2023 Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in the Plains States Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting School for You
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting is the #12 most popular major in the country with 142,610 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 95 schools in the Plains States Region to see which programs offered the best value experiences for homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting 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.
Top 15% Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Southeast Community College Area the best value school in the Plains States Region for homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting students. Southeast Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of Lincoln.
Southeast Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $3,780 in tuition and fees each year. On average, homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting graduates from Southeast Community College take out $14,578 in student loans while working on their degree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeast Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the remote town of Norfolk, Northeast is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Northeast undergraduate students pay an average of $5,010 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting majors at Northeast take out is $11,079.
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Out of the 95 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Alexandria Technical & Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the remote town of Alexandria, ATCC is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at ATCC are $5,910 a year. The average amount in student loans that homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting majors at ATCC take out is $15,750.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, ATCC also is in the top 20% of our Best Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Hennepin Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park, North Hennepin Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at North Hennepin Community College are $4,882 a year. The average amount in student loans that homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting majors at North Hennepin Community College take out is $25,850.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, North Hennepin Community College also did well on our Best Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the fringe town of Cloquet, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College is a public college with a small student population.
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,815 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting majors at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College accumulate an average of around $17,750 in student debt.
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Normandale Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting programs. Located in the city of Bloomington, Normandale Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Normandale Community College are $5,789 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Normandale Community College also is in the top 15% of our Best Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.
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Lake Region State College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting students. It came in at #7 on the list. Lake Region State College is a small public school located in the town of Devils Lake.
Lake Region State College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,000 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting majors at Lake Region State College take out is $12,750.
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Metropolitan Community College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. MCC is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Omaha.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at MCC are $4,680 a year. On average, homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting graduates from MCC take out $13,539 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting at Metropolitan Community College Report
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Hennepin Technical College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting programs. Located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park, Hennepin Technical College is a public college with a small student population.
Hennepin Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,741 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting majors at Hennepin Technical College take out is $20,396.
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Inver Hills Community College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. IHCC is a small public school located in the large suburb of Inver Grove Heights.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at IHCC are $5,809 per year. Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting majors at IHCC take out an average of $21,500 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Northland Community and Technical College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting programs. Located in the town of Thief River Falls, Northland Community and Technical College is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northland Community and Technical College are $6,052 per year.
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Lake Area Technical Institute came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. LATI is a small public school located in the town of Watertown.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at LATI are $6,718 a year. Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting majors at LATI take out an average of $12,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Century College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting students. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the suburb of White Bear Lake, Century College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Century College are $5,907 a year. On average, homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting graduates from Century College take out $29,451 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting at Century College Report
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Wayne State College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting students. It came in at #14 on the list. WSC is a small public school located in the town of Wayne.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WSC are $7,458 per year. After completing their degree, homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting graduates from WSC carry an average student debtload of $25,086.
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Request InformationAdditional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great value schools for Law Enforcement & Firefighting students in the Plains States Region seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in the Plains States Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Chadron State College | Chadron, NE |
| 16 | Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies | Fayette, MO |
| 17 | Johnson County Community College | Overland Park, KS |
| 18 | Hibbing Community College | Hibbing, MN |
| 19 | Jefferson College | Hillsboro, MO |
Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Colleges by State
Explore the best homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Kansas | 722 |
| Minnesota | 1,643 |
| Iowa | 883 |
| South Dakota | 154 |
| Missouri | 1,500 |
| Nebraska | 729 |
| North Dakota | 271 |
More Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Rankings in the Plains States Region
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Related Majors for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Criminal Justice & Corrections | 113,121 |
| Fire Protection | 13,766 |
| Homeland Security | 7,140 |
| Security Science and Technology | 6,888 |
| Other Homeland Security | 1,695 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Public Administration & Social Service | 98,583 |
| Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies | 73,813 |
| Legal Professions | 61,055 |
| Military Technologies & Applied Sciences | 4,477 |
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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Barry Bahler.
More about our data sources and methodologies.