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

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

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

38 Colleges
$6,265 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. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. This report analyzed 38 schools in the Plains States 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.

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 Plains States 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

Our analysis found Southeast Community College Area to be the best value school for criminal justice and corrections students who want to pursue a associate degree in the Plains States Region . Southeast Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Lincoln.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Southeast Community College are $3,780 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, criminal justice graduates from Southeast Community College carry an average student debtload of $17,331.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Southeast Community College Area

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Alexandria Technical & Community College is a great value for criminal justice and corrections students working on their associate degree. Located in the remote town of Alexandria, ATCC is a public college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at ATCC are $5,910 per year. Criminal Justice majors at ATCC take out an average of $13,387 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

In addition to its great value ranking, ATCC is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list.

Read More…

The excellent associate degree programs at Northeast Community College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value criminal justice and corrections schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the town of Norfolk, Northeast is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Northeast are $5,010 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, criminal justice majors at Northeast accumulate an average of around $14,313 in student debt.

Read More…

#4

North Hennepin Community College

Brooklyn Park, MN

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Hennepin Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the suburb of Brooklyn Park, North Hennepin Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at North Hennepin Community College are $4,882 a year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, North Hennepin Community College also did well on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at North Hennepin Community College

The excellent associate degree programs at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value criminal justice and corrections schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the town of Cloquet, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College is a public school with a small student population.

Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,815 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, criminal justice graduates from Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College carry an average student debtload of $18,689.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Report

#6

Normandale Community College

Bloomington, MN

Normandale Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree criminal justice and corrections programs. Located in the city of Bloomington, Normandale Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Normandale Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,789 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at Normandale Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $19,161.

Normandale Community College 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 Plains States Region list.

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

With a ranking of #7, Metropolitan Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for criminal justice and corrections students working on their associate degree. MCC is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Omaha.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MCC are $4,680 per year. On average, criminal justice graduates from MCC take out $13,240 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

In addition to its great value ranking, MCC is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Metropolitan Community College Report

#8

Inver Hills Community College

Inver Grove Heights, MN

Inver Hills Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree criminal justice and corrections programs. IHCC is a small public school located in the large suburb of Inver Grove Heights.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at IHCC are $5,809 per year. The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at IHCC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $23,094.

IHCC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Inver Hills Community College

#9

Century College

White Bear Lake, MN

With a ranking of #9, Century 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 suburb of White Bear Lake, Century College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Century College are $5,907 per year. After completing their Associate Degree, criminal justice graduates from Century College carry an average student debtload of $29,681.

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

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Century College

Northland Community and Technical College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree criminal justice and corrections programs. Located in the remote town of Thief River Falls, Northland Community and Technical College is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Northland Community and Technical College are $6,052 a year. On average, criminal justice graduates from Northland Community and Technical College take out $15,626 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges by State

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

State Degrees Awarded
Missouri 1,273
Minnesota 1,525
Kansas 586
Iowa 627
Nebraska 608
North Dakota 225
South Dakota 154

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 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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