2023 Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Illinois
18
Ranked Colleges
1,842
Degrees Awarded
$37,779
Avg Salary
With all of the options veterans 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 “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Bachelor’s” ranking.
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting is the 12th most popular major in the country with 142,610 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $37,355 and had an average of $25,230 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 3,972 homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,668 and $25,829 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,842 homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,117 and $25,584 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Bachelor’s” ranking, we looked at 18 colleges that offer a degree in homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Bachelor’s” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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.
Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Bachelor’s
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Bachelor’s”.
Top 18 Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Illinois
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Bachelor’s list. SIUC is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 45 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
SIUC also made our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2.Of the 11,366 students enrolled at SIUC, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at SIUC]](/colleges/southern-illinois-university-carbondale/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lewis University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Romeoville, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 118 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting students in 2020-2021.
Lewis also made our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #6.Of the 6,437 students enrolled at Lewis University, 23 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 16 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,559. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Lewis]](/colleges/lewis-university/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Bachelor’s list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 92 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
SIUE also made our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #7.Of the 12,860 students enrolled at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 3 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $23,082. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Read More…
Out of the 18 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 192 bachelors’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting degrees in 2020-2021.
UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 33,518 students enrolled at University of Illinois at Chicago were GI Bill® students, of which 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $23,878. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UIC Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Bachelor’s. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 145 bachelors’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting degrees in 2020-2021.
Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.According to our most recent data, Illinois State University supports 20,720 students, and 530 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 163 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,997. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Illinois State University]](/colleges/illinois-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
Western Illinois University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Bachelor’s list. WIU is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 283 bachelors’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at WIU, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Of the 7,490 students enrolled at Western Illinois University, 330 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 62 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,652. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Western Illinois University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Read More…
Loyola University Chicago landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Bachelor’s ranking. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 105 bachelors’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting degrees in 2020-2021.
Loyola Chicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.According to our most recent data, Loyola Chicago supports 16,893 students, and 261 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 165 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $17,263. In addition to receiving other benefits, 78 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Loyola Chicago does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Loyola Chicago Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #8, Aurora University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Bachelor’s list. Aurora is a medium-sized school located in Aurora, Illinois that handed out 66 bachelors’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting degrees in 2020-2021.
Aurora also took the #8 spot in our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 3 of the 6,265 students enrolled at Aurora University were GI Bill® students, of which 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,999. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Aurora University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 More…
Benedictine University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Bachelor’s ranking. Lisle, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting degrees to 33 students in 2020-2021.
Benedictine U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Among the 3,779 students enrolled at Benedictine University, 89 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 66 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,915. On top of their other funding sources, 10 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Benedictine University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
Governors State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Bachelor’s ranking. GSU is a public institution located in University Park, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
GSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Our most recent data shows that 146 of the 4,650 students enrolled at GSU were GI Bill® students, of which 80 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,291. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Read More…
Elmhurst University ranked #11 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Bachelor’s list. This small school is located in Elmhurst, Illinois, and it awarded 31 bachelors’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting degrees in 2020-2021.
Elmhurst not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.According to our most recent data, Elmhurst supports 3,421 students, and 77 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 57 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,985. To help with additional expenses, 7 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Elmhurst offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 veteran student life at Elmhurst University]](/colleges/elmhurst-college/student-life/veterans/)
Saint Xavier University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #12. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting degrees in 2020-2021.
SXU also took the #12 spot in our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Among the 3,764 students enrolled at SXU, 65 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 49 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $11,740. To help with additional expenses, 3 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. SXU offers credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at SXU]](/colleges/saint-xavier-university/student-life/veterans/)
Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #13. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 51 bachelors’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting degrees in 2020-2021.
Northeastern Illinois University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Among the 7,119 students enrolled at Northeastern Illinois University, 147 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 83 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,460. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Northeastern Illinois University]](/colleges/northeastern-illinois-university/student-life/veterans/)
Chicago State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small public school awarded 32 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting students in 2020-2021.
CSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.According to our most recent data, CSU supports 2,644 students, and 94 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 48 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,489. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. CSU offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Chicago State University Veteran Student Life Report
Roosevelt University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #15. Roosevelt is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 24 bachelors’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree vets studying homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting list, Roosevelt has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Of the 4,680 students enrolled at Roosevelt, 95 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 43 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,071. On top of their other funding sources, 20 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Roosevelt offers credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Roosevelt]](/colleges/roosevelt-university/student-life/veterans/)
Olivet Nazarene University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Bachelor’s ranking. Olivet Nazarene is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bourbonnais, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Olivet Nazarene also made our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #13.Among the 3,764 students enrolled at Olivet Nazarene University, 57 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 35 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,334. To help with additional expenses, 11 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Olivet Nazarene University Veteran Student Life Report
University of Illinois at Springfield came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Springfield, Illinois, this small public school awarded 20 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting students in 2020-2021.
UIS did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.According to our most recent data, University of Illinois at Springfield supports 4,146 students, and 214 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 106 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,253. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 More…
DeVry University - Illinois did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #18. DeVry University - Illinois is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 25 bachelors’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting degrees in 2020-2021.
DeVry University - Illinois did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Of the 20,832 students enrolled at DeVry University - Illinois, 53 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 40 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,929. During this same period, 1 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. DeVry University - Illinois does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Full DeVry University - Illinois Veteran Student Life 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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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.
Credits
college factual
