by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 20 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,412 bachelor's degrees in criminal justice & corrections during the 2022-2023 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The criminal justice bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for criminal justice & corrections students working on their bachelor's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections.
Western Illinois University is a wonderful choice for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public university with a medium-sized student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the criminal justice program report average early career wages of $40,898.
More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Western Illinois University
Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections needs to look into University of Illinois at Chicago. Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the criminal justice program make around $34,551 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from University of Illinois at Chicago
Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections needs to take a look at Loyola University Chicago. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the criminal justice program report average early career income of $38,953.
More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Loyola University Chicago
Illinois State University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections. Illinois State is a very large public university located in the midsize suburb of Normal.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the criminal justice program state that they receive average early career earnings of $37,584.
More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Illinois State University
SIUE is a large public university located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the criminal justice program make an average of $39,279 for their early career.
More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Aurora is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Aurora.
Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their bachelor's degree from Aurora University receive $4,279 more than the average criminal justice student.
More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Aurora University
Lewis is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Romeoville.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the criminal justice program state that they receive average early career earnings of $37,583.
More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Lewis University
Located in the town of Charleston, EIU is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the criminal justice program state that they receive average early career earnings of $40,489.
More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Eastern Illinois University
Located in the city of Chicago, SXU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the criminal justice program state that they receive average early career wages of $39,033.
More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Saint Xavier University
Roosevelt is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.
Soon after graduation, criminal justice bachelor's recipients typically make an average of $41,203 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Roosevelt UniversityExplore all the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
One of 4 majors within the Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting area of study, Criminal Justice & Corrections has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Criminal Justice Studies | 905 |
| Criminal Justice | 324 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections, General | 133 |
| Criminal Justice & Police Science | 50 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Security Science and Technology | 53 |
| Fire Protection | 50 |
| Other Homeland Security | 5 |