Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in Texas

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in Texas

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

27 Colleges
$5,472 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$31,065 Avg Salary

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

Criminal Justice & Corrections is one of the most popular subjects to study in Texas. With 7,644 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 7th out of all the majors we track in the state.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in Texas to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 27 schools in Texas 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.

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. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in Texas

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 analysis found Amarillo College to be the best value school for criminal justice and corrections students who want to pursue a associate degree in Texas. Amarillo College is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Amarillo.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Amarillo College are $3,168 per year. On average, criminal justice graduates from Amarillo College take out $20,507 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Amarillo College

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lamar Institute of Technology. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in Texas list. Located in the medium-sized city of Beaumont, Lamar Institute of Technology is a public school with a small student population.

Lamar Institute of Technology undergraduate students pay an average of $2,844 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Lamar Institute of Technology

#3

El Centro College

Dallas, TX

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means El Centro College is a great value for criminal justice and corrections students working on their associate degree. Located in the large city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at El Centro College are $4,050 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, criminal justice graduates from El Centro College carry an average student debtload of $16,446.

El Centro College did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in Texas list.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at El Centro College

Out of the 27 schools in Texas that were part of this year’s ranking, El Paso Community College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large city of El Paso, El Paso Community College is a public school with a very large student population.

El Paso Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $3,274 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their Associate Degree, criminal justice majors at El Paso Community College accumulate an average of around $9,028 in student debt.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at El Paso Community College Report

#5

South Texas College

McAllen, TX

Out of the 27 schools in Texas that were part of this year’s ranking, South Texas College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of McAllen, South Texas College is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at South Texas College are $4,530 a year. On average, criminal justice graduates from South Texas College take out $6,825 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

South Texas College did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in Texas list.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at South Texas College Report

#7

Tyler Junior College

Tyler, TX

With a ranking of #7, Tyler Junior College 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 city of Tyler, Tyler Junior College is a public school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Tyler Junior College are $3,864 a year. The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at Tyler Junior College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $14,547.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Tyler Junior College

McLennan Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree criminal justice and corrections programs. MCC is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Waco.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MCC are $4,200 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, criminal justice majors at MCC accumulate an average of around $19,686 in student debt.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, MCC also is in the top 20% of our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in Texas ranking.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at McLennan Community College Report

#9

South Plains College

Levelland, TX

South Plains College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in Texas ranking. Located in the distant town of Levelland, South Plains College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at South Plains College are $3,892 a year. The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at South Plains College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $15,242.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at South Plains College Report

Tarrant County College District ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in Texas list. Tarrant County College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Fort Worth.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Tarrant County College are $3,402 per year. The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at Tarrant County College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $18,577.

In addition to its great value ranking, Tarrant County College is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in Texas list.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Tarrant County College District

Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Southwest Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Arizona 3,363
Oklahoma 655
New Mexico 571

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.

  • 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.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.