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2025 Best Criminology Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

19 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
1,008 Bachelor's Degrees
$38,014 Avg Early-Career Salary
Criminology is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #53 most popular bachelor's degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 19 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Criminology Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,008 bachelor's degrees in criminology to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Criminology School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Criminology Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region Your choice of criminology for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for criminology students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Criminology Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 Criminology Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Criminology in the Great Lakes Region

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for criminology students seeking a a bachelor's degree.

10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools for a Bachelor's in Criminology

1
142 Annual Graduates
$39,396 Median Starting Salary
$21,000 Median Student Debt

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in criminology has to check out Ohio State University - Main Campus. Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a fairly large student population.

After graduation, criminology bachelor's recipients generally earn an average of $39,396 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from Ohio State University - Main Campus

2
61 Annual Graduates
$37,645 Median Starting Salary
$21,155 Median Student Debt

Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a wonderful option for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in criminology. Located in the distant town of Carbondale, SIUC is a public university with a large student population.

Soon after graduating, criminology bachelor's recipients typically make around $37,645 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from Southern Illinois University Carbondale

3
Marquette crest
Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI
73 Annual Graduates
$35,650 Median Starting Salary
$54,690 Median Student Debt

Marquette University is a wonderful choice for students interested in a bachelor's degree in criminology. Marquette is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Milwaukee.

After graduation, criminology bachelor's recipients generally earn around $35,650 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from Marquette University

4
Indiana State crest
Indiana State University
Terre Haute, IN
93 Annual Graduates
$39,769 Median Starting Salary
$10,033 Median Student Debt

Indiana State University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in criminology. Located in the city of Terre Haute, Indiana State is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the criminology program earn about $39,769 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from Indiana State University

5
71 Annual Graduates
$36,891 Median Starting Salary
$19,348 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Ypsilanti, Eastern Michigan is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the criminology program earn around $36,891 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from Eastern Michigan University

6
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
45 Annual Graduates

DePaul is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from DePaul University

7
37 Annual Graduates
$40,060 Median Starting Salary
$14,084 Median Student Debt

Located in the distant town of Whitewater, UW - Whitewater is a public university with a large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the criminology program at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater get $2,047 more than the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

8

UW - River Falls is a moderately-sized public university located in the distant town of River Falls.

Bachelor's recipients from the criminology program at University of Wisconsin - River Falls make $7,100 more than the typical graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from University of Wisconsin - River Falls

9
69 Annual Graduates
$32,393 Median Starting Salary
$11,750 Median Student Debt

Cleveland State University is a large public university located in the large city of Cleveland.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the criminology program state that they receive average early career wages of $32,393.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from Cleveland State University

10
Valpo crest
Valparaiso University
Valparaiso, IN

Valpo is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Valparaiso.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the criminology program earn around $30,653 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminology from Valparaiso University

Best Criminology Colleges by State

Explore the best criminology schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 261 134
Ohio 252 373
Illinois 241 231
Indiana 235 163
Wisconsin 213 225

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Criminology Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Criminology 1,008

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