Colleges by State 2025-2026 — Cybersecurity and Risk Degrees 

Key Takeaways

• Average program length is 3 to 4 years
• Learning outcomes include:
  • • Risk frameworks
    • Security practices and principles
    • Threat intelligence 
    • Business continuity and recovery
    • Ethics and values
    • Practical competencies
    • Leadership competencies
• Most affordable in-state: Nevada State — $0 per year for 30 credits
• Most expensive in-state: Bentley University – $63,390 per academic year
• Most affordable in-state: University of Maryland Global Campus – $1,996 per year
• Most expensive out-of-state: University of Virginia — $66,552 per year
• Top 3 colleges for cyber security and risk management bachelor degrees:

• • George Washington University 
  • University of Michigan at Flint
  • Purdue Global

Even if there are hundreds of colleges and universities offering great security and risk management programs, choosing the right one for yourself can be difficult. Therefore, having a comprehensive list of colleges by state can help you pick and choose the perfect college and program that fits your needs. In this state guide, we offer a deep look into colleges by state, as well as their tuition costs for cybersecurity degrees and programs. Check it out!

Overview of Top Cyber Security and Risk Degrees in the U.S

Degree focus areas	Cyber security governance and compliance Risk frameworks Threat analysis Incident response Business recovery Cybersecurity ethics and laws Strategic planning Risk mitigation
Coursework	Group projects Written exams Short quizzes Assignments Case studies Class discussions Lab activities  Capstone projects  Research projects
Top 3 colleges	George Washington University  Purdue Global University of Michigan at Flint
Average program duration	3 to 4 years
Average in-state tuition cost per year	$15,008 per year
Average out-of-state tuition cost per year	$19,576 per year
Entry-level cybersecurity job roles	GRC Analyst SOC Analyst System Administrator Junior Risk Analyst Information Security Analyst Penetration Tester Network Analyst
Average salary for entry-level jobs	$63,100 a year (Zip Recruiter) Note: as of November 2025

Top 3 College Programs for a Bachelor’s Degree in Cybersecurity and Risk Management

College & Program Name	City, State	Tuition Cost 2025-2026
George Washington University	Washington, D.C	$69,780 for 2025 to 2026  (Source)
University of Michigan at Flint	Flint, Michigan	In-state: $7,131 Out-of-state: $13,644 For 12 credit hours per term (Source)
Purdue Global	Online	$66,780 for 180 credit hours $371 per credit (source)

Note: all data is as of November 2025.

Security and Risk Management Degrees — Colleges by State 

The following offers a comprehensive look at the top 3 colleges by state for cybersecurity bachelor’s degrees. However, note that all costs mentioned are for tuition only, and do not include other charges such as housing and meals.

