2023 Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections School for You
With 2,483 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, criminal justice and corrections is the #12 most popular major in Illinois.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
The Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 28 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best value 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.
Top 10 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools
Our analysis found Southwestern Illinois College to be the best value school for criminal justice and corrections students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. SWIC is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Belleville.
SWIC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,390 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, criminal justice graduates from SWIC take out $9,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Western Illinois University is a great value for criminal justice and corrections students. WIU is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Macomb.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at WIU are $13,297 a year. The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at WIU take out is $25,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $218.
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The excellent programs at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best criminal justice and corrections schools in Illinois. Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public school with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUE are $11,496 per year. On average, criminal justice graduates from SIUE take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $179.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois list. Located in the small city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public school with a large student population.
SIUC undergraduate students pay an average of $15,240 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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Out of the 28 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Moraine Valley Community College landed the # 4 spot on the list. MVCC is a large public school located in the large suburb of Palos Hills.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at MVCC are $8,118 a year.
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Lewis and Clark Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value criminal justice and corrections programs. Lewis and Clark Community College is a small public school located in the small suburb of Godfrey.
Lewis and Clark Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $9,552 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, criminal justice graduates from Lewis and Clark Community College take out $9,783 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Governors State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois list. GSU is a small public school located in the rural area of University Park.
GSU undergraduate students pay an average of $10,108 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Criminal Justice majors at GSU take out an average of $26,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Morton College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for criminal justice and corrections students. It came in at #8 on the list. Morton College is a small public school located in the suburb of Cicero.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Morton College are $9,476 a year.
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Illinois State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Illinois State undergraduate students pay an average of $13,968 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, criminal justice majors at Illinois State accumulate an average of around $20,712 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $239, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Illinois State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois list.
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Oakton Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Illinois list. Located in the small city of Des Plaines, Oakton Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Oakton Community College are $10,446 a year.
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Request InformationBest Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
Explore all the Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 2,094 |
| Ohio | 2,805 |
| Indiana | 2,249 |
| Wisconsin | 1,134 |
More Criminal Justice & Corrections Rankings in Illinois
Majors Related to Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice & Corrections is one of 4 different types of programs to choose from.
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 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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