ROI Major

Criminal Justice and Corrections at Vincennes University

IN · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 43.01

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Criminal Justice and Corrections degree from Vincennes University earn a median salary of $56,648 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IN, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $62,664. The degree typically pays for itself in 8.5 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

$44,895

Typical Career

$56,648

Top Performers

$75,539

Estimated break-even: 8.5 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$378

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,721. Most students can comfortably afford about a $378 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.5x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Indiana buys what costs $0.90 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 32.4%
Educational Services 15.6%
Public Administration 14.5%

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

$62,664

Nominal: $56,648 in Indiana (COL 90.4% of national avg) · 10.6% higher 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).

8.5 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 $32,756 $45,244 $64,270
5 Years After Graduation $44,895 $56,648 $75,539
10 Years After Graduation $61,332 $76,015 $91,143

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 $56,648 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in IN, which has a cost-of-living index of 90.4% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $56,648 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9040) = $62,664 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 Vincennes University can expect a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $45,244, which increases to $56,648 five years post-graduation and reaches $76,015 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median earnings five years after graduation equate to approximately $62,663.72 nationally, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive income relative to the national average despite the cost of living in Indiana being lower.

The top industries for graduates include Health Care & Social Assistance (32.4%), Educational Services (15.6%), and Public Administration (14.5%). This diverse range of sectors suggests a broad applicability of skills acquired in the program. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 8.5 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this degree appears favorable, providing a solid foundation for a career in various fields related to criminal justice and corrections.

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 Vincennes University 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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