How much debt do Lakeland University criminology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,053, which ranks 4th lowest of 5 criminology bachelor's programs in Wisconsin. That works out to about $276 a month over 10 years.

Is a criminology degree from Lakeland University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 58% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 64%.

Lakeland University Criminology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Lakeland University criminology graduates stay in Wisconsin?

Most do. 76% (25 of 33) were working in Wisconsin one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Criminology
Private nonprofit university
Plymouth, WI
About 8 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Lakeland University criminology graduates earn more than graduates of most criminology programs nationally, $45,276 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,053 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. One other Wisconsin program reports higher pay.

First-year earnings$45,27695th percentile of 105 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$51,70914% more than year one

Median federal debt$26,0534th lowest of 5 Wisconsin programs

Debt-to-earnings58%Wisconsin median 58%, national 64%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Wisconsin and national columns are the medians across all criminology bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Lakeland University	Wisconsin	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$45,276	$45,113	$37,476
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$51,709	$54,285	$54,271
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,053	$26,000	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	58%	58%	64%
Programs compared		5	105

Five years out, Lakeland University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $2,576 less than the Wisconsin median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Wisconsin criminology program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Wisconsin medians.

Lakeland UniversityOther Wisconsin programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 14% between the first and fifth year.

Lakeland University grads, year 1$45,276

Lakeland University grads, year 5$51,709

All Wisconsin criminology grads, year 5$54,285

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $276 a month, or 7.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (30 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	40–59%

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

76% of graduates (25 of 33) were working in Wisconsin one year after graduating. Prices in the Sheboygan area are about 6% below the national average, so a $45,276 salary here buys what about $48,159 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to criminology, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Sociologists

$106,030

Median pay nationwide. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 200 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

About Lakeland University

Tuition and fees	$33,396 / year
Average net price after aid	$24,212 / year
Admission rate	86%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	42%
Undergraduate students	1,212

Criminology ranks 5th of 7 bachelor's programs at Lakeland University by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer and Information Science ($72,789), Accounting ($56,114), and Business Administration ($53,132).

Other criminology bachelor's programs near Plymouth

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Lakeland UniversityPlymouth, WI · private nonprofit		$45,276	$26,053
Marquette UniversityMilwaukee, WI · private nonprofit	55 mi	$35,650	$25,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $45,276 one year after graduating and $51,709 five years after. The median across criminology bachelor's programs in Wisconsin is $45,113.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Wisconsin comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the criminology program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Criminology bachelor's programs in Wisconsin, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Criminology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked105 programs by pay and debt All Lakeland University programs, ranked7 programs by pay and debt