Affordable online criminal justice associate degrees (2026)

What an online criminal justice associate degree covers

A criminal justice associate degree covers policing, courts, corrections and the legal system. It does not by itself qualify you for a police academy, a certification or a license. Middle Georgia State says outright that its online programs do not lead to state licensure (MGA online programs). New Mexico Junior College says its hands-on law-enforcement academy courses must be taken separately from its online criminal justice courses (NMJC Criminal Justice). The employer or the college you transfer to decides what the degree is worth.

How the programs compare

Each program below states a whole-degree credit count in semester hours and publishes a per-credit rate on official pages.

LSU Eunice caps transfer credit at 75% of the degree, so you can transfer in up to 45 of the 60 credit hours and no more (LSU Online program page). The catalog defines its credit as the semester hour and lays out 60 credit hours across four semesters (LSU Eunice campus regulations, Criminal Justice, AS curriculum).

Clovis charges New Mexico residents $48 (in-district) or $59 (out-of-district) per credit depending on your tax district, so ask which district you are in. Non-residents pay $121 per credit, and some Texas residents within 135 miles of the college qualify for the lower in-state, out-of-district rate (Clovis Fall 2026 tuition). A reduced senior citizen rate requires registering on or after April 14, 2026. A full-time term of 13 to 18 credits costs the same as 12. Clovis also awards a 63-credit Academy-Based A.A.S. that includes 30 credits granted for academy completion, so ask which award you are enrolling in.

Bossier Parish publishes one rate for every student, so where you live does not change the price (catalog, tuition and fees). The catalog says “The semester hour is the unit of credit” (academic policies) and that the degree “can be obtained 100% via Internet instruction,” with an accelerated twelve-month online format over three semesters. The $12 covers Student Services ($7) and LCTCS Enterprise Resource Planning ($5). Technology ($5), Academic Excellence ($7), Operating ($3), Building Use ($4) and Athletic ($6) fees are also per credit but stop rising at $60, $84, $36, $48 and $72. Other charges: a $55 student activities fee and a $75 access fee per semester (the access fee is capped at $150 per academic year), a $40 online course fee once per semester, and a $29.50 per credit hour Book Pass you can opt out of. Certified Louisiana peace officers can be awarded 15 hours of credit toward named criminal justice courses, so ask how that applies to your plan.

Central Community College tells students to multiply total credit hours by $118 (catalog, costs). Its catalog says the college “awards credit on the semester-hour system” (credit system). The college offers “online, in-person or hybrid options” (criminal justice page), but the required courses include a cooperative education internship or a criminal justice capstone, so ask which courses need attendance.

Laramie County rates already include student fees $7.77, wellness $2.23, athletics $5.50, technology $23.00 and facilities $10.25 per credit (LCCC tuition and fees). The college states “There is not a tuition cap at LCCC.” Two published conditions beat the out-of-state figure, but your state alone does not confirm them. “The Edge” lets residents of Colorado, Nebraska and South Dakota attend at the in-state cost. The Western Undergraduate Exchange admits students from 15 listed western states at 150 percent of resident tuition. Confirm eligibility with the college first. The 2026-2027 catalog lists Online as a location (LCCC catalog), and LCCC policy defines the credit hour as “the number of semester credits awarded by the College to a student upon successful completion of a course” (workload policy). The program page lists a practical crime scene class, ride-alongs and a correctional institution visit as opportunities, not requirements (program page).

More schools to consider

These schools also list online criminal justice associate degrees. Each entry notes what to confirm before you compare it with the table.

