2023 Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
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.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 49 schools in the Southwest Region to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for criminal justice students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. 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.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools
Our analysis found Amarillo College to be the best value school for criminal justice and corrections students who want to pursue a associate degree in the Southwest Region . Located in the city of Amarillo, Amarillo College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Amarillo College are $4,704 a year. Criminal Justice majors at Amarillo College take out an average of $20,507 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend South Plains College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. South Plains College is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Levelland.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at South Plains College are $4,276 per year. On average, criminal justice graduates from South Plains College take out $15,242 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at South Plains College Report
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The excellent associate degree programs at Tyler Junior College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value criminal justice and corrections schools in the Southwest Region . Tyler Junior College is a large public school located in the city of Tyler.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Tyler Junior College are $4,440 a year. On average, criminal justice graduates from Tyler Junior College take out $14,547 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Tyler Junior College Report
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The excellent associate degree programs at New Mexico State University - Grants helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value criminal justice and corrections schools in the Southwest Region . Located in the town of Grants, NMSU Grants is a public college with a small student population.
NMSU Grants undergraduate students pay an average of $4,104 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at NMSU Grants take out while working on their Associate Degree is $10,377.
Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at New Mexico State University - Grants Report
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means El Centro College is a great value for criminal justice and corrections students working on their associate degree. El Centro College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Dallas.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at El Centro College are $6,000 per year. The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at El Centro College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $16,446.
El Centro College also took the #3 spot in our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region rankings.
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El Paso Community College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree criminal justice and corrections programs. El Paso Community College is a fairly large public school located in the city of El Paso.
El Paso Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,314 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, criminal justice graduates from El Paso Community College carry an average student debtload of $9,028.
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Lone Star College System did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for criminal justice and corrections students to get a associate degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the city of The Woodlands, North Harris Montgomery is a public college with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at North Harris Montgomery are $6,168 per year. The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at North Harris Montgomery take out while working on their Associate Degree is $16,521.
North Harris Montgomery also claimed a spot on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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McLennan Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the city of Waco, MCC is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at MCC are $5,910 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, criminal justice graduates from MCC carry an average student debtload of $19,686.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, MCC also did well on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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College of the Mainland landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree criminal justice and corrections programs. Located in the midsize suburb of Texas City, COM is a public college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at COM are $3,873 per year.
Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at College of the Mainland Report
Request InformationBest Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges by State
Explore the best criminal justice and corrections colleges for a specific state in the Southwest region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Texas | 7,644 |
| Arizona | 3,363 |
| Oklahoma | 655 |
| New Mexico | 571 |
More Criminal Justice & Corrections Rankings in the Southwest Region
Criminal Justice & Corrections Related Majors for Criminal Justice
One of 4 majors within the area of study, criminal justice and corrections has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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 26 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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