2023 Best Value Criminology Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
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
Our 2023 rankings named Purdue University Global the best value school in the Great Lakes Region for criminology students. Purdue University Global is a very large public school located in the city of Indianapolis.
Purdue University Global undergraduate students pay an average of $14,436 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that criminology majors at Purdue University Global take out is $23,383.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Wisconsin - Stout is a great value for criminology students. UW - Stout is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Menomonie.
UW - Stout undergraduate students pay an average of $17,820 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that criminology majors at UW - Stout take out is $27,000.
In addition to its great value ranking, UW - Stout is 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 town of River Falls, UW - River Falls is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - River Falls are $15,661 a 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 fairly large public school located in the distant town of Whitewater.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Whitewater are $16,602 a year. The average amount in student loans that criminology majors at UW - Whitewater take out is $25,033.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UW - Whitewater also did well on our Best Criminology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means National Louis University is a great value for criminology students. NLU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NLU are $14,169 a year. Criminology majors at NLU take out an average of $28,426 in student loans while working on their egree.
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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 fairly 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.
Full Criminology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale Report
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University of Akron Main Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the city of Akron, University of Akron Main Campus is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at University of Akron Main Campus are $11,880 per 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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With a ranking of #8, Eastern Michigan University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for criminology students. Eastern Michigan is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Ypsilanti.
Eastern Michigan undergraduate students pay an average of $15,500 in tuition and fees each 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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Wright State University - Lake Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for criminology students. It came in at #9 on the list. Wright State University - Lake Campus is a small public school located in the rural area of Celina.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Wright State University - Lake Campus are $16,015 a year. While working on their degree, criminology majors at Wright State University - Lake Campus accumulate an average of around $29,625 in student debt.
Full Criminology at Wright State University - Lake Campus Report
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With a ranking of #10, Cleveland State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for criminology students. Cleveland State University is a 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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Request InformationBest 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 |
More Criminology Rankings in the Great Lakes Region
Criminology Related Majors for Criminology
One of 12 majors within the area of study, criminology has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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.