State	Top 3 colleges	In-state tuition	Out-of-state tuition
Alabama	Auburn University	$6,659 per year	$18,011 per year
	TROY University	$10,176 per year	$20,352 per year
	University of Alabama	$11,684 per year	$34,542 per year
Alaska	University of Alaska Anchorage	$7,230 per year	$25,230 per year
	University of Alaska Global Campus	$11,040 per year
	University of Alaska – Fairbanks	$5,595 per semester	$14,595 per semester
Arizona	Arizona State University	$17,434 per year	$35167 per year
	Grand Canyon University	$7,300 per year
	University of Arizona	$12,600 per year (24 credits)
Arkansas	University of Arkansas	$8,092 per academic year	$29,146 per academic year
	Arkansas State University	$10,430 per 2 semesters	$18,740 per 2 semesters
	University of Central Arkansas	$6,244 per 2 semesters	$6,246 per 2 semesters
California	University of Southern California	$73,260 per 2 semesters
	California Institute of Applied Technology	$1,250 per credit
	California State University San Marcos	$42,510 for whole degree
Colorado	Colorado State University	$13,774 per academic year	$36,113 per academic year
	University of Colorado, Denver	$12,573 per year	$31,917 per year
	University of Northern Colorado	$12,882 for 28 credits per year	$28,370 for 28 credits per year
Connecticut	Central Connecticut State University	$3,499 for 2 semesters	$10,469.00 for 2 semesters
	University of New Haven	$49,320 per year
	Western Connecticut State University	$6,700.50 for 2 semesters	$8,450.50 for 2 semesters
Delaware	University of Delaware	$15,280 per academic year	$40,840 per academic year
	Delaware State University	$9,593 per year	$19,584 per year
	Wilmington University	$12,930 per academic year
Florida	Florida Polytechnic University	$4,940 for 30 credit hours	$21,005 for 30 credit hours
	University of Tampa	$33,348 per year
	Stetson University	$59,290 for 2 semesters
Georgia	University of West Georgia	$4,488 for 24 credit hours
	University of North Georgia	$4,584 for 24 credit hours	$16,920 for 24 credit hours
	Kennesaw State University	$2,280.00 for Fall 2025, Spring 2026 and Summer 2026 – 12 credit hours	$8,412 for Fall 2025, Spring 2026 and Summer 2026 – 12 credit hours
Hawaii	Chaminade University of Honolulu	$15,845 per semester with 12 credit hours
	Hawaii Pacific University	$17,892 per semester
	University of Phoenix	$9,312 per year
Idaho	University of Idaho (U of I)	$9,400 per year	$28,636 per year
	Brigham Young University (BYU)	Latter-day Saint Tuition $6,888 Non-Latter-day Saint Tuition $13,776 (source)
	Idaho State University	$8,914 per academic year	$28,240 per academic year
Illinois	Southern Illinois University	$9,638.00 for 2 semesters
	Illinois State University	$12,066 per academic year	$24,132 per academic year
	DePaul University	Visit HERE for Current Rates
Indiana	Indiana Tech	$15,958 per semester for 12 to 18 credit hours
	Indiana University Bloomington	$12,142 per academic year	$42,294 per academic year
	Anderson University	$37,600 per year for full-time students
Iowa	Upper Iowa University	$9,400 per semester with 12 credit hours
	Franklin University	$14,328 per academic year
	Iowa State University	$11,092 per academic year	$30,140 per academic year
Kansas	Friends University	$34,994.00 per academic year
	Fort Hays State University	$6,111.90 per academic year	$18,434.10 per academic year
	University of Missouri-Kansas City	$496.00 per course	$1157.50 per course
Kentucky	Northern Kentucky University	$5,748 per semester for 15 credit hours	$7,692 per semester for 15 credit hours
	Western Kentucky University	$6,036 for 12 credit hours	$13,500 for 12 credit hours
	Eastern Kentucky University	$5,220 for 15 credit hours	$6,000 for 15 credit hours
Louisiana	Louisiana State University Alexandria	$ 3,465.95 for 12 credit hours	$ 7,097.83 for 12 credit hours
	Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge	$6,276.50 per semester for 15 credit hours	$14,618.5 per semester for 15 credit hours
	University of Louisiana at Lafayette	$5,736 per academic year	$12,600 per academic year
Maine	University of Maine – Augusta	$268 per credit hour	$724 per credit hour
	University of Southern Maine	$10,650 for 30 credit hours	$31,290 for 30 credit hours
Maryland	Capitol Technology University	$13,500 per semester
	University of Maryland Global Campus	$1,320 per year	$1,996 per year
	Stevenson University	$12,816 for 18 credit hours
Massachusetts	University of Massachusetts Amherst	$18,487 per academic year	$41,759 per academic year
	Boston College – Woods College of Advancing Studies	$656 per credit
	Bentley University	$63,390 per academic year
Michigan	Eastern Michigan University	$8,342.00 for 16 credits
	Ferris State University	$14,420 per academic year
	Davenport University (online)	$30,540 for 2 semesters,15 credits per hour	$10,320 for 2 semesters,15 credits per hour
Minnesota	Metropolitan State University	$10,354 per academic year
	MINNESOTA STATE MOORHEAD	$4683.94 per 12 credit hours
	St. Cloud State University	$9,386 per year	$19,912 per year
Mississippi	University of Mississippi	$9,990 per academic year	$30,150 per academic year
	Mississippi State University	$10,554 per year
	University of Southern Mississippi	$10,394 per year	$12,394 per year
Missouri	Fontbonne University	$29,276 per academic year
	Lindenwood University	$21,094 per year
	Southeast Missouri State University	$10,194.00 per 30 credits
Montana	University of Montana	$9,188 a year	$34,312 a year
	Montana Technological University	$7,350 for 11 credits	$22,170 for 11 credits
