How much debt do Stevenson University criminal justice graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 5th lowest of 8 criminal justice bachelor's programs in Maryland. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a criminal justice degree from Stevenson University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 70% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 67%. Compare the cost with other Maryland programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do Stevenson University criminal justice graduates stay in Maryland?

Most do. 81% (55 of 68) were working in Maryland one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Criminal Justice and Corrections
Private nonprofit university
Owings Mills, MD
About 41 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Stevenson University criminal justice graduates earn about what criminal justice graduates earn nationally, $38,745 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $26,000. Several Maryland programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$38,74558th percentile of 557 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$60,45356% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,0005th lowest of 8 Maryland programs

Debt-to-earnings70%Maryland median 65%, national 67%

How it compares

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

	Stevenson University	Maryland	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$38,745	$41,106	$37,641
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$60,453	$60,453	$53,142
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$26,250	$26,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	70%	65%	67%
Programs compared		8	557

Five years out, Stevenson University graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the Maryland median.

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

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

Stevenson UniversityOther Maryland 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 56% between the first and fifth year.

Stevenson University grads, year 1$38,745

Stevenson University grads, year 5$60,453

All Maryland criminal justice grads, year 5$60,453

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 $4,102 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$38,415Median debt $29,725

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$42,517Median debt $26,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 8.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (78 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%
In default	20% 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, 52 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $68,881.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

81% of graduates (55 of 68) were working in Maryland one year after graduating. Prices in the Baltimore area are about 4% above the national average, so a $38,745 salary here buys what about $37,081 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

$38,220

Median pay in Maryland. 27,670 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $33,700Top 10%: $64,320

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers

$77,970

Median pay in Maryland. 9,720 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $58,580Top 10%: $113,700

Compliance Officers

$84,720

Median pay in Maryland. 10,100 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $56,310Top 10%: $132,620

Child, Family, and School Social Workers

$76,390

Median pay in Maryland. 4,710 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $41,240Top 10%: $105,570

About Stevenson University

Tuition and fees	$40,560 / year
Average net price after aid	$26,505 / year
Admission rate	79%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	68%
Undergraduate students	3,102

Criminal Justice ranks 9th of 16 bachelor's programs at Stevenson University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($79,709), Accounting ($67,261), and Business Administration ($52,442).

Other criminal justice bachelor's programs near Owings Mills

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Stevenson UniversityOwings Mills, MD · private nonprofit		$38,745	$27,000
Coppin StateBaltimore, MD · public	10 mi	$31,419	$29,000
University of BaltimoreBaltimore, MD · public	12 mi	$48,991	$25,500
Bowie StateBowie, MD · public	28 mi	$41,367	$29,750
Hood CollegeFrederick, MD · private nonprofit	34 mi	$41,764	$25,500
UMGCAdelphi, MD · public	36 mi	$55,479	$25,062
York College of PennsylvaniaYork, PA · private nonprofit	36 mi	$42,175	$26,000
Trinity Washington UniversityWashington, DC · private nonprofit	37 mi	$47,385	$33,564
Howard UniversityWashington, DC · private nonprofit	37 mi	$27,801	$26,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $38,745 one year after graduating and $60,453 five years after. The median across criminal justice bachelor's programs in Maryland is $41,106.

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 Maryland 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 Maryland, ranked8 programs by pay and debt Criminal Justice bachelor's programs in the US, ranked557 programs by pay and debt All Stevenson University programs, ranked16 programs by pay and debt