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Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois

28 Colleges
$37,966 Avg Salary
$27,282 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections School for You

With 2,483 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, criminal justice and corrections is the #12 most popular major in Illinois.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 28 schools in Illinois to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best for criminal justice majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

Our 2023 rankings named University of Chicago the best school in Illinois for criminal justice and corrections students. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a great place for criminal justice and corrections students. Located in the small city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Southern Illinois University Carbondale Report

The excellent programs at Western Illinois University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best criminal justice and corrections schools in Illinois. WIU is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Macomb.

The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at WIU take out is $25,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $218.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Western Illinois University Report

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Loyola University Chicago is a great place for criminal justice and corrections students. Loyola Chicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

Criminal Justice majors at Loyola Chicago take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $499.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Loyola University Chicago

#5

Lewis University

Romeoville, IL

Out of the 28 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Lewis University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Romeoville, Lewis is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

Criminal Justice majors at Lewis take out an average of $21,500 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Lewis University Report

Illinois State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois list. Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, criminal justice majors at Illinois State accumulate an average of around $20,712 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $239, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Illinois State University

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best criminal justice and corrections programs. Located in the large suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public school with a large student population.

On average, criminal justice graduates from SIUE take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $179.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Report

Benedictine University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois list. Located in the suburb of Lisle, Benedictine U is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

On average, criminal justice graduates from Benedictine U take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Benedictine University

#9

North Park University

Chicago, IL

With a ranking of #9, North Park University did quite well on this year’s best schools for criminal justice and corrections students. North Park is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

Criminal Justice majors at North Park take out an average of $24,231 in student loans while working on their egree.

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University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public college with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at UIC take out is $17,750. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $178, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at University of Illinois at Chicago

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 2,094
Ohio 2,805
Indiana 2,249
Wisconsin 1,134

Criminal Justice & Corrections is one of 4 different types of programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fire Protection 13,766
Homeland Security 7,140
Security Science and Technology 6,888
Other Homeland Security 1,695

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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 the rest 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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