	Montana State University	$8,460 per academic year	$33,287 per academic year
Nebraska	University of Nebraska	$9,232 per academic year	$24,514 per academic year
	Wayne State College Nebraska	$6,057 per academic year	Check for latest updates
	The University of Nebraska at Kearney	$7,020 per academic year	$15,330 per academic year
Nevada	University of Nevada, Las Vegas	$10,196 per year	$28,828 per year
	Nevada State	$0 per year for 30 credits	$15,475 per year for 30 credits
	College of Southern Nevada	$4,575.00 per academic year	$13,475 per academic year
New Hampshire	Southern New Hampshire University	$17,010 per year
	University of New Hampshire	$15,908 per year	$37,070 per year
	Plymouth State University	$15,068 per year	$26,218 per year
New Jersey	Fairleigh Dickinson University	$37,364 per academic year
	Montclair State University	$15,678 per year with 12 credit hours	$26,394 per year with 12 credit hours
	New Jersey City University	$6,021.24 per academic year with 12 credit hours
New Mexico	Eastern New Mexico University	$294.75 per credit hour	$377.25 per credit hour
	New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology	Check here
	New Mexico State University	$8,557 per year	$26,883 per year
New York	Pace University	$52,924 per academic year
	Mercy College	$23,650 per academic term with 12 credit hours
	SUNY Farmingdale State College	$4,313.00 for 12 credit hours	$9,558.00 for 12 credit hours
North Carolina	East Carolina University	$7,438 per academic year	$23,715 per academic year
	University of North Carolina Wilmington	$4,443 per academic year	$22,597 per academic year
	NC State University	3,267.50 for 12+ credit hours	15,750.00 for 12+ credit hours
North Dakota	University of North Dakota	$12,739.20 per academic year	$18,181.68 per academic year
	North Dakota State University	$9,868 per academic year	$14,802 per academic year
	Bismarck State College	$7,318.56 per academic year	$10,167.84 per academic year
Ohio	Bowling Green State University	$47,420 per academic year
	Ohio University	$14,582 per academic year	$25,796 per academic year
	The Ohio State University	$13,641 per academic year	$42,423 per academic year
Oklahoma	Oklahoma State University	$13,920 per academic year	$29,440 per academic year
	Northeastern State University	$3,216.00 per semester	$7,083.00 per semester
	Cameron University	$6516.00 per academic year	$14052.00 per academic year
Oregon	Eastern Oregon University	$4,493.00 per academic year with 18 credits	$10,127.00 per academic year with 18 credits
	Oregon Institute of Technology	$8011.2 per term	$18613.44 per term
	Oregon State University	$15,246 per 3 terms	$40,392 per 3 terms
Pennsylvania	Temple University	$19,608 per year	$35,232 per year
	Pennsylvania State University	Check for latest updates
	University of Pittsburgh at Bradford	$13,796 for 2 terms	$25,788 for 2 terms
Rhode Island	Roger Williams University	$45,648 per academic year
	Rhode Island College	$5,053.50 per semester	$13,333 per semester
	University of Rhode Island	$15,148 per academic year	$36,070 per academic year
South Carolina	S Carolina State University	$4,764 per semester	$10,109 per semester
	University of South Carolina	$12,288 per academic year	$36,976 per academic year
	College of Charleston	$12,518 per academic year	$38,384 per academic year
South Dakota	University of South Dakota	$9,687 per academic year	$13,299 per academic year
	Dakota State University	$ 4,542.75 per academic year	$ 6,138.75 per academic year
	South Dakota Mines	$16,500 for 9 months
Tennessee	University of Tennessee, Knoxville	$13,876 per academic year	$33,336 per academic year
	Belmont University	$43,750 per academic year
	East Tennessee State University	$5,497 per semester	$7,597 per semester
Texas	University of Texas at Austin	$10,858 – $13,576 per year	$38,650 – $46,498 per year
	Texas A&M University San Antonio	$1,000.00 for 20 credit hours	$9,400.00 for 20 credit hours
	Sam Houston State University	$11,370 per academic year	$23,520 per academic year
Utah	Southern Utah University	$3,228.00 per academic year	$10,504.00 per academic year
	Utah Tech University	$3,240.87 per academic year	$4,176.24 per academic year
	Utah State University	$4,390 per semester	$12,829 per semester
Vermont	Vermont State University	$15,096 per year	$26,904 per year
	Saint Michael’s College	$49,950 per academic year
	Norwich University	$48,730 per academic year for up to 19 credit hours
Virginia	George Mason University	$10,392.00 per year with full-time enrollment	$35,388 per year with full-time enrollment
	Virginia Tech	$13,548 per academic year	$35,408 per academic year
	University of Virginia	$26,938 per year	$66,552 per year
Washington	Eastern Washington University	$7,776 per academic year	$24,963 per academic year
	UW Information School	$30,272 average annual cost
	Western Washington University	$8,523 per academic year	$27,690 per academic year
West Virginia	West Virginia University	$4,632 per semester	$11,208 per semester
	Marshall University	$4,694 per semester	$10,195 per semester
	University of Charleston	$23,700 total tuition fee for online program
Wisconsin	Universities of Wisconsin-Stout	$11,196 per academic year	$20,188 per academic year
	University of Wisconsin-Madison	$12,186 per academic year	$44,210 per academic year
	University of Wisconsin-Whitewater	$9,047 per academic year	$19,147 per academic year
Wyoming	University of Wyoming	$2,700 per semester for 12 credits	$11,010 per semester for 12 credits
	Caper College	$4,410 per academic year	$10,710 per academic year

