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Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

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2023 Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

63 Colleges
$16,516 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$34,809 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor's 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 Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. This report analyzed 63 schools in the Southwest Region to see which ones offered the best value bachelor's 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 Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for criminal justice majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.

Top 10 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor's Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named University of Phoenix - Arizona the best value school in the Southwest Region for criminal justice and corrections students working on their bachelor’s degree. UOPX - Arizona is a very large private for-profit school located in the city of Tempe.

UOPX - Arizona undergraduate students pay an average of $9,552 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, criminal justice graduates from UOPX - Arizona carry an average student debtload of $41,957. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $170.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, UOPX - Arizona also did well on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at University of Phoenix - Arizona

Out of the 63 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the remote town of Portales, ENMU - Main Campus is a public college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at ENMU - Main Campus are $8,568 per year. On average, criminal justice graduates from ENMU - Main Campus take out $22,728 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Arizona State University - Skysong. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the midsize city of Scottsdale, ASU - Skysong is a public college with a very large student population.

ASU - Skysong undergraduate students pay an average of $13,092 in tuition and fees each year. Criminal Justice majors at ASU - Skysong take out an average of $24,720 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $329, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, ASU - Skysong also did well on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Arizona State University - Skysong Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Phoenix - Texas. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. UOPX - Texas is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Houston.

UOPX - Texas undergraduate students pay an average of $9,552 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, criminal justice graduates from UOPX - Texas carry an average student debtload of $41,957. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $170.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at University of Phoenix - Texas

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means West Texas A&M University is a great value for criminal justice and corrections students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the town of Canyon, West Texas A&M University is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at West Texas A&M University are $11,208 per year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, criminal justice majors at West Texas A&M University accumulate an average of around $24,745 in student debt.

Read More…

#6

Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX

With a ranking of #6, Wayland Baptist University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for criminal justice and corrections students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the town of Plainview, Wayland Baptist University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Wayland Baptist University undergraduate students pay an average of $22,004 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, criminal justice graduates from Wayland Baptist University carry an average student debtload of $22,583.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Wayland Baptist University also did well on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Wayland Baptist University Report

With a ranking of #7, Texas A & M University - Central Texas did quite well on this year’s best value schools for criminal justice and corrections students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the rural area of Killeen, Texas A & M University - Central Texas is a public school with a small student population.

Texas A & M University - Central Texas undergraduate students pay an average of $17,155 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at Texas A & M University - Central Texas take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $25,141.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Texas A & M University - Central Texas also did well on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Texas A & M University - Central Texas Report

#8

MSU Texas

Wichita Falls, TX

MSU Texas landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree criminal justice and corrections programs. Located in the city of Wichita Falls, MSU Texas is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at MSU Texas are $11,726 a year. Criminal Justice majors at MSU Texas take out an average of $25,717 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Read More…

Sam Houston State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the distant town of Huntsville, SHSU is a public school with a very large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SHSU are $18,752 per year. The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at SHSU take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $24,772. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $162.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, SHSU also did well on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Sam Houston State University Report

Strayer University - Texas did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for criminal justice and corrections students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Strayer University - Texas is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Austin.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Strayer University - Texas are $13,515 a year. The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at Strayer University - Texas take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $47,839.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Strayer University - Texas Report

Additional Noteworthy Schools

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

Rank College Location
11 Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ
12 University of Houston - Downtown Houston, TX

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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