2025 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois
26
Colleges in Illinois
2,510
Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$40,755
Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #7 in popularity,
criminal justice & corrections is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.
College Factual reviewed 26 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of criminal justice & corrections. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,510 degrees in criminal justice & corrections annually.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Criminal Justice & Corrections School
The criminal justice program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Criminal Justice & Corrections rankings. For our Best Overall Criminal Justice & Corrections School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Criminal Justice & Corrections Rankings by Degree Level
The criminal justice school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois.
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 & Corrections 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.
10 Top Illinois Schools in Criminal Justice
Any student pursuing a degree in criminal justice & corrections has to take a look at University of Illinois at Chicago. Located in the large city of Chicago, UIC is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #254 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.
There were approximately 230 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, criminal justice degree recipients typically make about $34,551 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from University of Illinois at Chicago
Every student who is interested in criminal justice & corrections has to look into Western Illinois University. Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 37th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were about 225 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at WIU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program report average early career wages of $41,227.
More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Western Illinois University
Any student pursuing a degree in criminal justice & corrections has to look into Loyola University Chicago. Loyola Chicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #100 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.
There were approximately 103 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the criminal justice program make around $38,953 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Loyola University Chicago
Any student who is interested in criminal justice & corrections needs to check out Illinois State University. Illinois State is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Normal. A Best Colleges rank of #210 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.
There were approximately 158 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the criminal justice program make about $37,584 for their early career.
More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Illinois State University
Lewis is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Romeoville. This university ranks 39th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were approximately 153 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Lewis in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the criminal justice program make around $37,583 for their early career.
More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Lewis University
Aurora is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Aurora. A Best Colleges rank of #348 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Aurora is a great university overall.
There were about 95 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Aurora in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the criminal justice & corrections degree program at Aurora University make $3,395 more than the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Aurora University
SIUE is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Edwardsville. This university ranks 31st out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were about 116 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at SIUE in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, criminal justice degree recipients usually make an average of $39,279 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Located in the medium-sized city of Rockford, Rasmussen University - Illinois is a private for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #111 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Rasmussen University - Illinois is a great university overall.
There were approximately 11 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Rasmussen University - Illinois in the most recent data year. Criminal Justice & Corrections degree recipients from Rasmussen University - Illinois earn a boost of about $2,495 over the typical earnings of criminal justice & corrections graduates.
More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Rasmussen University - Illinois
Associate Degree
Highest Degree Type
30th
Most Popular In IL
221
Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
Located in the suburb of Belleville, SWIC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population. This college ranks 44th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were about 221 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at SWIC in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Southwestern Illinois College
Located in the town of Charleston, EIU is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 52nd out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were approximately 29 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at EIU in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Eastern Illinois University