Kent State University at Kent Criminal Justice: earnings, debt & careers

Criminal Justice graduates of Kent State University at Kent earn a median $48,569 four years after graduating ($33,980 after one year), with median federal loan debt of $25,937. That is $6,639 below the U.S. median for Criminal Justice graduates ($55,208 across 584 colleges), and ranks 27th of 28 Ohio colleges (20th of 21 among colleges that mostly award bachelor's degrees).

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Earnings, 4 years after graduating
$48,569

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

College Scorecard field of study; 272 graduates with earnings reported

Earnings, 1 year after
$33,980

Median for graduates who received federal aid.

College Scorecard field of study

Median debt at graduation
$25,937

About 53% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $26,000.

College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)

What your family pays
$20,787 /yr

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

Sticker price $30,567. College Scorecard.

Kent State University at Kent Criminal Justice: pay against the field, and payback

Same major, other colleges

Kent State University at Kent graduates$48,569
Ohio median (29 colleges)$53,480 (−$4,911)
U.S. median (584 colleges)$55,208 (−$6,639)

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 Kent State University at Kent'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$15,280$65,5515.0 years
$30–48k$15,718$67,4305.1 years
$48–75k$17,296$74,2005.7 years
$75–110k$23,685$101,6097.7 years
$110k+$26,278$112,7338.6 years

Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (49% 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 ($48,569) minus $35,438 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in OH (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $13,131 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 Ohio colleges

Every Ohio 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
1Herzing University-Akronmostly 2-year$69,601$28,399$18,93419%
2Tiffin University$66,059$30,758$26,50040%
3Xavier University$60,615$26,396$32,99769%
4University of Dayton$60,583$26,000$29,53380%
5Baldwin Wallace University$59,020$27,000$27,60367%
6Miami University-Hamilton$57,868$23,505$11,28625%
7Miami University-Middletown$57,868$23,505$10,80932%
8Miami University-Oxford$57,868$23,505$28,38480%
9University of Akron Main Campus$57,319$27,000$13,94652%
10University of Mount Union$55,751$27,000$23,28059%
11Defiance College$54,633—$26,33731%
12University of Cincinnati$54,231$25,707$25,64875%
13University of Toledo$53,585$26,000$17,24957%
14Ohio Christian University$53,480—$20,60734%
15Ashland University$53,386$29,406$21,98861%
16Ohio Northern University$52,606$27,000$24,47875%
17Youngstown State University$52,574$24,465$12,76750%
18Bowling Green State University$52,068$26,000$24,02264%
19Muskingum University$51,445$27,000$19,53256%
20Lake Erie College$49,426—$20,96138%
21Kent State University at Ashtabulamostly 2-year$48,569$25,937$12,20525%
22Kent State University at East Liverpoolmostly 2-year$48,569$25,937$13,39226%
23Kent State University at Starkmostly 2-year$48,569$25,937$10,89737%
24Kent State University at Trumbullmostly 2-year$48,569$25,937$11,13532%
25Kent State University at Tuscarawasmostly 2-year$48,569$25,937$12,54238%
26Kent State University at Salemmostly 2-year$48,569$25,937$13,79931%
27Kent State University at Kent$48,569$25,937$20,78764%
28Central State University$46,914$31,000$13,09623%

19 more Ohio colleges offer Criminal Justice but have too few graduates to report earnings.

Careers for Criminal Justice graduates

Police officer

Akron area$74,650
Ohio$77,020
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

Akron area$74,200
Ohio$75,030
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

Akron area$48,800
Ohio$51,520
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 Kent State University at Kent, by income

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

College Scorecard

About Kent State University at Kent

Related majors at Kent State University at Kent

Kent State University at Kent Criminal Justice questions

How much do Kent State University at Kent Criminal Justice graduates earn?

Criminal Justice graduates of Kent State University at Kent earn a median $48,569 four years after graduating and $33,980 one year after. The U.S. median for Criminal Justice graduates across 584 colleges is $55,208.

How much debt do Kent State University at Kent Criminal Justice graduates have?

The median federal loan debt for Criminal Justice graduates of Kent State University at Kent is $25,937, about 53% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $26,000.

Is Kent State University at Kent a good school for Criminal Justice in Ohio?

On pay, Criminal Justice graduates of Kent State University at Kent earn $48,569 four years out, $4,911 below the median for the same major across 29 Ohio colleges ($53,480) and $6,639 below the U.S. median ($55,208). Medians of each college's graduates; EducationGuide calculation from College Scorecard.

Where does Kent State University at Kent rank for Criminal Justice in Ohio?

Of 28 Ohio colleges reporting Criminal Justice graduate earnings, Kent State University at Kent ranks 27th; among the 21 that mostly award bachelor's degrees it ranks 20th. The highest is Herzing University-Akron at $69,601.

What jobs do Criminal Justice graduates get?

A common career is police officer, with a median wage of $74,650 in the Akron, OH 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
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Cite this: “Kent State University at Kent Criminal Justice: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/kent-state-university-at-kent/majors/criminal-justice (College Scorecard and BLS data).