Best Criminal Justice Schools Near Aurora, CO (2026)

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Aurora, Colorado has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs, with tuition ranging from $4,470 to $78,476 per year for indexed programs. Aurora has a population of about 390,201. Median household income is $84,320 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 32.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Judge or Magistrate at a median $198,790 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Aurora

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Aurora, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Aurora city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Aurora. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Community College of Aurora

Aurora, CO 4.1 miles from Aurora
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
47.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,592
Avg net price $8,656/yr
Tuition
In‑state$4,470
Out‑of‑state$17,070
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 38

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Colorado schools on the Colorado criminal justice page.

Criminal Justice Wages Near Aurora

Aurora is part of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area (BLS area code 19740). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Colorado statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney $177,380 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $167,656
Judge or Magistrate $198,790 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $187,892
Police Supervisor $127,250 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $120,274
Detective or Criminal Investigator $113,340 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $107,127
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer $101,970 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $96,380
Correctional Officer $65,660 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $62,060
Probation Officer $71,680 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $67,750
Forensic Science Technician $87,170 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $82,391
Paralegal or Legal Assistant $80,500 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $76,087
Information Security Analyst $136,670 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $129,178

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Aurora at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 390,201 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $84,320 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 32.9% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 105.8 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Aurora-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Aurora, CO?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Aurora. The closest is Community College of Aurora in Aurora, CO (4.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Community College of Denver (14.7 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminal justice roles near Aurora?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Aurora are: Judge or Magistrate ($198,790), Attorney ($177,380), Information Security Analyst ($136,670). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Colorado statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Denver instead of Aurora?

Denver, CO is 8.7 miles from Aurora and has its own set of local criminal justice programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Aurora an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Aurora’s median household income of $84,320 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Aurora while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Colorado public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Criminal Justice Programs

Other Programs Available in Aurora

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Aurora:

Data verified: September 6, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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