justice - Criminology & Crime Analysis from Southern New Hampshire University
Associate Degree
Highest Degree Type
5th
Most Popular In IL
53
Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
Every student pursuing a degree in criminal justice needs to take a look at Southwestern Illinois College. SWIC is a medium-sized public college located in the suburb of Belleville. This college ranks 44th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were approximately 53 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at SWIC in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in criminal justice from Southwestern Illinois College
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In IL
Every student pursuing a degree in criminal justice has to check out Bradley University. Located in the city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #519 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Bradley is a great university overall.
There were approximately 18 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at Bradley in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in criminal justice from Bradley University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In IL
Elmhurst is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Elmhurst. A Best Colleges rank of #730 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Elmhurst is a great university overall.
There were roughly 23 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at Elmhurst in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in criminal justice from Elmhurst University
