Criminal Justice and Corrections at Southern Arkansas University Main Campus

Starting at $28,541 puts Southern Arkansas University's criminal justice graduates at the bottom 5th percentile nationally and in the lower quarter of Arkansas programs—nearly $10,000 below what graduates earn at UA-Little Rock or Harding. While the program shows solid 37% earnings growth over four years, even that upward trajectory only reaches $39,183, still lagging behind where most Arkansas grads start. The $22,349 debt load is at least more manageable than state and national medians, creating a first-year ratio of 0.78 that isn't catastrophic.

The critical caveat here: these numbers come from fewer than 30 graduates, so they may not represent typical outcomes. That uncertainty compounds an already challenging value proposition. For a family considering criminal justice degrees in Arkansas, this program would need to offer compelling non-financial advantages—location, specific career connections, or personal circumstances—to justify the earnings gap. The online programs (Grantham, Strayer) show significantly higher early earnings, though whether that reflects the programs themselves or their student demographics is unclear.

If criminal justice is the goal and Southern Arkansas is under consideration for other strong reasons, the lower debt helps. But purely as a financial investment, Arkansas offers criminal justice programs with substantially better earnings outcomes at similar or lower debt levels.