How much debt do University of Hartford criminal justice graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,563, which ranks 4th lowest of 10 criminal justice bachelor's programs in Connecticut. That works out to about $282 a month over 10 years.

Is a criminal justice degree from University of Hartford worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 69% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 67%. Compare the cost with other Connecticut programs before deciding.

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

Bachelor's in Criminal Justice and Corrections
Private nonprofit university
West Hartford, CT

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Hartford criminal justice graduates earn about what criminal justice graduates earn nationally, $38,309 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,563 in federal loans, close to the national median of $26,000. Several Connecticut programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$38,30954th percentile of 557 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$61,39360% more than year one

Median federal debt$26,5634th lowest of 10 Connecticut programs

Debt-to-earnings69%Connecticut median 68%, national 67%

How it compares

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

	University of Hartford	Connecticut	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$38,309	$39,711	$37,641
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$61,393	$57,122	$53,142
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,563	$27,000	$26,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	69%	68%	67%
Programs compared		10	557

Five years out, University of Hartford graduates earn more than the national figure and about $4,271 more than the Connecticut median.

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

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

University of HartfordOther Connecticut 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 60% between the first and fifth year.

University of Hartford grads, year 1$38,309

University of Hartford grads, year 5$61,393

All Connecticut criminal justice grads, year 5$57,122

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 $282 a month, or 8.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (43 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	20–39%

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, 19 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $76,869.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Hartford area are about 3% above the national average, so a $38,309 salary here buys what about $37,285 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

$39,920

Median pay in Connecticut. 12,100 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $34,950Top 10%: $59,220

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers

$82,170

Median pay in Connecticut. 6,500 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $63,310Top 10%: $102,660

Compliance Officers

$91,810

Median pay in Connecticut. 3,610 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $60,050Top 10%: $137,690

Child, Family, and School Social Workers

$78,970

Median pay in Connecticut. 5,230 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $48,660Top 10%: $109,980

About University of Hartford

Tuition and fees	$49,075 / year
Average net price after aid	$30,282 / year
Admission rate	96%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	54%
Undergraduate students	4,146

Criminal Justice ranks 13th of 24 bachelor's programs at University of Hartford by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($106,348), Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($73,906), and Mechanical Engineering ($73,871).

Other criminal justice bachelor's programs near West Hartford

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of HartfordWest Hartford, CT · private nonprofit		$38,309	$26,563
Charter Oak State CollegeNew Britain, CT · public	10 mi	$68,956	$23,000
Springfield CollegeSpringfield, MA · private nonprofit	23 mi	$41,441	$25,500
American International CollegeSpringfield, MA · private nonprofit	23 mi	$37,408	$29,750
Westfield StateWestfield, MA · public	23 mi	$42,228	$24,422
Western New England UniversitySpringfield, MA · private nonprofit	24 mi	$41,564	$26,399
Post UniversityWaterbury, CT · private for-profit	26 mi	$49,449	$33,250
Quinnipiac UniversityHamden, CT · private nonprofit	28 mi	$41,989	$27,000
Albertus Magnus CollegeNew Haven, CT · private nonprofit	34 mi	$41,520	$40,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $38,309 one year after graduating and $61,393 five years after. The median across criminal justice bachelor's programs in Connecticut is $39,711.

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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut, ranked10 programs by pay and debt Criminal Justice bachelor's programs in the US, ranked557 programs by pay and debt All University of Hartford programs, ranked25 programs by pay and debt