How much debt do South Plains College criminal justice graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $9,291, which ranks 3rd lowest of 7 criminal justice certificate programs in Texas. That works out to about $99 a month over 10 years.

Is the criminal justice program at South Plains College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 19% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 26%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Texas programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Do South Plains College criminal justice graduates stay in Texas?

Most do. 100% (29 of 29) were working in Texas one year after graduating.

South Plains College Criminal Justice (Certificate): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Certificate in Criminal Justice and Corrections
Public college
Levelland, TX
About 30 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

South Plains College criminal justice graduates earn about what criminal justice graduates earn nationally, $49,987 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $9,291 in federal loans, less than at 76% of criminal justice programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying criminal justice programs in Texas.

First-year earnings$49,98746th percentile of 139 programs nationally

Median federal debt$9,2913rd lowest of 7 Texas programs

Debt-to-earnings19%Texas median 21%, national 26%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Texas and national columns are the medians across all criminal justice certificate programs that report the figure.

	South Plains College	Texas	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$49,987	$55,230	$51,384
Median federal debt at graduation	$9,291	$13,925	$14,828
Debt as share of first-year pay	19%	21%	26%
Programs compared		15	139

Debt and first-year pay at every Texas criminal justice program

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

South Plains CollegeOther Texas programs

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

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $99 a month, or 2.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

100% of graduates (29 of 29) were working in Texas one year after graduating. Prices in the Lubbock area are about 9% below the national average, so a $49,987 salary here buys what about $54,740 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 criminal justice, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Security Guards

$35,980

Median pay in Texas. 106,210 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $26,950Top 10%: $50,740

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers

$75,900

Median pay in Texas. 63,100 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $51,240Top 10%: $98,350

Compliance Officers

$75,370

Median pay in Texas. 42,900 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $45,170Top 10%: $126,920

Child, Family, and School Social Workers

$55,680

Median pay in Texas. 21,670 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $37,230Top 10%: $73,670

About South Plains College

In-district tuition and fees	$2,731 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$5,155 / year
Average net price after aid	$6,791 / year
Graduation rate (within 1.5 times the normal program length)	29%
Undergraduate students	6,005

Criminal Justice ranks 1st of 4 certificate programs at South Plains College by first-year earnings. The top three are Criminal Justice ($49,987), Practical Nursing ($42,000), and Welding and Machining ($31,733).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $49,987 one year after graduating. The median across criminal justice certificate programs in Texas is $55,230.

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 Texas 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 certificate programs in Texas, ranked15 programs by pay and debt Criminal Justice certificate programs in the US, ranked139 programs by pay and debt All South Plains College programs, ranked5 programs by pay and debt