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2026 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Nebraska

[Criminal Justice](/majors/protective-security-safety-services/criminal-justice-and-corrections/criminal-justice/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 4 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for criminal justice students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Nebraska

2026 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in Nebraska

If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the criminal justice degrees they offer, see the list below.

Best Value Criminal Justice Schools

1

Southeast Community College Area
Lincoln, NE

$3,444 In-State Tuition & Fees

$14,552 Avg Student Debt

$43,405 Median Earnings (10yr)

For return on investment in criminal justice, no school beat Southeast Community College Area this year. Located in the city of Lincoln, Southeast Community College Area is a large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $3,444, compared with $4,032 for out-of-state students. Criminal Justice graduates carry a median of $14,552 in student loans. Criminal Justice graduates of Southeast Community College Area earn a median of $28,473 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $14,552 median debt.

2

Bellevue University
Bellevue, NE

$12,873 In-State Tuition & Fees

$27,852 Avg Student Debt

$61,289 Median Earnings (10yr)

Bellevue University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in criminal justice, landing the #2 spot this year. Set in the suburb of Bellevue, Bellevue University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $12,873 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $27,852 to complete the criminal justice program here. Early-career criminal justice graduates make about $65,603. That is a strong return on a $27,852 median debt.

View All Criminal Justice Rankings >

Notes and References

The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 4 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked 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 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.