Southern Arkansas University Criminal Justice (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Criminal Justice and Corrections
- Public university
- Magnolia, AR
- About 27 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Southern Arkansas University criminal justice graduates earn less than graduates of most criminal justice programs nationally, $28,541 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $22,349 in federal loans, less than at 78% of criminal justice programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the Arkansas median of $36,808.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Arkansas and national columns are the medians across all criminal justice bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Southern Arkansas University graduates earn less than the national figure and about the same as the Arkansas median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Arkansas criminal justice program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Arkansas medians.
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 51% between the first and fifth year.
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 $237 a month, or 10.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
83% of graduates (19 of 23) were working in Arkansas one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Arkansas outside metro areas are about 17% below the national average, so a $28,541 salary here buys what about $34,406 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
$35,770Median pay in Arkansas. 6,390 people work in this job in Arkansas. 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.
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers
$47,670Median pay in Arkansas. 5,710 people work in this job in Arkansas. 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.
Compliance Officers
$64,680Median pay in Arkansas. 3,120 people work in this job in Arkansas. 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.
Child, Family, and School Social Workers
$43,330Median pay in Arkansas. 1,150 people work in this job in Arkansas. 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.
About Southern Arkansas University
Criminal Justice ranks 11th of 14 bachelor's programs at Southern Arkansas University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($67,213), Physics ($58,870), and Subject-Area Teacher Education ($44,843).
Other criminal justice bachelor's programs near Magnolia
Common questions
The median graduate earns $28,541 one year after graduating and $43,230 five years after. The median across criminal justice bachelor's programs in Arkansas is $36,808.
The median federal loan balance is $22,349, which ranks 2nd lowest of 8 criminal justice bachelor's programs in Arkansas. That works out to about $237 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 78% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 67%. Compare the cost with other Arkansas programs before deciding.
Most do. 83% (19 of 23) were working in Arkansas one year after graduating.
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 Arkansas 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