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Best Value Criminology Schools in the Great Lakes Region

2023 Best Value Criminology Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

28 Colleges
$24,620 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$34,842 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Criminology School for You

Criminology is the #81 most popular major in the country with 11,039 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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 Criminology Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 28 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best value programs for criminology students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

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 10 Best Criminology Schools

#1

Purdue University Global

Indianapolis, IN
$14,436 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Purdue University Global to be the best value school for criminology students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . Purdue University Global is a very large public school located in the small city of Indianapolis.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Purdue University Global are $14,436 per year. The average amount in student loans that criminology majors at Purdue University Global take out is $23,383.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Stout. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Criminology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Stout is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Menomonie.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - Stout are $17,820 per year. The average amount in student loans that criminology majors at UW - Stout take out is $27,000.

UW - Stout excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Criminology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

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The excellent programs at University of Wisconsin - River Falls helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best criminology schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the distant town of River Falls, UW - River Falls is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

UW - River Falls undergraduate students pay an average of $15,661 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, criminology graduates from UW - River Falls carry an average student debtload of $24,875.

UW - River Falls excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Criminology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Criminology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Whitewater is a large public school located in the town of Whitewater.

UW - Whitewater undergraduate students pay an average of $16,602 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that criminology majors at UW - Whitewater take out is $25,033.

UW - Whitewater also claimed a spot on our Best Criminology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

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$14,169 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend National Louis University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Criminology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. NLU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

NLU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,169 in tuition and fees each year. Criminology majors at NLU take out an average of $28,426 in student loans while working on their egree.

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$15,240 Average Tuition & Fees

Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. SIUC is a large public school located in the small city of Carbondale.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUC are $15,240 per year. Criminology majors at SIUC take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $161, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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$11,880 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, University of Akron Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best value schools for criminology students. Located in the city of Akron, University of Akron Main Campus is a public school with a large student population.

University of Akron Main Campus undergraduate students pay an average of $11,880 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that criminology majors at University of Akron Main Campus take out is $26,800.

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$15,500 Average Tuition & Fees

Eastern Michigan University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value criminology programs. Eastern Michigan is a large public school located in the large suburb of Ypsilanti.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Eastern Michigan are $15,500 a year. The average amount in student loans that criminology majors at Eastern Michigan take out is $29,143. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $153, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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$16,015 Average Tuition & Fees

Wright State University - Lake Campus ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Criminology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Wright State University - Lake Campus is a small public school located in the rural area of Celina.

Wright State University - Lake Campus undergraduate students pay an average of $16,015 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, criminology majors at Wright State University - Lake Campus accumulate an average of around $29,625 in student debt.

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#10

Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH
$16,654 Average Tuition & Fees

Cleveland State University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value criminology programs. Cleveland State University is a fairly large public school located in the city of Cleveland.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cleveland State University are $16,654 per year. While working on their degree, criminology majors at Cleveland State University accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.

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Best Criminology Colleges by State

Explore the best criminology colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 150
Ohio 427
Illinois 243
Indiana 275
Wisconsin 225

One of 12 majors within the area of study, criminology has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 49,282
Economics 49,055
Sociology 38,475
General Social Sciences 18,997
International Relations & National Security 14,306

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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