Indiana University-South Bend Criminal Justice: earnings, debt & careers

Criminal Justice graduates of Indiana University-South Bend earn a median $51,778 four years after graduating ($35,462 after one year), with median federal loan debt of $17,275. That is $3,430 below the U.S. median for Criminal Justice graduates ($55,208 across 584 colleges), and ranks 12th of 18 Indiana colleges (11th of 16 among colleges that mostly award bachelor's degrees).

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Earnings, 4 years after graduating
$51,778

U.S. median for this major: $55,208.

College Scorecard field of study; 37 graduates with earnings reported. A small group, so treat this figure with caution

Earnings, 1 year after
$35,462

Median for graduates who received federal aid.

College Scorecard field of study

Median debt at graduation
$17,275

About 33% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $26,000.

College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)

What your family pays
$8,653 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $17,364. College Scorecard.

IUSB Criminal Justice: pay against the field, and payback

Same major, other colleges

IUSB graduates$51,778
Indiana median (22 colleges)$52,395 (−$617)
U.S. median (584 colleges)$55,208 (−$3,430)

Median earnings 4 years after graduating; state and U.S. figures are the median of each covered college's graduates in this major. College Scorecard; calculated by EducationGuide.

Criminal Justice nationally: jobs, pay at ages 25-34, every state →

Cost to finish and years to pay back, by income

Uses IUSB's school-wide net price (no college reports it by major) and this major's graduate earnings.

Family incomeNet price / yrCost to finishYears to pay back
$0–30k$4,637$21,1911.3 years
$30–48k$4,926$22,5121.4 years
$48–75k$8,195$37,4512.3 years
$75–110k$13,968$63,8343.9 years
$110k+$15,825$72,3204.5 years

Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.6 years, the average time graduates took (20% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of Criminal Justice graduates 4 years after graduating ($51,778) minus $35,534 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IN (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $16,244 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method

College Scorecard; IPEDS Graduation Rates; U.S. Census Bureau ACS. Calculated by EducationGuide.

Criminal Justice at Indiana colleges

Every Indiana college we cover that reports Criminal Justice graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants. Colleges marked "mostly 2-year" or "bachelor's & associate" award more associate degrees than bachelor's; their bachelor's programs often serve working adults finishing a degree (for example, nurses completing a BSN), so their graduates' earnings can run higher than those of students starting college at 18.

RankCollegeEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debtAvg. net priceGraduation
1Calumet College of Saint Joseph$106,465$23,856$22,45123%
2Oakland City University$62,595$24,657$15,21066%
3University of Indianapolis$62,307$26,324$21,60256%
4Indiana University-Indianapolis$59,541$20,300$11,66854%
5Indiana University-Northwest$58,155$24,471$5,13037%
6Indiana University-Bloomington$57,754$19,464$16,26480%
7Vincennes Universitymostly 2-year$53,461$21,030$11,22539%
8Ball State University$52,997$23,367$14,94062%
9Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion$52,629$33,938$22,86667%
10Indiana University-Kokomo$52,161$25,000$3,96846%
11Indiana University-East$51,990$28,686$8,13440%
12Indiana University-South Bend$51,778$17,275$8,65340%
13University of Southern Indianabachelor's & associate$50,916$20,000$12,92348%
14Indiana University-Southeast$49,003$23,950$7,88839%
15Trine University$48,877$26,000$25,35564%
16Indiana Institute of Technology$47,199$35,511$23,20648%
17Purdue University Fort Wayne$46,046$25,000$13,17136%
18Grace College and Theological Seminary$42,932$23,250$19,93269%

7 more Indiana colleges offer Criminal Justice but have too few graduates to report earnings.

Careers for Criminal Justice graduates

Police officer

South Bend area$77,070
Indiana$73,370
U.S.$76,210

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +3.5% by 2035. Typical entry: high school diploma or equivalent.

Compliance Officers

South Bend area$78,160
Indiana$78,770
U.S.$80,730

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +3.8% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

Child, Family, and School Social Workers

South Bend area$50,470
Indiana$50,470
U.S.$59,550

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +4.4% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35. Careers from the federal major-to-occupation crosswalk.

What families pay at IUSB, by income

School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.

College Scorecard

About IUSB

Related majors at IUSB

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IUSB Criminal Justice questions

How much do IUSB Criminal Justice graduates earn?

Criminal Justice graduates of Indiana University-South Bend earn a median $51,778 four years after graduating and $35,462 one year after. The U.S. median for Criminal Justice graduates across 584 colleges is $55,208.

How much debt do IUSB Criminal Justice graduates have?

The median federal loan debt for Criminal Justice graduates of Indiana University-South Bend is $17,275, about 33% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $26,000.

Is IUSB a good school for Criminal Justice in Indiana?

On pay, Criminal Justice graduates of Indiana University-South Bend earn $51,778 four years out, $617 below the median for the same major across 22 Indiana colleges ($52,395) and $3,430 below the U.S. median ($55,208). Medians of each college's graduates; EducationGuide calculation from College Scorecard.

Where does IUSB rank for Criminal Justice in Indiana?

Of 18 Indiana colleges reporting Criminal Justice graduate earnings, Indiana University-South Bend ranks 12th; among the 16 that mostly award bachelor's degrees it ranks 11th. The highest is Calumet College of Saint Joseph at $106,465.

What jobs do Criminal Justice graduates get?

A common career is police officer, with a median wage of $77,070 in the South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI area and $76,210 nationally. Others include compliance officers and child, family, and school social workers.

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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (field of study: median earnings and federal loan debt of graduates who received federal aid); BLS. How we score
Data: JSON · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Indiana University-South Bend Criminal Justice: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/indiana-university-south-bend/majors/criminal-justice (College Scorecard and BLS data).