ROI Major

Criminal Justice and Corrections at University of Maine at Presque Isle

ME · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 43.01

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Criminal Justice and Corrections degree from University of Maine at Presque Isle earn a median salary of $44,030 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in ME, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $38,691. The degree typically pays for itself in 15.4 years.

Quick Insights

Slow Burn / High Debt Risk

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$33,836

Typical Career

$44,030

Top Performers

$59,682

Estimated break-even: 15.4 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$294

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,669. Most students can comfortably afford about a $294 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.1x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Maine buys what costs $1.14 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Educational Services, Retail Trade.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 22.8%
Educational Services 22.0%
Retail Trade 7.8%

Institution-wide industry mix for bachelor's graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$38,691

Nominal: $44,030 in Maine (COL 113.8% of national avg) · 12.1% lower purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

15.4 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $26,970 $36,745 $49,561
5 Years After Graduation $33,836 $44,030 $59,682
10 Years After Graduation $42,596 $54,993 $71,605

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $44,030 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in ME, which has a cost-of-living index of 113.8% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $44,030 × (1.0 ÷ 1.1380) = $38,691 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Criminal Justice and Corrections program at the University of Maine at Presque Isle can expect a steady earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $36,745, increasing to $44,030 after five years and reaching $54,993 after ten years. However, when adjusted for purchasing power, the median five-year salary aligns more closely with $38,690.69 nationally, reflecting the cost of living in Maine, which has a COL index of 1.138 compared to the national average of 1.0. This indicates that while earnings grow over time, the purchasing power may be slightly diminished relative to other regions.

The primary industries that graduates enter include Health Care & Social Assistance (22.8%), Educational Services (22.0%), and Retail Trade (7.8%). The estimated break-even point for those pursuing this degree versus a high-school-only path is approximately 15.4 years, suggesting that while the degree offers a pathway to higher earnings, it may take over a decade and a half to recoup the investment in education. Overall, the return on investment for this degree is moderate, with career opportunities primarily in sectors that emphasize social services and education.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Criminal Justice and Corrections degree at University of Maine at Presque Isle stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.

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