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2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

24 Ranked Colleges
994 Degrees Awarded
$14,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 10,182 people earned their degree in criminology, making the major the 82nd most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, criminology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,583 and had an average of $24,397 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 1,346 criminology graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,341 and $24,710 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 994 criminology graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 24 colleges that offered a degree in criminology. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great criminology programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the criminology program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 24 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminology (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. Ohio State is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 143 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ohio State, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State is $8,194 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Criminology at Ohio State University - Main Campus

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Whitewater, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminology degrees to 66 students in 2019-2020.

UW - Whitewater not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $11,868 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater.

Read more about Criminology at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

#3

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Wisconsin - River Falls is a medium-sized public school situated in River Falls, Wisconsin. It awarded 24 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - River Falls not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - River Falls is $8,366 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UW - River Falls Criminology Report

#4

University of Wisconsin - Stout

Menomonie, Wisconsin

Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Stout landed the #4 spot on the list. Menomonie, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminology degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.

UW - Stout not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $10,695 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - Stout.

The low student loan default rate of 3.8% 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 about Criminology at UW - Stout

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wright State University - Lake Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Wright State University - Lake Campus is located in Celina, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students whose families make $0-$30k list, Wright State University - Lake Campus has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wright State University - Lake Campus is $9,099 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Criminology at Wright State University - Lake Campus

#6

Indiana State University

Terre Haute, Indiana

With a ranking of #6, Indiana State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Indiana State University is located in Terre Haute, Indiana and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 141 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students whose families make $0-$30k list, Indiana State has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $9,422 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Indiana State University.

Full Indiana State University Criminology Report

With a ranking of #7, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 75 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC also made our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $13,658 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Criminology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Wright State University - Main Campus landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Dayton, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s criminology degrees to 52 students in 2019-2020.

Wright State University - Main Campus did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $13,460 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Wright State University - Main Campus.

Full Wright State University - Main Campus Criminology Report

#9

Marquette University

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Marquette University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Marquette is a private not-for-profit institution located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 75 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Marquette, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Marquette University is $19,169 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%.

Read more about Criminology at Marquette University

#10

Eastern Michigan University

Ypsilanti, Michigan

Eastern Michigan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. Eastern Michigan University is located in Ypsilanti, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 111 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

Eastern Michigan not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Eastern Michigan University is $13,904 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Criminology at Eastern Michigan

#11

Cleveland State University

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Cleveland, Ohio, and it awarded 76 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

Cleveland State University also made our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $14,213 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cleveland State University.

Full Cleveland State University Criminology Report

#12

Mount St. Joseph University

Cincinnati, Ohio

With a ranking of #12, Mount St. Joseph University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 5 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminology students in 2019-2020.

Mount St. Joe not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $14,097 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Mount St. Joseph University.

Read more about Criminology at Mount St. Joseph University

#13

National Louis University

Chicago, Illinois

National Louis University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. NLU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 29 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NLU, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $14,178 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend National Louis University.

Read more about Criminology at NLU

#14

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois

Dominican University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Dominican U is a small school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 32 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

Dominican U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Dominican U is $17,060 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Criminology at Dominican U

With a ranking of #15, Ohio State University - Mansfield Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Ohio State University - Mansfield Campus is a public institution located in Mansfield, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Ohio State University - Mansfield Campus not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $13,291 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Ohio State University - Mansfield Campus.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminology at Ohio State University - Mansfield Campus

#16

Wittenberg University

Springfield, Ohio
#19 in overall quality

Wittenberg University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Springfield, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s criminology degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

Wittenberg also made our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #19. The yearly cost to attend Wittenberg University is $18,379 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Criminology at Wittenberg

University of Akron Main Campus came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Akron Main Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Akron, Ohio. It awarded 16 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Akron Main Campus did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Akron Main Campus is $14,816 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Criminology at University of Akron Main Campus

#18

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois

Concordia University, Chicago ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-sized school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 10 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

Concordia University, Chicago also made our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #23. The estimated yearly cost for Concordia University, Chicago is $14,097 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Criminology at Concordia University, Chicago

#19

Capital University

Columbus, Ohio

Capital University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s criminology degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

Capital did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $18,881 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Capital.

The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 about Criminology at Capital

#20

Valparaiso University

Valparaiso, Indiana

Valparaiso University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Valparaiso, Indiana, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 14 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s criminology students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree criminology students whose families make $0-$30k list, Valpo has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Valpo is $13,588 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminology at Valparaiso University

#21

Lakeland University

Plymouth, Wisconsin

Lakeland University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. This small school is located in Plymouth, Wisconsin, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

Lakeland not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $18,310 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lakeland.

Full Lakeland University Criminology Report

#22

Ohio Dominican University

Columbus, Ohio

Ohio Dominican University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. ODU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 5 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

ODU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio Dominican University is $18,734 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Criminology at Ohio Dominican University

#23

Rockford University

Rockford, Illinois
#22 in overall quality

Rockford University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Rockford, Illinois, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

Rockford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Rockford is $21,868 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive 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 Rockford University Criminology Report

#24

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#18 in overall quality

DePaul University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 6 degrees to qualified bachelors’s criminology students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at DePaul, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul University is $26,173 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminology at DePaul

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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

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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