How much debt do St. John's University criminal justice graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,719, which ranks 22nd lowest of 32 criminal justice bachelor's programs in New York. That works out to about $283 a month over 10 years.

Is a criminal justice degree from St. John's University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 77% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 67%. Compare the cost with other New York programs before deciding.

St. John's University Criminal Justice (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do St. John's University criminal justice graduates stay in New York?

Most do. 69% (129 of 188) were working in New York one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Criminal Justice and Corrections
Private nonprofit university
Queens, NY
About 196 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

St. John's University criminal justice graduates earn about what criminal justice graduates earn nationally, $34,686 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,719 in federal loans, close to the national median of $26,000. Several New York programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$34,68628th percentile of 557 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$60,36674% more than year one

Median federal debt$26,71922nd lowest of 32 New York programs

Debt-to-earnings77%New York median 73%, national 67%

How it compares

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

	St. John's University	New York	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$34,686	$35,323	$37,641
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$60,366	$58,290	$53,142
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,719	$26,000	$26,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	77%	73%	67%
Programs compared		32	557

Five years out, St. John's University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $2,076 more than the New York median.

Debt and first-year pay at every New York criminal justice program

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

St. John's UniversityOther New York 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 74% between the first and fifth year.

St. John's University grads, year 1$34,686

St. John's University grads, year 5$60,366

All New York criminal justice grads, year 5$58,290

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

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $3,289 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$33,804Median debt $27,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$37,093Median debt $25,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $283 a month, or 9.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (164 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	30–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10–19%
In default	10% or less

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. Separately, 135 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $49,650.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

69% of graduates (129 of 188) were working in New York one year after graduating. Prices in the New York area are about 13% above the national average, so a $34,686 salary here buys what about $30,815 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

$44,240

Median pay in New York. 134,700 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $35,650Top 10%: $60,580

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers

$92,790

Median pay in New York. 53,470 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $53,000Top 10%: $118,250

Compliance Officers

$90,080

Median pay in New York. 23,500 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $53,330Top 10%: $142,370

Child, Family, and School Social Workers

$65,100

Median pay in New York. 30,170 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $48,400Top 10%: $100,100

About St. John's University

Tuition and fees	$53,020 / year
Average net price after aid	$29,999 / year
Admission rate	83%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	66%
Undergraduate students	9,477

Criminal Justice ranks 15th of 27 bachelor's programs at St. John's University by first-year earnings. The top three are Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($100,883), Management Science ($82,432), and Insurance ($70,752).

Other criminal justice bachelor's programs near Queens

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
St. John's UniversityQueens, NY · private nonprofit		$34,686	$26,719
Adelphi UniversityGarden City, NY · private nonprofit	7 mi	$34,240	$25,000
Molloy UniversityRockville Centre, NY · private nonprofit	9 mi	$35,291	$26,483
St. Joseph's University-New YorkBrooklyn, NY · private nonprofit	9 mi	$35,794	$25,062
Berkeley College-New YorkNew York, NY · private for-profit	10 mi	$35,355	$37,263
St. Francis CollegeBrooklyn, NY · private nonprofit	10 mi	$33,146	$26,000
John Jay CollegeNew York, NY · public	11 mi	$37,284	$10,500
Pace UniversityNew York, NY · private nonprofit	11 mi	$36,734	$24,098
Monroe UniversityBronx, NY · private for-profit	11 mi	$32,695	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $34,686 one year after graduating and $60,366 five years after. The median across criminal justice bachelor's programs in New York is $35,323.

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 New York 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 New York, ranked32 programs by pay and debt Criminal Justice bachelor's programs in the US, ranked557 programs by pay and debt All St. John's University programs, ranked27 programs by pay and debt