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Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

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2023 Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

105 Colleges
$6,824 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$31,065 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 113,121 criminal justice and corrections students received a degree or certificate, making the major the #7 most popular in the country.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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.

The Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 105 schools in the Southeast Region to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for criminal justice students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

Check out the criminal justice associate degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 15% Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools

#1

Columbia Southern University

Orange Beach, AL

Our analysis found Columbia Southern University to be the best value school for criminal justice and corrections students who want to pursue a associate degree in the Southeast Region . Columbia Southern University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the fringe town of Orange Beach.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Columbia Southern University are $5,775 a year. The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at Columbia Southern University take out while working on their Associate Degree is $20,619.

Columbia Southern University not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Columbia Southern University Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American Public University System. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. American Military University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the fringe town of Charles Town.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at American Military University are $7,360 per year. The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at American Military University take out while working on their Associate Degree is $23,673.

American Military University also took the #2 spot in our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region rankings.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at American Public University System Report

#3

Delgado Community College

New Orleans, LA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Delgado Community College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Delgado Community College is a large public school located in the city of New Orleans.

Delgado Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,079 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, criminal justice graduates from Delgado Community College carry an average student debtload of $30,473.

Read More…

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Itawamba Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. ICC is a small public school located in the town of Fulton.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at ICC are $5,360 per year. Criminal Justice majors at ICC take out an average of $10,086 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Itawamba Community College

Out of the 105 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Crescent Technical College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Southern Crescent Technical College is a small public school located in the large suburb of Griffin.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southern Crescent Technical College are $5,526 per year.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Southern Crescent Technical College

#6

Georgia Military College

Milledgeville, GA

Georgia Military College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Georgia Military College is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Milledgeville.

Georgia Military College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,390 in tuition and fees each year. On average, criminal justice graduates from Georgia Military College take out $17,045 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Georgia Military College Report

#7

Gwinnett Technical College

Lawrenceville, GA

Gwinnett Technical College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. GTC is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Lawrenceville.

GTC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,636 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, criminal justice graduates from GTC carry an average student debtload of $17,736.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Gwinnett Technical College Report

North Georgia Technical College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the rural area of Clarkesville, North Georgia Technical College is a public school with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at North Georgia Technical College are $5,422 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, criminal justice majors at North Georgia Technical College accumulate an average of around $8,358 in student debt.

Read More…

#9

Baton Rouge Community College

Baton Rouge, LA

Baton Rouge Community College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree criminal justice and corrections programs. BRCC is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize city of Baton Rouge.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at BRCC are $4,221 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, criminal justice majors at BRCC accumulate an average of around $19,296 in student debt.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Baton Rouge Community College

SOWELA Technical Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the small city of Lake Charles, SOWELA is a public college with a small student population.

SOWELA undergraduate students pay an average of $4,265 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at SOWELA Technical Community College

South Georgia Technical College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree criminal justice and corrections programs. Located in the rural area of Americus, South Georgia Technical College is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at South Georgia Technical College are $6,692 a year. On average, criminal justice graduates from South Georgia Technical College take out $9,870 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

Albany Technical College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree criminal justice and corrections programs. Albany Technical College is a small public school located in the city of Albany.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Albany Technical College are $5,396 a year. Criminal Justice majors at Albany Technical College take out an average of $19,082 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Albany Technical College

Guilford Technical Community College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree criminal justice and corrections programs. Located in the midsize suburb of Jamestown, Guilford Technical Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Guilford Technical Community College are $7,665 per year. The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at Guilford Technical Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $25,376.

Read More…

#14

Bossier Parish Community College

Bossier City, LA

Bossier Parish Community College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Bossier Parish Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Bossier City.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Bossier Parish Community College are $4,284 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, criminal justice majors at Bossier Parish Community College accumulate an average of around $25,029 in student debt.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Bossier Parish Community College

Herzing University - Birmingham came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the suburb of Birmingham, Herzing University - Birmingham is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Herzing University - Birmingham undergraduate students pay an average of $14,200 in tuition and fees each year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Herzing University - Birmingham also did well on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read More…

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great value schools for Criminal Justice & Corrections students in the Southeast Region seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region award.

Rank College Location
16 Herzing University - Kenner Kenner, LA
17 Wiregrass Georgia Technical College Valdosta, GA
18 Forsyth Technical Community College Winston-Salem, NC
19 Pitt Community College Winterville, NC
20 Georgia Northwestern Technical College Rome, GA
21 Savannah Technical College Savannah, GA

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges by State

Explore the best criminal justice and corrections schools for a specific state in the Southeast region.

State Degrees Awarded
Georgia 2,158
Virginia 2,948
North Carolina 2,702
Florida 4,869
Tennessee 1,212
Kentucky 1,015
South Carolina 993
Louisiana 972
Arkansas 665
Alabama 1,413
Mississippi 581
West Virginia 1,320

One of 4 majors within the area of study, criminal justice and corrections has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Criminal Justice

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.

  • 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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