How much debt do NUC University criminal justice graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 8th lowest of 8 criminal justice bachelor's programs in Puerto Rico. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a criminal justice degree from NUC University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 118% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 67%. Compare the cost with other Puerto Rico programs before deciding.

NUC University Criminal Justice (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do NUC University criminal justice graduates stay in Puerto Rico?

Most do. 75% (192 of 257) were working in Puerto Rico one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Criminal Justice and Corrections
Private for-profit university
Bayamon, PR
About 133 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

NUC University criminal justice graduates earn less than graduates of most criminal justice programs nationally, $22,882 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $26,000. It is one of the higher-paying criminal justice degrees in Puerto Rico.

First-year earnings$22,8822nd percentile of 557 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$29,54129% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,0008th lowest of 8 Puerto Rico programs

Debt-to-earnings118%Puerto Rico median 80%, national 67%

How it compares

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

	NUC University	Puerto Rico	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$22,882	$19,052	$37,641
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$29,541	$27,858	$53,142
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$14,450	$26,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	118%	80%	67%
Programs compared		9	557

Five years out, NUC University graduates earn less than the national figure but about $1,683 more than the Puerto Rico median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Puerto Rico criminal justice program

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

NUC UniversityOther Puerto Rico 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 29% between the first and fifth year.

NUC University grads, year 1$22,882

NUC University grads, year 5$29,541

All Puerto Rico criminal justice grads, year 5$27,858

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 $286 a month, or 15.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (423 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	5% or less
Paying down the balance	10–14%
Paused payments (forbearance)	30–34%
In default	5–9%

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

75% of graduates (192 of 257) were working in Puerto Rico one year after graduating.

Careers this field leads to

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

Security Guards

$21,840

Median pay in Puerto Rico. 26,100 people work in this job in Puerto Rico. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 156,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $21,840Top 10%: $22,890

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers

$45,510

Median pay in Puerto Rico. 11,640 people work in this job in Puerto Rico. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 51,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $30,500Top 10%: $50,240

Compliance Officers

$48,950

Median pay in Puerto Rico. 5,470 people work in this job in Puerto Rico. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 32,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $30,530Top 10%: $99,670

Child, Family, and School Social Workers

$43,620

Median pay in Puerto Rico. 3,370 people work in this job in Puerto Rico. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 33,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $29,880Top 10%: $61,720

About NUC University

In-state tuition and fees	$12,698 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$13,853 / year
Average net price after aid	$8,920 / year
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	54%
Undergraduate students	28,918

Criminal Justice ranks 7th of 7 bachelor's programs at NUC University by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer and Information Science ($38,968), Health and Medical Administration ($33,264), and Computer Networking ($32,371).

Other criminal justice bachelor's programs near Bayamon

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
NUC UniversityBayamon, PR · private for-profit		$22,882	$27,000
Caribbean University-BayamonBayamon, PR · private nonprofit	1 mi	$15,127	$13,500
Inter American University of Puerto Rico-MetroSan Juan, PR · private nonprofit	6 mi	$19,932	$14,750
Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Cupey CampusSan Juan, PR · private nonprofit	6 mi	$19,164	$23,509
Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Carolina CampusCarolina, PR · private nonprofit	11 mi	$19,052	$15,250
Inter American University of Puerto Rico-PonceMercedita, PR · private nonprofit	39 mi	$20,129	$8,250
Inter American University of Puerto Rico-AreciboArecibo, PR · private nonprofit	40 mi	$13,072	$10,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $22,882 one year after graduating and $29,541 five years after. The median across criminal justice bachelor's programs in Puerto Rico is $19,052.

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 Puerto Rico 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 criminal justice 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

Criminal Justice bachelor's programs in Puerto Rico, ranked9 programs by pay and debt Criminal Justice bachelor's programs in the US, ranked557 programs by pay and debt All NUC University programs, ranked38 programs by pay and debt