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Best Value Criminology Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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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.

2023 Best Value Criminology Schools in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Criminology Colleges.

Top 10 Best Criminology Schools

#1

Purdue University Global

Indianapolis, IN
$14,436 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Purdue University Global the best value school in the Great Lakes Region for criminology students. Purdue University Global is a fairly large public school located in the city of Indianapolis.

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

Full Criminology at Purdue University Global Report

Out of the 28 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Stout landed the # 2 spot on the list. 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.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Stout also is in the top 10% of our Best Criminology Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.

Read More…

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 school with a moderately-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.

In addition to its great value ranking, UW - River Falls is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Criminology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Criminology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Whitewater is a large public school located in the 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.

UW - Whitewater excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Criminology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

Full Criminology at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Report

$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 medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the 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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$15,240 Average Tuition & Fees

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Criminology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. SIUC is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Carbondale.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SIUC are $15,240 a 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.

Read full report on Criminology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

$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 college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at University of Akron Main Campus are $11,880 a year. The average amount in student loans that criminology majors at University of Akron Main Campus take out is $26,800.

Full Criminology at University of Akron Main Campus Report

$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 fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Ypsilanti.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Eastern Michigan are $15,500 per 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.

Full Criminology at Eastern Michigan University Report

$16,015 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, Wright State University - Lake Campus did quite well on this year’s best value schools for criminology students. 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.

Read full report on Criminology at Wright State University - Lake Campus

#10

Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH
$16,654 Average Tuition & Fees

Cleveland State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Criminology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Cleveland State University is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Cleveland.

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

Read More…

Best Criminology Colleges by State

Explore the best criminology schools 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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