Criminal Justice and Corrections at Caldwell University

The first-year earnings figure here is jarring—$22,939 puts Caldwell's criminal justice program in the bottom 10% both nationally and among New Jersey schools, where the state median is $34,611. That's potentially below minimum wage for full-time work, suggesting many graduates are underemployed, working part-time, or struggling to find positions in their field immediately after graduation. With $27,000 in debt, you're looking at a year where loan payments could consume a significant chunk of take-home pay.

The dramatic turnaround to $62,974 by year four tells a different story, jumping well above both national and state benchmarks. This pattern is unusual enough that it warrants serious scrutiny of the small sample size (under 30 graduates). It's possible a handful of graduates landed strong law enforcement or corrections positions with good salary progression, skewing the average upward, while others may still be earning far less.

For parents, this creates a real dilemma: do you bet on your child being among those who succeed, or do you note that even Caldwell's peer institutions like Felician and Kean show stronger first-year outcomes? The risk isn't just financial—it's whether your child can weather a year or more of underemployment while building the experience needed for better positions. Unless your family can comfortably support them through that initial period, safer bets exist within New Jersey's public university system.