2023 Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections 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.
The Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 99 schools in the Southwest Region 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. 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.
Top 15% Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Amarillo College the best value school in the Southwest Region for criminal justice and corrections students. Located in the midsize city of Amarillo, Amarillo College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Amarillo College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,704 in tuition and fees each year. Criminal Justice majors at Amarillo College take out an average of $16,751 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Amarillo College Report
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Out of the 99 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, South Plains College landed the # 2 spot on the list. South Plains College is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Levelland.
South Plains College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,276 in tuition and fees each year.
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The excellent programs at New Mexico State University - Grants helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best criminal justice and corrections schools in the Southwest Region . Located in the remote town of Grants, NMSU Grants is a public school with a fairly small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NMSU Grants are $4,104 a year. Criminal Justice majors at NMSU Grants take out an average of $6,750 in student loans while working on their egree.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Tyler Junior College is a great value for criminal justice and corrections students. Tyler Junior College is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Tyler.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Tyler Junior College are $4,440 a year. After completing their degree, criminal justice graduates from Tyler Junior College carry an average student debtload of $11,875.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means El Centro College is a great value for criminal justice and corrections students. El Centro College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Dallas.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at El Centro College are $6,000 a year. On average, criminal justice graduates from El Centro College take out $13,692 in student loans while working on their degree.
El Centro College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region list.
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College of the Mainland came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the suburb of Texas City, COM is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at COM are $3,873 a year.
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Wharton County Junior College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value criminal justice and corrections programs. Wharton County Junior College is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Wharton.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Wharton County Junior College are $4,872 per year. While working on their degree, criminal justice majors at Wharton County Junior College accumulate an average of around $9,500 in student debt.
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Lone Star College System came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the midsize city of The Woodlands, North Harris Montgomery is a public college with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at North Harris Montgomery are $6,168 per year. The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at North Harris Montgomery take out is $13,176.
North Harris Montgomery excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region list.
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El Paso Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region list. El Paso Community College is a very large public school located in the city of El Paso.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at El Paso Community College are $5,314 a year. After completing their degree, criminal justice graduates from El Paso Community College carry an average student debtload of $5,500.
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New Mexico State University - Dona Ana landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value criminal justice and corrections programs. Located in the rural area of Las Cruces, NMSU Dona Ana is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
NMSU Dona Ana undergraduate students pay an average of $5,664 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, criminal justice graduates from NMSU Dona Ana carry an average student debtload of $6,750.
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McLennan 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 #12 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Waco, MCC is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MCC are $5,910 per year. Criminal Justice majors at MCC take out an average of $16,614 in student loans while working on their egree.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, MCC also is in the top 10% of our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region ranking.
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New Mexico State University - Carlsbad did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for criminal justice and corrections students. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the rural area of Carlsbad, NMSU Carlsbad is a public college with a small student population.
NMSU Carlsbad undergraduate students pay an average of $4,008 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, criminal justice graduates from NMSU Carlsbad carry an average student debtload of $6,750.
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South Texas College landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value criminal justice and corrections programs. South Texas College is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of McAllen.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at South Texas College are $7,920 a year. After completing their degree, criminal justice graduates from South Texas College carry an average student debtload of $6,750.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, South Texas College also did well on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at South Texas College Report
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These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | New Mexico State University - Alamogordo | Alamogordo, NM |
| 16 | Rio Salado College | Tempe, AZ |
| 17 | Laredo College | Laredo, TX |
| 18 | Southwest Texas Junior College | Uvalde, TX |
| 19 | Houston Community College | 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 |
More Criminal Justice & Corrections Rankings in the Southwest Region
Criminal Justice & Corrections Related Majors for Criminal Justice
One of 4 majors within the area of study, criminal justice and corrections has other similar majors worth exploring.
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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