Best Criminal Justice Schools Near Rock Island, IL (2026)

Rock Island, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs, with tuition ranging from $6,420 to $51,141 per year for indexed programs. Rock Island has a population of about 36,758. Median household income is $57,292 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 22.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Attorney at a median $124,850 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Rock Island

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Rock Island, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Rock Island 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 Rock Island. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

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

Sort:
#1

Western Illinois University

Macomb, IL 69.4 miles from Rock Island
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
54.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,163
Avg net price $12,937/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 60%
  • Programs offered: 83

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Bradley University

Peoria, IL 73.4 miles from Rock Island
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
74.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $66,852
Avg net price $22,719/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 97

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#3

Eureka College

Eureka, IL 86.0 miles from Rock Island
  • 4 year
37.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,641
Avg net price $17,349/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 57%
  • Programs offered: 29

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Illinois State University

Normal, IL 106.3 miles from Rock Island
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
71.9 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 88%
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,117
Avg net price $19,398/yr
Tuition
In‑state$16,144
Out‑of‑state$28,210
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Programs offered: 112

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#5

Quincy University

Quincy, IL 113.8 miles from Rock Island
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
44.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $50,369
Avg net price $20,359/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 67%
  • Programs offered: 37

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Aurora University

Aurora, IL 117.0 miles from Rock Island
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
66.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,709
Avg net price $18,838/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 44

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#7

University of St Francis

Joliet, IL 128.7 miles from Rock Island
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
74.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,926
Avg net price $13,006/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 54

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

DeVry University-Illinois

Lisle, IL 129.5 miles from Rock Island
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
39.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,987
Avg net price $30,770/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 65%
  • Programs offered: 19

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad

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


Criminal Justice Wages Near Rock Island

Rock Island is part of the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL metro area (BLS area code 19340). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Illinois statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney $124,850 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL $140,123
Judge or Magistrate N/A IL statewide
Police Supervisor $97,860 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL $109,832
Detective or Criminal Investigator $80,180 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL $89,989
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer $68,550 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL $76,936
Correctional Officer $62,390 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL $70,022
Probation Officer $65,920 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL $73,984
Forensic Science Technician $124,790 IL statewide $140,056
Paralegal or Legal Assistant $57,030 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL $64,007
Information Security Analyst $108,280 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL $121,526

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.


Rock Island at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 36,758 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $57,292 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 22.4% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 89.1 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Rock Island-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Rock Island, IL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Rock Island. The closest is Eastern Iowa Community College District in Davenport, IA (3.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Southeastern Community College (54.7 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminal justice roles near Rock Island?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Rock Island are: Attorney ($124,850), Forensic Science Technician ($124,790), Information Security Analyst ($108,280). 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 Moline instead of Rock Island?

Moline, IL is 4.8 miles from Rock Island 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 Rock Island an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Rock Island’s median household income of $57,292 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Rock Island 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 Rock Island

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

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.