Criminal Justice and Corrections at Bellarmine University

Bellarmine's criminal justice program posts some of the lowest graduate earnings in Kentucky—$30,930 puts it roughly $7,000 below the state median and in the bottom 5% nationally. Even among Kentucky programs, where criminal justice salaries tend to run below the national average, this ranks only at the 40th percentile. The University of Louisville, just across town, reports graduates earning $38,728 their first year out. That $8,000 difference compounds significantly over a career that typically sees modest salary growth in law enforcement and corrections fields.

The debt load of $25,990 sits right at the Kentucky average, which means graduates face a challenging 0.84 debt-to-earnings ratio while earning substantially less than peers from other state programs. In practical terms, these graduates would struggle to keep student loan payments under the recommended 10% of income without pursuing income-driven repayment plans that extend the debt burden for years.

The critical caveat: this data comes from fewer than 30 graduates, so individual circumstances could skew these numbers considerably. But given Bellarmine's 94% admission rate and the availability of stronger programs at similar price points throughout Kentucky, families should ask pointed questions about career services, law enforcement partnerships, and why graduate outcomes lag both state and national benchmarks. Unless Bellarmine can demonstrate recent improvements not captured in this data, Kentucky families have clearly better options for criminal justice degrees.