Criminal Justice and Corrections at DeVry University-Nevada

DeVry-Nevada's Criminal Justice graduates earn above-average salaries—$43,091 in their first year places them in the 80th percentile nationally—but they're paying nearly double the typical debt to get there. At $54,985, the debt load is more than twice the national median of $26,130 and significantly above Nevada's state median of $33,736. Among Nevada's four criminal justice programs, this ranks at the 60th percentile for earnings but carries the heaviest debt burden by far.

The math here is stark: graduates need to dedicate about 15 months of their entire first-year salary just to break even with their debt, compared to roughly 8 months for the typical criminal justice graduate nationwide. While earnings do grow modestly to $46,188 by year four, that 7% increase barely outpaces inflation and doesn't fundamentally change the financial picture. For context, University of Phoenix-Nevada graduates earn $5,000 more annually while carrying less debt, and UNLV graduates earn nearly the same with about $20,000 less in loans.

If your child is set on criminal justice and has DeVry-Nevada as their top choice for specific reasons—location, scheduling flexibility, or program features—they can make it work, but they should understand they're essentially paying a premium for convenience. The more cost-effective path is exploring those other Nevada options first, particularly UNLV, where they'd start their career with significantly more financial breathing room.