Criminal Justice and Corrections at Lewis and Clark Community College

Lewis and Clark Community College graduates with criminal justice associate's degrees face a challenging first year, earning just under $32,000—below the national median for the program. However, the trajectory improves dramatically: by year four, earnings jump 51% to nearly $48,000, placing graduates well above both state and national benchmarks for the field. Among Illinois criminal justice programs, this lands in the 60th percentile, outperforming larger schools like College of DuPage and Morton College.

The debt load here is the real advantage. At $9,120, graduates owe roughly $5,600 less than typical Illinois students in this program and $6,000 less than the national figure. That translates to a debt-to-earnings ratio of just 0.29—meaning debt is under a third of first-year income, which is manageable even during the lean early years. For context, some Illinois programs saddle students with twice as much debt for similar or lower earnings.

The catch: these numbers reflect fewer than 30 graduates, so individual outcomes could vary more than usual. Still, for parents concerned about their child taking on debt for a criminal justice degree, Lewis and Clark offers a low-risk entry point with solid mid-career potential, especially if your student plans to stay in the region where those year-four earnings become realistic.