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

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

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

49 Colleges
$6,082 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.

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.

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

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Colleges.

Top 10 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools

#1

Amarillo College

Amarillo, TX

Our 2023 rankings named Amarillo College the best value school in the Southwest Region for criminal justice and corrections students working on their associate degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Amarillo, Amarillo College is a public college with a medium-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.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Amarillo College

#2

South Plains College

Levelland, TX

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend South Plains College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. South Plains College is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Levelland.

South Plains College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,276 in tuition and fees each year. On average, criminal justice graduates from South Plains College take out $15,242 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

#3

Tyler Junior College

Tyler, TX

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Tyler Junior College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Tyler Junior College is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Tyler.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Tyler Junior College are $4,440 per year. On average, criminal justice graduates from Tyler Junior College take out $14,547 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend New Mexico State University - Grants. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the remote town of Grants, NMSU Grants is a public school with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NMSU Grants are $4,104 per 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

#5

El Centro College

Dallas, TX

The excellent associate degree programs at El Centro College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value criminal justice and corrections schools in the Southwest Region . El Centro College is a very large public school located in the large city of Dallas.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at El Centro College are $6,000 a 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 not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list.

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El Paso Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. El Paso Community College is a very large public school located in the large city of El Paso.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at El Paso Community College are $5,314 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, criminal justice graduates from El Paso Community College carry an average student debtload of $9,028.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at El Paso Community College

#8

Lone Star College System

The Woodlands, TX

Lone Star College System came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the midsize city of The Woodlands, North Harris Montgomery is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at North Harris Montgomery are $6,168 a 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 excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Lone Star College System

McLennan Community College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree criminal justice and corrections programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Waco, MCC is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

MCC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,910 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, criminal justice graduates from MCC carry an average student debtload of $19,686.

MCC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list.

Read More…

#10

College of the Mainland

Texas City, TX

With a ranking of #10, College of the Mainland did quite well on this year’s best value schools for criminal justice and corrections students working on their associate degree. Located in the midsize suburb of Texas City, COM is a public college with a small student population.

COM undergraduate students pay an average of $3,873 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at College of the Mainland Report

Best 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

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

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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