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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections (Income $0-$30k)

668 Ranked Colleges
51,953 Degrees Awarded
$5,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 113,581 criminal justice and corrections students received their degree, making the major the 6th most popular in the country. In 2017-2018, criminal justice and corrections graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $31,952 and had an average of $24,936 in loans still to pay off.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 51,953 criminal justice and corrections graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 668 colleges that offer a degree in criminal justice and corrections. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality criminal justice and corrections programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the criminal justice and corrections program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Criminal Justice & Corrections 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 for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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.

Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections (Income $0-$30k)

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. John Jay College of Criminal Justice is a fairly large school located in New York, New York that handed out 1,582 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at John Jay, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $771 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Out of the 668 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice 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 #2 spot on the list. Edinburg, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 425 students in 2019-2020.

UT Rio Grande Valley excels when it comes to criminal justice quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UT Rio Grande Valley is $2,993 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at UT Rio Grande Valley

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 307 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

On top of its placing in this ranking, Cal State LA also did well on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $1,379 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal State LA Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Florida International University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Miami, Florida, and it awarded 600 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

On top of its placing in this ranking, FIU also did well on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend FIU is $5,002 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Florida International University

#5

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida

Out of the 668 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Florida State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Florida State is a large public school situated in Tallahassee, Florida. It awarded 537 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Florida State also made our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $5,360 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Florida State.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Florida State

University of Central Florida did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in Orlando, Florida, and it awarded 483 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

UCF excels when it comes to criminal justice quality. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. It costs about $6,211 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Central Florida.

The low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at University of Central Florida

Top 20% in overall quality

Texas A & M University - Central Texas landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Killeen, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 35 students in 2019-2020.

Texas A & M University - Central Texas excels when it comes to criminal justice quality. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Texas A & M University - Central Texas

#8

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Bloomington, Indiana, this large public school awarded 117 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, IU Bloomington is also in the top of our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend IU Bloomington is $4,969 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Full IU Bloomington Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#9

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Michigan State is a large public school situated in East Lansing, Michigan. It awarded 139 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Michigan State University is $6,686 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Michigan State

California State University - Fullerton ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 334 students in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton also claimed a top spot on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $4,291 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Full California State University - Fullerton Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#11

American Public University System

Charles Town, West Virginia

American Public University System landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. American Military University is a large private for-profit school situated in Charles Town, West Virginia. It awarded 542 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k list, American Military University has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $10,013 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend American Military University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at American Public University System

California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. CSUDH is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 203 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Dominguez Hills is $2,455 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice 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%.

Full California State University - Dominguez Hills Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

With a ranking of #13, Texas A&M International University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Laredo, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 190 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $2,261 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas A&M International University.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Texas A&M International University

California State University - Stanislaus ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Turlock, California, this fairly large public school handed out 223 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Stan State is $3,410 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Stan State Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#15

The University of West Florida

Pensacola, Florida

The University of West Florida ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Pensacola, Florida, this fairly large public school awarded 81 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UWF is $4,140 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full UWF Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#16

University of North Florida

Jacksonville, Florida

University of North Florida ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Jacksonville, Florida, this fairly large public school awarded 178 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of North Florida is $5,097 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice 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%.

Full UNF Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#17

Citadel Military College of South Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina

Citadel Military College of South Carolina ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. The Citadel is a small school located in Charleston, South Carolina that handed out 64 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

The Citadel excels when it comes to criminal justice quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for The Citadel is $7,296 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, 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 87%.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Citadel Military College of South Carolina

#18

Ferris State University

Big Rapids, Michigan

Ferris State University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Big Rapids, Michigan, and it awarded 288 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Ferris is also in the top of our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $7,207 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Ferris.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at Ferris

#19

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts

Northeastern University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 59 students in 2019-2020.

Northeastern also took the #3 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northeastern is $10,239 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Northeastern

#20

University of North Texas

Denton, Texas

With a ranking of #20, University of North Texas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Denton, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 261 students in 2019-2020.

UNT also claimed a top spot on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend UNT is $8,521 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice 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 & Corrections at UNT

#21

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia

University of Georgia ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Athens, Georgia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to 64 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UGA, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UGA is $7,541 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Georgia Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#22

Indian River State College

Fort Pierce, Florida

Indian River State College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Indian River State College is a public institution located in Fort Pierce, Florida. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 71 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $1,402 for bachelor’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Indian River State College.

Full Indian River State College Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#23

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school awarded 317 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, SDSU is also in the top of our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $8,870 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, 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 89%.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at SDSU

Indiana University - Northwest landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Indiana University - Northwest is a small public school situated in Gary, Indiana. It awarded 27 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend IU Northwest is $3,287 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Indiana University - Northwest

#25

University of Minnesota - Crookston

Crookston, Minnesota

University of Minnesota - Crookston did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. UMN Crookston is located in Crookston, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 bachelors’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $5,832 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UMN Crookston.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at University of Minnesota - Crookston

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Criminal Justice 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:

#26

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington
#27

Elizabeth City State University

Elizabeth City, North Carolina
#28

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California
#29

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Platteville, Wisconsin
#32

Truman State University

Kirksville, Missouri
#33

Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, Florida
#34

Oakland City University

Oakland City, Indiana
#36

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky
#38

Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina
#40

University of Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming
#42

Florida Gulf Coast University

Fort Myers, Florida
#43

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
#44

University of North Georgia

Dahlonega, Georgia
#47

Texas Woman's University

Denton, Texas
#49

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Criminal Justice 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 Minot State University Minot, ND
52 Lake Superior State University Sault Ste Marie, MI
53 Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI
54 The University of Texas at Tyler Tyler, TX
55 University of Southern Indiana Evansville, IN
56 Indiana University - South Bend South Bend, IN
57 Franklin University Columbus, OH
58 Winona State University Winona, MN
59 University of Mississippi University, MS
60 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
61 Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN
62 Dalton State College Dalton, GA
63 Indiana University - East Richmond, IN
64 Governors State University University Park, IL
65 The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX
Rank College Location
66 Indiana University - Kokomo Kokomo, IN
67 Fayetteville State University Fayetteville, NC
68 Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN
69 University of Massachusetts - Lowell Lowell, MA
70 Southeastern Oklahoma State University Durant, OK
71 MSU Texas Wichita Falls, TX
72 Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN
73 Centenary University Hackettstown, NJ
74 Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI
75 Bemidji State University Bemidji, MN
75 Marshall University Huntington, WV
77 Frostburg State University Frostburg, MD
77 Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus Teaneck, NJ
79 Rhode Island College Providence, RI
80 Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX
81 Utah Valley University Orem, UT
82 University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE
83 Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA
84 Westfield State University Westfield, MA
85 Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC
86 SUNY Oneonta Oneonta, NY
87 SUNY Plattsburgh Plattsburgh, NY
88 California State University - East Bay Hayward, CA
89 Indiana University - Southeast New Albany, IN
89 The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN
Rank College Location
91 Worcester State University Worcester, MA
92 SUNY Oswego Oswego, NY
93 McNeese State University Lake Charles, LA
94 University of Phoenix - Arizona Tempe, AZ
95 University of Houston - Victoria Victoria, TX
95 St. Joseph’s College - New York Brooklyn, NY
97 Southern Oregon University Ashland, OR
98 Northeastern State University Tahlequah, OK
99 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
100 University of Alaska Anchorage Anchorage, AK
101 North Dakota State University - Main Campus Fargo, ND

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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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