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Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Pennsylvania

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2023 Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Pennsylvania

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

58 Colleges
$10,988 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$34,266 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections School for You

Criminal Justice & Corrections is one of the most popular subjects to study in Pennsylvania. With 3,232 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 10th out of all the majors we track in the state.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Our analysis looked at 58 schools in Pennsylvania to see which 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.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Pennsylvania

Check out the criminal justice programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools

$9,098 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Bucks County Community College the best value school in Pennsylvania for criminal justice and corrections students. Located in the rural area of Newtown, Bucks County Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Bucks County Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $9,098 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, criminal justice graduates from Bucks County Community College take out $10,950 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Bucks County Community College

$8,295 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 58 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Harrisburg Area Community College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Harrisburg, HACC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at HACC are $8,295 a year. On average, criminal justice graduates from HACC take out $15,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Harrisburg Area Community College Report

$10,423 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at West Chester University of Pennsylvania helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best criminal justice and corrections schools in Pennsylvania. WCUPA is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of West Chester.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at WCUPA are $10,423 a year.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at West Chester University of Pennsylvania Report

#4

Lehigh Carbon Community College

Schnecksville, PA
$8,430 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Lehigh Carbon Community College is a great value for criminal justice and corrections students. LCCC is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Schnecksville.

LCCC undergraduate students pay an average of $8,430 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, criminal justice graduates from LCCC carry an average student debtload of $11,000.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Lehigh Carbon Community College Report

$10,350 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 58 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Montgomery County Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Montco is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Blue Bell.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Montco are $10,350 a year. After completing their degree, criminal justice graduates from Montco carry an average student debtload of $18,591.

Read More…

$10,982 Average Tuition & Fees

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Pennsylvania list. Bloomsburg is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Bloomsburg.

Bloomsburg undergraduate students pay an average of $10,982 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, criminal justice graduates from Bloomsburg carry an average student debtload of $26,957. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $199.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Report

#7

Lock Haven University

Lock Haven, PA
$10,878 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, Lock Haven University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for criminal justice and corrections students. LHU is a small public school located in the distant town of Lock Haven.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at LHU are $10,878 a year. Criminal Justice majors at LHU take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $316, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Lock Haven University Report

$8,323 Average Tuition & Fees

Community College of Allegheny County 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. CCAC is a large public school located in the large city of Pittsburgh.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CCAC are $8,323 per year. After completing their degree, criminal justice graduates from CCAC carry an average student debtload of $11,050.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Community College of Allegheny County Report

$11,173 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, Clarion University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s best value schools for criminal justice and corrections students. Located in the town of Clarion, Clarion University is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Clarion University are $11,173 a year. The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at Clarion University take out is $26,000.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Clarion University of Pennsylvania Report

$9,900 Average Tuition & Fees

Delaware County Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for criminal justice and corrections students. It came in at #10 on the list. Delaware County Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Media.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Delaware County Community College are $9,900 a year. The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at Delaware County Community College take out is $13,137.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Delaware County Community College Report

Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
New York 8,093
Maryland 948
New Jersey 2,955
District of Columbia 335
Delaware 280

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

Majors Similar to Criminal Justice

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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