Best Criminal Justice Schools Near Abilene, TX (2026)

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

Abilene, Texas has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs, with tuition ranging from $4,710 to $17,469 per year for indexed programs. Abilene has a population of about 127,130. Median household income is $62,720 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 27.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Texas, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Judge or Magistrate at a median $139,990 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Abilene

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Abilene, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Abilene 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 Abilene. 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

Hardin-Simmons University

Abilene, TX 1.5 miles from Abilene
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
48.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,771
Avg net price $19,555/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 65%
  • Programs offered: 45

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

McMurry University

Abilene, TX 1.8 miles from Abilene
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
36.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,779
Avg net price $19,581/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 64%
  • Programs offered: 35

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Abilene Christian University

Abilene, TX 2.0 miles from Abilene
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
54.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,736
Avg net price $26,182/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 72

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Criminal Justice Wages Near Abilene

Abilene is part of the Abilene, TX metro area (BLS area code 10180). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Texas statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney $122,560 Abilene, TX $135,575
Judge or Magistrate $139,990 TX statewide $154,856
Police Supervisor $118,210 Abilene, TX $130,763
Detective or Criminal Investigator $59,980 Abilene, TX $66,350
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer $76,070 Abilene, TX $84,148
Correctional Officer $53,570 Abilene, TX $59,259
Probation Officer $57,640 Abilene, TX $63,761
Forensic Science Technician $59,870 TX statewide $66,228
Paralegal or Legal Assistant $58,700 Abilene, TX $64,934
Information Security Analyst $129,890 TX statewide $143,684

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.

Abilene at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 127,130 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $62,720 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 27.1% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 90.4 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Abilene-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Abilene, TX?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Abilene. The closest is Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, TX (1.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Howard Payne University (67.4 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Abilene are: Judge or Magistrate ($139,990), Information Security Analyst ($129,890), Attorney ($122,560). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Texas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Brownwood instead of Abilene?

Brownwood, TX is 67.9 miles from Abilene 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 Abilene an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Abilene’s median household income of $62,720 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Abilene while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Texas 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 Abilene

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

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.

Back to Best Criminal Justice Schools in Texas: Online Programs (2026)