2023 Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Texas
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections School for You
Criminal Justice & Corrections is one of the most popular subjects to study in Texas. With 7,644 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 7th out of all the majors we track in the state.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
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 Texas ranking. Our analysis looked at 63 schools in Texas 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.
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 Amarillo College to be the best value school for criminal justice and corrections students who want to pursue a degree in Texas. Amarillo College is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize city of Amarillo.
Amarillo College undergraduate students pay an average of $3,168 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, criminal justice graduates from Amarillo College take out $16,751 in student loans while working on their degree.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Lamar Institute of Technology is a great value for criminal justice and corrections students. Located in the city of Beaumont, Lamar Institute of Technology is a public college with a small student population.
Lamar Institute of Technology undergraduate students pay an average of $2,844 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at Lamar Institute of Technology take out is $12,000.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means El Centro College is a great value for criminal justice and corrections students. Located in the large city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
El Centro College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,050 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at El Centro College take out is $13,692.
El Centro College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Texas list.
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The excellent programs at El Paso Community College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best criminal justice and corrections schools in Texas. Located in the city of El Paso, El Paso Community College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
El Paso Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $3,274 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, criminal justice majors at El Paso Community College accumulate an average of around $5,500 in student debt.
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Out of the 63 schools in Texas that were part of this year’s ranking, South Texas College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the midsize city of McAllen, South Texas College is a public school with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at South Texas College are $4,530 a year. While working on their degree, criminal justice majors at South Texas College accumulate an average of around $6,750 in student debt.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, South Texas College also did well on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Texas list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Wharton County Junior College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Texas list. Located in the distant town of Wharton, Wharton County Junior College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Wharton County Junior College are $3,624 per year. Criminal Justice majors at Wharton County Junior College take out an average of $9,500 in student loans while working on their egree.
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College of the Mainland ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Texas list. COM is a small public school located in the suburb of Texas City.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at COM are $2,973 per year.
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Tarrant County College District landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value criminal justice and corrections programs. Tarrant County College is a very large public school located in the city of Fort Worth.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Tarrant County College are $3,402 per year. Criminal Justice majors at Tarrant County College take out an average of $17,625 in student loans while working on their egree.
Tarrant County College also claimed a spot on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Texas list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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With a ranking of #10, McLennan Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for criminal justice and corrections students. MCC is a medium-sized public school located in the midsize city of Waco.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at MCC are $4,200 a year. On average, criminal justice graduates from MCC take out $16,614 in student loans while working on their degree.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, MCC also did well on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Texas list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at McLennan Community College Report
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Here are some additional great value schools for Criminal Justice & Corrections students in the state of Texas seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Texas award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | South Plains College | Levelland, TX |
Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Southwest Region
Explore all the Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Arizona | 3,363 |
| Oklahoma | 655 |
| New Mexico | 571 |
More Criminal Justice & Corrections Rankings in Texas
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.