Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Highland Park, IL (2026)

Highland Park, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs, with tuition ranging from $3,822 to $47,751 per year for indexed programs. Highland Park has a population of about 30,229. Median household income is $161,875 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 76.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Attorney at a median $165,660 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Highland Park

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Highland Park. Distances are calculated from Highland Park city center.

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 Highland Park. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Trinity International University-Illinois

Deerfield, IL 3.6 miles from Highland Park BOC Score45.3
Published tuition$12,320 - $47,751
Online programsYes

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#2

Oakton College

Des Plaines, IL 9.1 miles from Highland Park BOC Score57.2
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#3

Northeastern Illinois University

Chicago, IL 14.9 miles from Highland Park BOC Score35.5
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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#4

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, IL 14.9 miles from Highland Park BOC Score66.2
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#5

William Rainey Harper College

Palatine, IL 15.0 miles from Highland Park BOC Score59.2
Published tuition$3,822 - $12,833
Online programsYes

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


Criminal Justice Wages Near Highland Park

Highland Park is part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (BLS area code 16980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Illinois statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney$165,660Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$159,903
Judge or Magistrate$146,400Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$141,313
Police Supervisor$135,080Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$130,386
Detective or Criminal Investigator$102,260Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$98,707
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer$107,810Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$104,064
Correctional Officer$84,550Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$81,612
Probation Officer$67,610Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$65,261
Forensic Science Technician$112,790Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$108,871
Paralegal or Legal Assistant$70,550Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$68,098
Information Security Analyst$125,310Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$120,956

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.


Highland Park at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population30,229Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$161,875Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+76.1%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)103.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Highland Park-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Highland Park, IL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Highland Park. The closest is Trinity International University-Illinois in Deerfield, IL (3.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is William Rainey Harper College (15.0 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminal justice roles near Highland Park?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Highland Park are: Attorney ($165,660), Judge or Magistrate ($146,400), Police Supervisor ($135,080). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Illinois statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Northbrook instead of Highland Park?

Northbrook, IL is 3.9 miles from Highland Park 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 Highland Park an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Highland Park’s median household income of $161,875 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Highland Park while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Illinois 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 Highland Park

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

Data verified: June 11, 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.