Between departmental tuition reimbursement, union scholarship programs, educational incentive pay, and near-universal eligibility for federal loan forgiveness, criminal justice professionals often have more funding available to them than they realize. The challenge isn’t a lack of resources; it’s knowing where to look. This guide profiles three online criminal justice programs with financial aid and answers the questions that come up most when officers and agents start researching graduate school.
Author: Jordan Cosselman
Editor: Wes Ricketts
- School Profiles
Details of Online Criminal Justice Programs with Financial Aid
Read more - FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Read more - Types of Aid
Types of Financial Aid for Criminal Justice Students
Read more
Details of Online Criminal Justice Programs with Financial Aid
The programs below offer financial aid packages that include agency tuition coordination, military benefits, and institutional scholarships that recognize professional experience alongside academic credentials. Read about each school and find the program that is the best fit for your financial needs.
University of Central Florida
UCF’s online MS in Criminal Justice is offered through its College of Community Innovation and Education and is designed for working professionals looking to advance into leadership, research, or policy roles in the justice system. The 33-credit program is fully online and built around flexible scheduling for students balancing coursework with shift work.
- UCF awards institutional scholarships to graduate students through its centralized scholarship portal, Knights of Distinction. Both merit- and need-based awards are available, and students can search for university-wide and program-specific opportunities in one place.
- Graduate assistantships are available through the criminal justice department, offering tuition waivers and stipends in exchange for research or teaching support. GA availability for fully online students varies.
- UCF is designated as a military-friendly school and participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program. The university’s Veterans Academic Resource Center provides dedicated support for military-connected students.
Types of Aid Offered/Accepted:
- Institutional scholarships (merit and need-based)
- Graduate assistantships
- Military benefits
- Federal financial aid
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati’s School of Criminal Justice offer an online MS in Criminal Justice. It’s a 30-credit program with concentrations available in crime analysis and prevention, corrections, and policing—all delivered asynchronously for working professionals.
- UC offers merit-based scholarships for graduate students, with awards determined during the admissions process. The School of Criminal Justice also administers its own field-specific scholarships and awards for enrolled students.
- Graduate assistantships are available to qualified students, providing tuition remission and a stipend. Research assistantships within the school’s active faculty research programs give students direct exposure to work in policing, sentencing, or corrections policy.
- Federal financial aid is available through FAFSA, and UC’s financial aid office coordinates with students whose agencies offer tuition reimbursement.
Types of Aid Offered/Accepted:
- Merit-based scholarships
- Graduate assistantships
- Agency tuition reimbursement coordination
- Federal financial aid
Sam Houston State University
Sam Houston State’s College of Criminal Justice is one of the oldest and largest criminal justice programs in the country, and its online MS in Criminal Justice carries that reputation in a format designed for law enforcement and corrections professionals who can’t relocate. As a Texas public university, Sam Houston offers competitive tuition rates that extend to out-of-state online students.
- Sam Houston’s affordability functions as a form of financial aid in itself. With total program costs well below what most private or large-public-university competitors charge, many students can cover the degree through agency reimbursement alone.
- The university offers institutional scholarships for graduate students, and the College of Criminal Justice administers its own awards for enrolled CJ students.
- Federal financial aid is available through FAFSA. Sam Houston is also designated as a military-friendly institution.
Types of Aid Offered/Accepted:
- Institutional and department-level scholarships
- Federal financial aid
- Military benefits
- Agency tuition reimbursement
Frequently Asked Questions
Types of Financial Aid for Criminal Justice Students
Criminal justice students—especially those already working in the field—have access to funding channels that most other graduate students don’t. Here’s what’s available, from the resources you don’t repay to the ones you do.
Institutional Merit Scholarships
Awarded by the university based on your academic record, professional experience, or both. At many schools, admitted students are automatically considered with no separate application.
In criminal justice, admissions committees often weigh professional experience heavily—years of service, rank, and specialized training can strengthen a scholarship case even if your undergraduate GPA wasn’t exceptional.
