Getting your criminal justice degree online obviously helps keep your costs in line by allowing you to avoid paying for room and board to live in a dormitory. At many schools, particularly in big cities where real estate costs are high, dorm room fees actually dwarf the cost of tuition. (Click to a list of affordable criminal justice online degrees)

But online schools – particularly the best ones – aren’t necessarily cheap. Developing a good online degree program requires a big investment from a college or university, and that cost has to be covered somehow. As a student, it’s not a great policy to shop for degree programs based only on cost. But it doesn’t hurt to take a good look around to find out where the highest value programs exist, in order to keep your school debt down over the long run.

State schools and community colleges often have criminal justice degree programs that are downright cheap for local students. But many charge much higher rates if you don’t live in a particular state or county. Additionally, many community schools specialize in associates degrees, and have limited offerings or no programs at all at the bachelor’s degree level.

Cost Options
The cost of a college degree can be a bit frightening, but there are some very positive factors to keep in mind. The start with, statistics from research firm The College Board show that students who get a BS or BA degree wind up earning about sixty per cent more over their careers than high school only grads. Additionally, there are ways to soften or even lower your tuition fees by quite a bit. Many online schools make a big effort to help you transfer in credits for courses you have completed at other schools, and in the area of criminal justice, many schools will give you credit for any real world work you may have done in the specialty. It’s not unusual for these types of breaks to bring down the cost of a degree by as much as fifty per cent

Affordable Criminal Justice Degree Schools:

American Intercontinental University
AIU, a large online school, has a low credit hour tuition, but it does require more credits than some other schools on bachelor programs. The school works very hard to keep student costs down, however, by giving credit to degree programs from up to 50% of transfers for previous coursework at another school, and in some cases actually giving 75% credit. That’s unusual. AIU offers associates’s degrees and bachelor’s degrees in many areas, including Criminal Justice:
– Associate of Science Criminal Justice
– Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, General
– Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, Corrections & Case Management
Get info on American Intercontinental University

California Coast University This 20-year old school offers 100% online courses to about 8,000 students from its headquarters in Santa Ana, CA. The tuition is exceptionally low, and a number of cost reductions can be obtained through credit transfer, discounts or fee waivers. School offers:
– Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice
– Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice
Get information on California Coast University Criminal Justice Degrees Online