Criminal Justice and Corrections at Stillman College

The estimated $32,140 debt load here exceeds what most Criminal Justice bachelor's programs in Alabama typically produce—the state median sits around $28,700, and nationally the figure is even lower at $26,130. That extra borrowing matters when paired with first-year earnings that similar Alabama programs suggest will land around $36,200, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.89. This isn't catastrophic territory, but it does mean nearly a full year's salary devoted to educational debt for a field that rarely commands premium wages early in a career.

What complicates the picture is how wide the range runs among Alabama's Criminal Justice programs with reported outcomes. Some produce graduates earning $67,000 or more in their first year, while others cluster closer to this estimated $36,000 mark. Without program-specific data for Stillman, it's unclear whether graduates connect with higher-paying federal or specialized law enforcement positions, or whether they primarily enter lower-paying correctional or security roles that dominate the field's entry level.

For families weighing this investment, the 68% Pell grant rate signals that most students here are managing significant financial constraints. That makes the debt load particularly consequential—especially if your child's career path leads toward typical public sector Criminal Justice salaries rather than the outlier opportunities that lift some programs' numbers. Before committing, get specifics from Stillman about employment outcomes and where recent graduates actually land jobs.