2026 Best Value Criminology Associate’s Degree Schools
Looking for the best-value Criminology associate’s degree programs in the United States? We have ranked 249 schools by value — the balance of cost and student outcomes, using our 2026 methodology. The rankings below weigh factors such as tuition, student debt, and post-graduation earnings to surface the strongest return on investment.
To help you make your decision, Course Advisor reviewed schools to produce this 2026 value ranking, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). View our full ranking methodology.
Top 25 Best-Value Criminology Associate’s Degree Schools in the United States
Learn more about these high-value schools below:
Out of the 249 schools in the United States in this year's value ranking, Central New Mexico Community College landed the #2 spot. This public school is set in Albuquerque, NM. In-state tuition and fees average $2,060, with out-of-state students paying around $8,684. Graduates carry a median of $10,112 in student loans. Median earnings reach $36,869 ten years out. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Get the full Central New Mexico Community College report
You'll get strong value at Upper Iowa University, which ranked #3 this year. Based in Fayette, IA, Upper Iowa University is a private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $19,475. Upper Iowa University Criminology students take on a median of $43,447 in debt. Upper Iowa University alumni report median earnings of $52,766 a decade after entry. That is a strong return on a $43,447 median debt. About 96% of those who apply are admitted. Read the full report on Upper Iowa University
Out of the 249 schools in the United States in this year's value ranking, Cottey College landed the #3 spot. See the full Cottey College profile
Manhattan College came in at #4 on this year's best-value Criminology ranking in the United States. More on Manhattan College
Ohio State University Mansfield Campus came in at #5 on this year's best-value Criminology ranking in the United States. See the full Ohio State University Mansfield Campus profile
Purdue University Global offered strong value this year, earning the #6 position. Get the full Purdue University Global report
Hamline University ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the best-value Criminology schools. Get the full Hamline University report
Westmoreland County Community College came in at #8 in this year's value ranking. Get the full Westmoreland County Community College report
Loyola University New Orleans landed the #9 spot for value in the United States this year. Get the full Loyola University New Orleans report
Saint Josephs University came in at #10 in this year's value ranking. More on Saint Josephs University
Framingham State University offered strong value this year, earning the #11 position. Read more about Framingham State University
Saint Bonaventure University placed #12 among the best-value Criminology schools in the United States. Read more about Saint Bonaventure University
Southern Arkansas University Main Campus offered strong value this year, earning the #13 position. Get the full Southern Arkansas University Main Campus report
St Johns University New York came in at #14 in this year's value ranking. Read the full report on St Johns University New York
Indiana State University ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the best-value Criminology schools. More on Indiana State University
Kansas State University offered strong value this year, earning the #16 position. More on Kansas State University
Siena College
Siena College came in at #17 in this year's value ranking. See the full Siena College profile
University Of Northern Iowa ranked #18 on our 2026 list of the best-value Criminology schools. Read more about University Of Northern Iowa
University Of The Pacific came in at #19 in this year's value ranking. Get the full University Of The Pacific report
Lynchburg College came in at #20 in this year's value ranking. Read more about Lynchburg College
Central Connecticut State University offered strong value this year, earning the #21 position. Get the full Central Connecticut State University report
College Of Notre Dame Of Maryland landed the #22 spot for value in the United States this year. See the full College Of Notre Dame Of Maryland profile
The University Of Montana offered strong value this year, earning the #23 position. Read the full report on The University Of Montana
Benedictine College landed the #24 spot for value in the United States this year. Read more about Benedictine College
Hiram College
Hiram College offered strong value this year, earning the #25 position. More on Hiram College
Rest of the Top 50 Best-Value Criminology Associate’s Degree Schools in the United States
These schools also delivered strong value this year:
Inter American University Of Puerto Rico Ponce landed the #26 spot for value in the United States this year. Get the full Inter American University Of Puerto Rico Ponce report
California State University Fresno placed #27 among the best-value Criminology schools in the United States. Read more about California State University Fresno
Grambling State University offered strong value this year, earning the #28 position. Read more about Grambling State University
Mercer University landed the #29 spot for value in the United States this year. Read more about Mercer University
Saint John Fisher College placed #30 among the best-value Criminology schools in the United States. Get the full Saint John Fisher College report
Thomas College
Thomas College landed the #31 spot for value in the United States this year. See the full Thomas College profile
University Of Rhode Island came in at #32 in this year's value ranking. More on University Of Rhode Island
Wright State University Lake Campus ranked #33 on our 2026 list of the best-value Criminology schools. See the full Wright State University Lake Campus profile
Saint Michaels College came in at #34 in this year's value ranking. Read more about Saint Michaels College
Auburn University landed the #35 spot for value in the United States this year. See the full Auburn University profile
Cuny Graduate School And University Center ranked #36 on our 2026 list of the best-value Criminology schools. Read the full report on Cuny Graduate School And University Center
University Of Florida Online landed the #37 spot for value in the United States this year. Get the full University Of Florida Online report
University Of Saint Mary placed #38 among the best-value Criminology schools in the United States. See the full University Of Saint Mary profile
West Virginia University landed the #39 spot for value in the United States this year. More on West Virginia University
The Chicago School Of Professional Psychology At Los Angeles placed #40 among the best-value Criminology schools in the United States. More on The Chicago School Of Professional Psychology At Los Angeles
Flagler College St Augustine came in at #41 in this year's value ranking. More on Flagler College St Augustine
Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #42 on our 2026 list of the best-value Criminology schools. Get the full Southern Illinois University Carbondale report
Depaul University landed the #43 spot for value in the United States this year. See the full Depaul University profile
Eastern Washington University ranked #44 on our 2026 list of the best-value Criminology schools. More on Eastern Washington University
University Of Akron Main Campus landed the #45 spot for value in the United States this year. See the full University Of Akron Main Campus profile
Missouri State University West Plains placed #46 among the best-value Criminology schools in the United States. Read the full report on Missouri State University West Plains
Pontifical Catholic University Of Puerto Rico Ponce came in at #47 in this year's value ranking. Read more about Pontifical Catholic University Of Puerto Rico Ponce
University Of The Southwest offered strong value this year, earning the #48 position. More on University Of The Southwest
Hastings College
Hastings College placed #49 among the best-value Criminology schools in the United States. More on Hastings College
The University Of Texas Of The Permian Basin landed the #50 spot for value in the United States this year. Get the full The University Of Texas Of The Permian Basin report
Related Criminology Value Rankings
See value rankings for other degree levels:
- Best Value Criminology Schools (All Levels)
- Best Value Criminology Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Value Criminology Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Value Criminology Bachelor’s Degree Schools
- Best Value Criminology Graduate Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Value Criminology Master’s Degree Schools
- Best Value Criminology Doctoral Degree Schools
Ranking Methodology & Notes
The ranking above is published by Course Advisor (DMS_RANKING_2023), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment — drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · Scope: Nation. *Averages shown above reflect the top 249 ranked schools only.
References
- Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) — National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education (core institutional data).
- College Scorecard — U.S. Department of Education (graduate earnings and outcomes data).
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