• College of Southern Nevada lists “Criminal Justice, AAS” among degrees that “have a pathway to completion online” and warns that “Some online course sections may require on-campus proctored exams” (CSN Learn Online). The 2026-2027 catalog describes a “60-credit academic map, designed for students without transfer credits” (CSN catalog map). Nevada residents pay $136.25 per credit plus $37.50 per credit in fees: Academic Success Initiatives $5.00, Technology $11.50, Student Union $8.00, Student Union O&M $1.00, Athletics and Recreation $5.00 and the $7.00 E Learning fee for online courses (CSN tuition and fees). Non-residents who take only distance education courses, live outside Nevada and apply through the Cashier’s Office pay a reduced $68.25 per credit on top of resident registration and technology fees. The same $68.25 applies to the Western Undergraduate Exchange, which also requires an application. Other non-residents pay $4,775.00 per semester at 7 or more credits, or $149.75 per credit below 7. A $20 application fee and a $20 new student fee are charged once. CSN lists only “the most common” charges, and special course fees can apply.
• Delgado Community College says students “can complete the degree 100% online” (Delgado Criminal Justice). The 2026-2027 catalog prints “TOTAL CREDIT HOURS: 60” (Delgado catalog). It prints one schedule with no separate non-resident or online column: $138.96 tuition plus $5.00 Enterprise Resource Planning and $7.00 Student Services per credit hour (Delgado financial information). Ask the college which rate applies to an out-of-state online student. Academic Excellence ($7.00), Building Use ($4.00), Operational ($3.00), Technology ($5.00) and Athletic Activity ($6.00) fees are per credit but stop at 12 hours. Other charges: $25.00 per credit hour for Delgado Course Complete textbooks, a $40 online course fee per semester, a $75 access fee per semester ($50 in summer, capped at $150 per academic year), a $10 student government fee, student life center fees of $15 and $40, and online proctoring estimated at $2 to $20 per exam. The rates are estimates the Board of Supervisors can change.
• Northeast Community College (Nebraska) lists its Criminal Justice A.A. at “2 years (61-65 credits),” so ask for one credit total (Northeast Criminal Justice). For 2026-2027 it charges Nebraska and border-state residents (Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri) $112.00 per credit hour and everyone else $155.00, plus $21.00 per credit hour in fees, with no extra charge for online classes (tuition and fees). Corrections courses are “offered in-person in Norfolk or online.” Law Enforcement courses are “offered in-person in Norfolk and South Sioux City and are also available in hybrid and online formats.” Ask which courses you would still have to attend.
• Southeast Community College (Nebraska) offers one 61-credit program leading to the A.A. (transfer) or A.A.S. (workforce), with Beatrice, Lincoln and Online locations. For 2026-2027 it charges Nebraska residents $105 per credit hour and non-residents $126, plus $22 per credit hour in facility and student activity fees (program, costs). You can “choose in-person classes or online courses,” so ask which award you would be enrolled in and which courses are online. The $7,747 on the program page is an estimated program price, not a fee-complete total.
• Northwood Technical College (Wisconsin) lists a 61-credit Criminal Justice Studies associate degree with an estimated 2026-27 program tuition of $10,149. Its campus note describes a “Combination of On Site, Online, and Hybrid instruction,” and it publishes no per-credit rate. The estimate “does not include any miscellaneous fees for various courses, tools, books, supplies or uniforms” (Northwood Tech). Ask for the per-credit cost of the credits you still need and which courses you can finish online.
• Middle Georgia State University lists Criminal Justice, A.S. under its online programs (MGA online programs). The catalog sets 60 total hours, 42 of them in the Core IMPACTS block (MGA 2026-2027 catalog). Fully online classes cost $176 per credit for ONLINE sections, $161 for eCore and $201 for eMajor for Fall 2026 through Summer 2027. The category depends on the section you enroll in, not on your state (tuition and fees, online learning rates). A degree can mix sections at different rates. A $239 Online Learning Fee is charged per term in place of on-campus mandatory fees for students registered only in fully online classes. Fully online tuition caps at 15 hours, and proctored exam fees may apply.
• Ivy Tech Community College lists a 100% Online Option and 60 credit hours over four semesters (program page). Part-time students pay $178.38 per credit hour. Full-time students (12 or more credits) pay a flat $2,577.11 per semester. Out-of-state students pay $348.97 per credit part-time or $4,967.51 per semester full-time (tuition and fees). Course, program and class-format fees are extra, so ask which price fits your load.
• Jefferson Community College (SUNY) says 100% of the Criminal Justice A.S. can be completed online (program page). The same page gives different credit totals (60, 61, 63 and 64), so ask the department which applies to your intake.
• California Coast University lists its Associate of Science in Criminal Justice as 100% online and self-paced (program page). It is not structured in semesters, quarters or terms and states no whole-degree credit count. It offers a conditional 10% tuition discount to listed groups.
• SUNY Ulster says its 61-credit Criminal Justice A.S. “can be taken on campus or online” (program page). The page does not say the whole degree can be completed online and prints no per-credit rate, so confirm both.
• Seminole State College of Florida advertises an online option for its Criminal Justice Technology A.S., but most courses “are offered in person and online” (catalog). It publishes a yearly cost-of-attendance comparison, not a per-credit rate. Ask whether the whole degree can be completed online.
• Century College describes delivery as “A mix of daytime, evening and online courses” and requires 80 hours of criminal justice-related service learning through two named courses (Century College). It prints no credit count or per-credit rate, and the page does not say the degree can be completed fully online.
• Columbia Southern University publishes a $278 per credit hour undergraduate rate (A.S. Criminal Justice), but its credit figures are labeled “All courses” rather than for this degree. Ask for the degree’s own credit total.

Eastern Gateway Community College: states on its own site, “The College is Closed” (closure notice). Do not put it on a shortlist.

Questions to ask before you apply

• Ask for the exact degree plan, delivery format and fee schedule for your intake. An online course listing alone does not make the whole degree online.
• Ask for each school’s complete required-fee list. No school here publishes one, so expect course fees and per-term charges on top of per-credit tuition.
• Get a written transfer evaluation. The receiving college decides which credits it accepts.
• Ask the college to confirm any residency, district, exchange or military condition before you rely on a lower rate.
• Budget books, software and living costs separately unless the published rate says it includes them.

Read our methodology for the details behind these numbers, or send a correction if a linked program has changed.