Best Criminal Justice and Corrections Degrees in the US by ROI

Top colleges ranked by estimated 20-year net return on investment across all active states. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Programs Analyzed

116

Colleges with salary data

Average 20-Yr Net ROI

+$113,883

Across all programs

Average Annual Cost

$33,581

Cost of attendance

# College State 20-Yr Net ROI Median Salary Annual Cost Avg Debt
1 Curry College

Grad rate: 50.3%

 MA +$1,141,868 $105,249 $61,556 N/A Full ROI →
2 University of Chicago

Grad rate: 95.2%

 IL +$817,288 $91,550 $86,856 N/A Full ROI →
3 University of St Thomas

Grad rate: 77.3%

 MN +$699,912 $83,464 $64,684 N/A Full ROI →
4 University of Houston-Downtown

Grad rate: 32.3%

 TX +$691,006 $78,852 $23,017 N/A Full ROI →
5 Salve Regina University

Grad rate: 75.2%

 RI +$682,636 $82,893 $67,612 N/A Full ROI →
6 George Washington University

Grad rate: 85.0%

 DC +$628,446 $81,495 $80,727 N/A Full ROI →
7 Methodist University

Grad rate: 40.5%

 NC +$613,510 $78,034 $53,585 N/A Full ROI →
8 George Mason University

Grad rate: 69.9%

 VA +$567,516 $73,073 $26,972 N/A Full ROI →
9 Concordia University-Saint Paul

Grad rate: 55.0%

 MN +$484,910 $69,695 $34,495 N/A Full ROI →
10 Western Illinois University

Grad rate: 46.2%

 IL +$484,844 $69,025 $27,828 N/A Full ROI →
11 Columbus State University

Grad rate: 42.6%

 GA +$456,654 $66,828 $19,953 N/A Full ROI →
12 Lewis University

Grad rate: 62.4%

 IL +$438,134 $68,491 $45,843 N/A Full ROI →
13 American University

Grad rate: 79.0%

 DC +$429,222 $70,616 $71,549 N/A Full ROI →
14 Seattle University

Grad rate: 73.8%

 WA +$429,094 $70,318 $68,633 N/A Full ROI →
15 Saint Cloud State University

Grad rate: 45.5%

 MN +$389,962 $63,637 $21,389 N/A Full ROI →
16 Michigan State University

Grad rate: 81.9%

 MI +$382,344 $64,170 $30,528 N/A Full ROI →
17 Indiana University-Indianapolis

Grad rate: 55.1%

 IN +$375,308 $62,987 $22,216 N/A Full ROI →
18 Sam Houston State University

Grad rate: 55.6%

 TX +$366,986 $62,801 $24,517 N/A Full ROI →
19 Carlow University

Grad rate: 55.6%

 PA +$351,432 $64,258 $46,864 N/A Full ROI →
20 CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Grad rate: 54.6%

 NY +$347,856 $60,764 $13,712 N/A Full ROI →
21 American Public University System

Grad rate: 54.3%

 WV +$323,464 $59,809 $16,358 N/A Full ROI →
22 University of Massachusetts-Lowell

Grad rate: 70.6%

 MA +$311,498 $60,527 $29,521 N/A Full ROI →
23 St. John's University-New York

Grad rate: 68.9%

 NY +$304,058 $63,396 $61,931 N/A Full ROI →
24 Texas Southern University

Grad rate: 22.5%

 TX +$291,382 $59,059 $24,899 N/A Full ROI →
25 DeSales University

Grad rate: 69.2%

 PA +$263,582 $61,120 $59,409 N/A Full ROI →
26 Colorado State University Global CO +$260,932 $56,885 $18,384 N/A Full ROI →
27 The University of Texas at Arlington

