Western New England University Criminal Justice (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Criminal Justice and Corrections
- Private nonprofit university
- Springfield, MA
- About 39 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Western New England University criminal justice graduates earn more than graduates of most criminal justice programs nationally, $41,564 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,399 in federal loans, close to the national median of $26,000. Several Massachusetts programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Massachusetts and national columns are the medians across all criminal justice bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Debt and first-year pay at every Massachusetts criminal justice program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Massachusetts medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
Does family income change the outcome?
Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $4,912 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $280 a month, or 8.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
28 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $44,414.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
54% of graduates (35 of 65) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating. Prices in the Springfield area are about 4% below the national average, so a $41,564 salary here buys what about $43,268 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
$44,670Median pay in Massachusetts. 23,930 people work in this job in Massachusetts. 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
$78,940Median pay in Massachusetts. 17,040 people work in this job in Massachusetts. 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
$102,060Median pay in Massachusetts. 13,190 people work in this job in Massachusetts. 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
$75,570Median pay in Massachusetts. 10,900 people work in this job in Massachusetts. 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 Western New England University
Criminal Justice ranks 8th of 10 bachelor's programs at Western New England University by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($83,808), Computer Science ($79,990), and Mechanical Engineering Technology ($69,326).
Other criminal justice bachelor's programs near Springfield
Common questions
The median graduate earns $41,564 one year after graduating. The median across criminal justice bachelor's programs in Massachusetts is $42,824.
The median federal loan balance is $26,399, which ranks 9th lowest of 16 criminal justice bachelor's programs in Massachusetts. That works out to about $280 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 64% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 67%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Massachusetts programs report higher pay.
Most do. 54% (35 of 65) were working in Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts 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