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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminology (With Aid)

143 Ranked Colleges
8,860 Degrees Awarded
$12,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Getting Aid

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Criminology is the 82nd most popular major in the country with 10,182 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 8,860 criminology graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 143 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Criminology Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Criminology (With Aid)

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend John Jay College of Criminal Justice. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 230 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

John Jay also made our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #23. It costs about $2,532 for bachelor’s degree criminology students with aid per year to attend John Jay.

Read more about Criminology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice

#2

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Gainesville, Florida, and it awarded 154 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UF, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UF is $6,302 for bachelor’s degree criminology students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 University of Florida

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Fresno is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 430 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $5,464 for bachelor’s degree criminology students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Fresno State Criminology Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of South Florida - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. USF Tampa is a large public school situated in Tampa, Florida. It awarded 425 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,355 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students with aid per year to attend USF Tampa.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full USF Tampa Criminology Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 429 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $14,783 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminology at UC Irvine

The University of Texas of the Permian Basin did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. The University of Texas of the Permian Basin is a medium-sized school located in Odessa, Texas that handed out 32 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UT Permian Basin is $10,092 for bachelor’s degree criminology students with aid.

Read more about Criminology at UT Permian Basin

#7

University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, Maryland

University of Maryland - College Park did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. University of Maryland - College Park is located in College Park, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 353 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMCP, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Maryland - College Park is $19,045 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminology at University of Maryland - College Park

#8

SUNY Old Westbury

Old Westbury, New York

With a ranking of #8, SUNY Old Westbury did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. SUNY Old Westbury is a public institution located in Old Westbury, New York. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 70 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,557 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students with aid per year to attend SUNY Old Westbury.

Read more about Criminology at SUNY Old Westbury

#9

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina

North Carolina State University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. North Carolina State University is located in Raleigh, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 46 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

NC State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $16,458 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students with aid per year to attend NC State.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 Criminology at NC State

The University of Texas at Dallas came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. The University of Texas at Dallas is a public institution located in Richardson, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 57 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,232 for bachelor’s degree criminology students with aid per year to attend UT Dallas.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 4.9% 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 The University of Texas at Dallas Criminology Report

#11

University of Missouri - St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri

With a ranking of #11, University of Missouri - St Louis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. University of Missouri - St Louis is a fairly large public school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 86 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,435 for bachelor’s degree criminology students with aid per year to attend University of Missouri - St Louis.

Read full report on Criminology at UMSL

#12

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Whitewater, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Whitewater, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school handed out 66 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s criminology students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UW - Whitewater is $15,249 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students with aid.

Full University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Criminology Report

#13

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin
Top 25% in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, University of Wisconsin - River Falls did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UW - River Falls is located in River Falls, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $13,748 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students with aid per year to attend UW - River Falls.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 University of Wisconsin - River Falls

#14

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington

With a ranking of #14, Eastern Washington University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Cheney, Washington, this fairly large public school handed out 88 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s criminology students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Eastern Washington University is $12,607 for bachelor’s degree criminology students with aid.

Full EWU Criminology Report

#15

University of Wisconsin - Stout

Menomonie, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Stout came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UW - Stout is a public institution located in Menomonie, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Stout not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Stout is $15,839 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students with aid.

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

California State University - San Marcos came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSUSM is located in San Marcos, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 278 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $13,399 for bachelor’s degree criminology students with aid per year to attend CSUSM.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Criminology at CSUSM

Wright State University - Lake Campus landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. 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.

The yearly cost to attend Wright State University - Lake Campus is $12,099 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students with aid.

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

#18

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s criminology degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

UPenn also took the #1 spot in our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UPenn is $25,802 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students with aid.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full UPenn Criminology Report

With a ranking of #19, Texas A&M University - San Antonio did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in San Antonio, Texas, and it awarded 123 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M San Antonio is $11,511 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students with aid.

Read more about Criminology at Texas A&M San Antonio

#20

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

University of Northern Iowa did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. UNI is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 50 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree criminology students with aid list, UNI has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Northern Iowa is $15,620 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%.

Read more about Criminology at University of Northern Iowa

#21

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah

University of Utah ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. University of Utah is a public institution located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,773 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students with aid per year to attend University of Utah.

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 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Criminology at U of U

#22

West Virginia University

Morgantown, West Virginia

West Virginia University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. West Virginia University is a large public school situated in Morgantown, West Virginia. It awarded 138 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,983 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students with aid per year to attend West Virginia University.

Full WVU Criminology Report

University of Nevada - Reno landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Nevada - Reno is located in Reno, Nevada and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 163 bachelors’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

UNR also claimed a top spot on our “Best Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for UNR is $15,081 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students with aid.

Read full report on Criminology at University of Nevada - Reno

#24

University of Southern Maine

Portland, Maine

University of Southern Maine ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Portland, Maine, and it awarded 31 bachelors’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern Maine is $12,339 for bachelor’s degree criminology students with aid.

Full University of Southern Maine Criminology Report

#25

Indiana State University

Terre Haute, Indiana

Indiana State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Indiana State is a public institution located in Terre Haute, Indiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 141 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Indiana State University is $13,896 for Bachelor’s Degree Criminology students with aid.

Full Indiana State Criminology Report

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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