- The University of Cincinnati’s School of Criminal Justice, for example, administers its own field-specific scholarships alongside university-wide merit awards.
Graduate Assistantships
Part-time positions (typically 10–20 hours per week) working for the university in exchange for a tuition waiver and sometimes hourly pay or a stipend.
In criminal justice departments, assistantships frequently involve:
- Supporting faculty research on policing
- Sentencing policy
- Corrections
- Crime analysis
This is work that can directly strengthen your resume for the kind of analytical or policy roles a master’s degree opens up.
Availability for online-only students is limited at most institutions, though some departments offer virtual research positions. If you’re within commuting distance of campus, your options expand.
Agency Tuition Reimbursement
This is often the single largest funding source for CJ graduate students who are currently employed in the field. Tuition reimbursement programs that cover part or all of graduate tuition can be offered by:
- Federal agencies (FBI, DEA, ATF, CBP, USMS)
- State police and highway patrol agencies
- Municipal and county departments
Reimbursement structures vary. Some agencies pay a flat annual cap (often aligned with the IRS Section 127 tax-free threshold of $5,250/year), while others reimburse per credit or cover full tuition for degrees in approved fields. Most require pre-approval before enrollment and a passing grade to trigger payment. Some also require a post-completion service commitment—typically two to four years of continued service.
Contact your agency’s training division or HR office before applying to programs. If your agency doesn’t have a formal reimbursement policy, ask about discretionary professional development funding. Even when it isn’t widely advertised, this may be another available option.
Educational Incentive Pay
Separate from tuition reimbursement, many law enforcement and corrections agencies pay an ongoing salary supplement for holding an advanced degree. This is often called educational incentive pay or degree differential pay.
The amount varies by agency but typically ranges from $50 to $200 per month, and it continues for the duration of your employment.
- Over a 20-year career, even a modest $100/month incentive adds up to $24,000 in additional earnings.
Combined with the promotional advantage a master’s degree provides, the financial return often exceeds the cost of the degree itself.
Professional Association Scholarships
Several national CJ organizations offer scholarships and tuition support for members pursuing advanced degrees.
- The ASIS Foundation awards scholarships for students in security management and CJ programs, including full-tuition awards at partner institutions
- NOBLE provides scholarships targeting Black law enforcement professionals and CJ students
- WIFLE offers annual scholarships for women pursuing or advancing careers in federal law enforcement
- The American Criminal Justice Association–Lambda Alpha Epsilon (ACJA-LAE) runs a student scholarship competition for undergraduate and graduate members
These require separate applications and membership in the sponsoring organization, so factor their deadlines into your enrollment timeline.
Military Benefits
Veterans and active-duty service members are well-represented in criminal justice graduate programs, and most accredited online programs accept GI Bill benefits. Schools that participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program can cover tuition beyond the standard Post-9/11 GI Bill cap, and some waive application fees for military-connected applicants.
If you’re transitioning from military service into civilian law enforcement or homeland security, a master’s degree funded through GI Bill benefits is one of the most cost-effective career moves available.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness
Criminal justice professionals are among the best-positioned groups for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Since PSLF requires employment with a government or qualifying nonprofit employer, and virtually every law enforcement, corrections, probation, and court system position meets that standard, most CJ graduates qualify by default.
After 120 qualifying monthly payments on an income-driven repayment plan, your remaining federal loan balance is forgiven. The key is enrolling in the right repayment plan and certifying your employer from the beginning—not retroactively.
Federal Student Loans
Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans and Grad PLUS Loans are available at FAFSA-eligible institutions. These must be repaid with interest, so use them only after exhausting the options above.
That said, if you do borrow, the combination of agency reimbursement, educational incentive pay, and near-guaranteed PSLF eligibility means that criminal justice professionals are better positioned to manage graduate loan debt than students in most other fields.