Grad rate: 55.1%

 TX +$255,450 $57,299 $25,265 N/A Full ROI →
28 University of Baltimore

Grad rate: 39.2%

 MD +$253,766 $57,436 $27,477 N/A Full ROI →
29 Molloy University

Grad rate: 70.4%

 NY +$243,658 $59,008 $48,251 N/A Full ROI →
30 Monroe University

Grad rate: 56.9%

 NY +$243,648 $56,813 $26,306 N/A Full ROI →
31 Northeastern University Professional Programs MA +$242,240 $54,112 N/A N/A Full ROI →
32 Arizona State University Digital Immersion

Grad rate: 27.4%

 AZ +$241,880 $54,094 N/A N/A Full ROI →
33 Bellevue University

Grad rate: 49.2%

 NE +$240,290 $57,346 $33,315 N/A Full ROI →
34 University of Nebraska at Omaha

Grad rate: 48.3%

 NE +$211,948 $54,642 $20,446 N/A Full ROI →
35 University of Louisiana at Monroe

Grad rate: 50.7%

 LA +$204,596 $54,585 $23,552 N/A Full ROI →
36 Loyola University New Orleans

Grad rate: 67.3%

 LA +$203,706 $58,369 $61,837 N/A Full ROI →
37 University of South Florida

Grad rate: 74.4%

 FL +$195,318 $53,996 $22,301 N/A Full ROI →
38 Wayne State University

Grad rate: 58.3%

 MI +$192,132 $54,286 $26,794 N/A Full ROI →
39 University of Cincinnati-Main Campus

Grad rate: 71.8%

 OH +$185,974 $54,177 $28,783 N/A Full ROI →
40 Arizona State University Campus Immersion

Grad rate: 67.4%

 AZ +$185,786 $54,094 $28,047 N/A Full ROI →
41 Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

Grad rate: 66.2%

 PA +$173,698 $53,163 $24,781 N/A Full ROI →
42 Bethel University

Grad rate: 39.3%

 TN +$169,520 $53,703 $32,270 N/A Full ROI →
43 Tarleton State University

Grad rate: 48.3%

 TX +$169,458 $52,771 $22,981 N/A Full ROI →
44 University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus

Grad rate: 45.6%

 CO +$163,742 $52,524 $23,369 N/A Full ROI →
45 Columbia Southern University

Grad rate: 35.0%

 AL +$159,676 $51,784 $18,002 N/A Full ROI →
46 Virginia Commonwealth University

Grad rate: 64.9%

 VA +$152,108 $53,040 $34,346 N/A Full ROI →
47 Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion

Grad rate: 66.5%

 IN +$145,658 $53,578 $42,951 N/A Full ROI →
48 Ferris State University

Grad rate: 48.6%

 MI +$144,848 $51,849 $26,066 N/A Full ROI →
49 Long Island University

Grad rate: 51.8%

 NY +$135,982 $54,041 $52,419 N/A Full ROI →
50 West Chester University of Pennsylvania

Grad rate: 70.7%

 PA +$133,822 $51,447 $27,559 N/A Full ROI →

How ROI is calculated

20-Year Net ROI = Gross Earnings (salary × 20) − Total Degree Cost − Debt Payoff (×1.35) − Baseline Opportunity Cost ($42,000 × 20). Data from the U.S. College Scorecard.

Find Best Criminal Justice and Corrections Degrees by State

Browse Criminal Justice and Corrections programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.

Alabama Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Arizona Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → California Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Colorado Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Connecticut Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Delaware Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Florida Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Georgia Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Hawaii Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Illinois Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Indiana Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Kansas Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Kentucky Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Louisiana Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Maryland Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Massachusetts Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Michigan Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Minnesota Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Mississippi Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Missouri Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Nebraska Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Nevada Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → New Hampshire Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → New Jersey Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → New Mexico Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → New York Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → North Carolina Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Ohio Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Oklahoma Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Pennsylvania Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Rhode Island Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → South Carolina Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Tennessee Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Texas Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Virginia Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Washington Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → West Virginia Best Criminal Justice and Corrections → Wisconsin Best Criminal Justice and Corrections →