Columbus, Indiana has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs, with tuition ranging from $5,154 to $52,590 per year for indexed programs. Columbus has a population of about 51,970. In Indiana, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Judge or Magistrate at a median $183,000 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Columbus
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Columbus, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Columbus 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:
BOCSCORE
- 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 Columbus.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
81%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$63,742
Avg net price
$16,264/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 91%
- Programs offered: 192
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
66%
Graduation rate
56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$53,610
Avg net price
$21,602/yr
TuitionIn‑state$37,200
Out‑of‑state$37,200
Key stats- Retention rate: 70%
- Programs offered: 76
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
76%
Graduation rate
54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$55,198
Avg net price
$11,668/yr
TuitionIn‑state$10,762
Out‑of‑state$34,891
Key stats- Retention rate: 72%
- Programs offered: 204
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
40%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$47,596
Avg net price
$7,888/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 67%
- Programs offered: 62
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$48,899
Avg net price
$25,021/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 65%
- Programs offered: 49
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$47,156
Avg net price
$8,134/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 62%
- Programs offered: 42
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$51,833
Avg net price
$14,940/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 77%
- Programs offered: 175
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Indiana schools on the Indiana criminal justice page.
Criminal Justice Wages Near Columbus
Columbus is part of the Columbus, IN metro area (BLS area code 18020). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Indiana statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Attorney | $105,790 | Columbus, IN | $113,753 |
| Judge or Magistrate | $183,000 | IN statewide | $196,774 |
| Police Supervisor | $81,540 | IN statewide | $87,677 |
| Detective or Criminal Investigator | $70,340 | IN statewide | $75,634 |
| Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer | $72,500 | Columbus, IN | $77,957 |
| Correctional Officer | $48,340 | IN statewide | $51,978 |
| Probation Officer | $60,170 | IN statewide | $64,699 |
| Forensic Science Technician | $66,520 | IN statewide | $71,527 |
| Paralegal or Legal Assistant | $50,500 | Columbus, IN | $54,301 |
| Information Security Analyst | $94,770 | Columbus, IN | $101,903 |
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.
Columbus at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 93.0 (below U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Columbus-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs
- Seymour, IN – 18.0 mi away (22,918 pop)
- Franklin, IN – 21.0 mi away (24,867 pop)
- Shelbyville, IN – 23.8 mi away (20,639 pop)
- Greenwood, IN – 29.0 mi away (56,545 pop)
- Bloomington, IN – 32.5 mi away (114,140 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Columbus, IN?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Columbus. The closest is Indiana University-Bloomington in Bloomington, IN (32.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Ivy Tech Community College (43.1 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying criminal justice roles near Columbus?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Columbus are: Judge or Magistrate ($183,000), Attorney ($105,790), Information Security Analyst ($94,770). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Indiana statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Seymour instead of Columbus?
Seymour, IN is 18.0 miles from Columbus 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.
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 Columbus
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Columbus:
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- Corrections programs in Columbus, IN
- Crime Analysis programs in Columbus, IN
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- Criminology programs in Columbus, IN
- Cybercrime programs in Columbus, IN
- Emergency Management programs in Columbus, IN
- Fire Science programs in Columbus, IN
- Forensic Science programs in Columbus, IN
- Legal Services programs in Columbus, IN
- Legal Studies programs in Columbus, IN
- Paralegal programs in Columbus, IN
- Security Management programs in Columbus, IN
- Cloud Computing programs in Columbus, IN
- Computer Engineering programs in Columbus, IN
- Innovation programs in Columbus, IN
- Mobile App Development programs in Columbus, IN
- Software Development programs in Columbus, IN
- User Experience programs in Columbus, IN
- Web Development programs in Columbus, IN
- Artificial Intelligence programs in Columbus, IN
- Machine Learning programs in Columbus, IN
- Supply Chain Management programs in Columbus, IN
- Data Analytics programs in Columbus, IN
- Public Health programs in Columbus, IN
- Human Resources programs in Columbus, IN
- Project Management programs in Columbus, IN
- Special Education programs in Columbus, IN
- Homeland Security programs in Columbus, IN
- Marketing programs in Columbus, IN
- Finance programs in Columbus, IN
- Kinesiology programs in Columbus, IN
- Sports Management programs in Columbus, IN
- Early Childhood Education programs in Columbus, IN
- Elementary Education programs in Columbus, IN
- Biology programs in Columbus, IN
- Communications programs in Columbus, IN
- Graphic Design programs in Columbus, IN
- Human Services programs in Columbus, IN
- MBA programs in Columbus, IN
- Nursing programs in Columbus, IN
- Business Administration programs in Columbus, IN
- Computer Science programs in Columbus, IN
- Psychology programs in Columbus, IN
- Education programs in Columbus, IN
- Engineering programs in Columbus, IN
- Technology programs in Columbus, IN
- Liberal Arts programs in Columbus, IN
- Healthcare programs in Columbus, IN
- Cybersecurity programs in Columbus, IN
- Accounting programs in Columbus, IN
- Healthcare Administration programs in Columbus, IN
- Social Work programs in Columbus, IN
- Counseling programs in Columbus, IN
Data verified: August 31, 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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