Note: 

• Maine and Wyoming have limited colleges offering Cybersecurity and Risk Management degrees.
• All tuition costs are for the 2025 to 2026 academic year.
• Tuition rates may vary based on additional fees and other costs.
• All data is as of November 2025.

What are the Learning Outcomes of Security and Risk Management Degrees? 

So, now you know which are the top 3 colleges in your desired state. However, choosing a college major is not only about the location and tuition cost. You should also be focusing on the learning outcomes and objectives of a college major, and whether it aligns with your career goals. So, to further guide you, here we provide you a look at the core competencies, functions, and knowledge that cybersecurity and risk management degrees focus on.

Risk frameworks

Firstly, the most commonly found area of focus in bachelor’s coursework are security and risk frameworks. So, these frameworks that are used by enterprises across the world become a huge part of your learning. Some popular risk frameworks covered in bachelor’s degrees are NIST and ISO 27001. 

Security practices and principles

Secondly, the most important learning outcome of security and risk management degrees are core principles of information technology and security. You will learn about data integrity, security networking, confidentiality, authorized access control, and so much more. 

Threat intelligence 

Thirdly, a bachelor’s degree in security and risk management lets you pick up on skills that help you not only identify threats, but also manage them and respond appropriately. So, you will learn structured methodologies, as well as theoretical concepts and even hands-on practices. 

Business continuity and recovery

When you work in the real world, you will discover that incidents of cyber threats and losses happen everywhere. However, qualified professionals like yourself always have strategies and plans in place to ensure business continuity and recovery. So, college programs focus on preparing you for the practical work, and include such strategies and skills in the coursework. 

Ethics and values

In addition to so many other things included in college coursework, ethics and values also play a crucial role in the cybersecurity world. Having ethical awareness of certain practices, such as penetration testing and ethical hacking, are core part of cybersecurity degrees. Moreover, there are also legal requirements and frameworks that all IT security individuals must be aware of. 

Practical competencies

On top of knowledge and technical skills, there are also practical competencies that are essential. These include the use of important software, tools, and risk scanners. So, college coursework typically provides a learning experience focused on risk audits, monitoring systems, network security, ISMS, and more.

Leadership competencies

Lastly, let’s not forget that your career progression will require some crucial leadership competencies. The ability to improve, adapt, and lead a team of coworkers are essential for your professional future. Therefore, soft skills such as documentation, communication, problem-solving, and decision-making are some leadership competencies taught through mediums such as case studies and group projects. 

Conclusion

Finally, you have the complete list of colleges by state that offer bachelor programs in cyber security and risk management. However, keep in mind to choose a college that aligns with your financial resources so you can successfully complete a 3 to 4 year academic commitment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What level of education is good for cybersecurity jobs?

For entry-level cybersecurity jobs, you can become eligible with an Associate’s degree. However, for mid-tier jobs, or career progression, most employers have a minimum requirement of a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.

What are the top colleges in the USA for a degree in security and risk management?

While there are hundreds of outstanding colleges offering a degree in cybersecurity and risk management, there are top 3 colleges that do outshine the rest. So, these include the George Washington University, located in Washington, D.C., offering a top-tier BS degree. On the other hand, there is also the University of Michigan at Flint, located in Flint, Michigan, perfect for in-state students looking for a prestigious degree. Lastly, the Purdue Global cybersecurity degree is an excellent option for those seeking a fully online and affordable program. 

What can you do with a cybersecurity and risk management degree?

Fortunately, a cyber security and risk management degree opens the door to several different career paths and outcomes. So, you can explore opportunities in industries such as tech, finance, law, and even education. Some well-paying jobs for cybersecurity graduates include GRC or SOC analyst, IT Security Administrator, and Cloud Computing Specialist. In addition to this, there are also analytical roles such as Cybersecurity Analyst and Threat Intelligence Analyst.

Can I get a cyber security and risk management degree online? 

Yes, definitely! You can get a cyber security and risk management degree online from reputable colleges such as Purdue Global, Western Governors University, or Arizona State University Online. In addition to this, the coursework and learning outcomes of online degrees are the same as conventional in-person degrees. However, degree requirements such as high-school grades and financial resources can vary. Moreover, some online programs also offer virtual labs, allowing you to gain more hands-on learning experience.