I understand not being a cybersecurity hacker type. But as others have noted, having a computer-related skill-set in data science/analytics and/or GIS can make the difference in employability.
I don’t know if there would be a path to affordability at Drexel. (They do give some generous merit awards, but I don’t know if they give enough to get to 30K, and even if they do, I don’t know if applying TO would disadvantage her for larger awards.) But their program is a good example of how “big data” skills can be integrated into such a major, and how students who don’t have that background could have difficulty competing in the job market against those who do. Department of Criminology and Justice Studies | CoAS | Drexel University
She might also want to think about sociology vs. psych. Often, students with these interests imagine that studying psychology would enable them to delve into the why’s of criminality. But for the most part, the research shows that the underlying causes are best studied on a community/population level. This is why criminology programs are often housed in sociology departments, as at tOSU: Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies (BA) | College of Arts and Sciences (This is another school where some big merit awards exist, but I’m not sure if they’d be attainable.)
For a guaranteed-in-budget school with the desired major and strong internship placement, I would consider SUNY Oswego. The school overall (which has just under 6000 undergrads) has a strong co-op/internship emphasis, and the page for the specific major notes placement in federal-level internships (not FBI specifically, but Secret Service, Customs, DEA, Marshals). https://www.oswego.edu/programs/undergraduate/criminal-justice-ba In addition to psych, sociology, and forensic science minors, there are minors offered in accounting, cognitive science, applied statistics, and Spanish… plus there’s a criminal justice minor, if she were to decide to major in something else. All-in COA for NY residents is under 28K/year, and she would likely get at least $2500 in merit off of that, if not more. Probably a little over 5 hrs from LI, but a great financial and admissions safety that could be worth stretching that radius by an hour or less.
The FBI is NOTHING like what you study as a criminal justice major. If you are assigned to a unit tracking global money laundering, your finance knowledge (and understanding of the global banking system) is much more critical than anything you’d learn in CJ.
I won’t say you can get hired into federal law enforcement from anywhere (because your skills are going to matter) but there are some safe bets- math and quant; programming and CS; finance and accounting; foreign languages. Then there’s the really esoteric stuff- the art history team which helps track stolen and trafficked art work around the world, the forensic accountants who can figure out where a foreign military leader has stashed the hundreds of millions of dollars they’ve stolen from funds meant for humanitarian aid, etc.
But I think for now- identifying colleges that are within budget, that offer lots of different majors, and that’s within your commuting range is the way to go. Lots of good suggestions already offered. She can figure out her path once she’s started college- which is what most people do. But picking a major which prepares her to become a probation officer (for example, which is a common endpoint for CJ grads) seems like a poor strategy right now. So choosing a college based on that major- poor strategy IMHO.
And I know based on several TV shows, everyone thinks being an FBI profiler is the coolest job in the world. Many of these profilers are actual psychiatrists- i.e. MD’s. They graduated from undergrad in whatever while taking the med school requirements. They spent four years in med school. They did a residency in Psychiatry and often a fellowship after that. Someone who doesn’t like standardized tests is NOT going to like this professional path! MCAT’s to get into med school. Then tests, tests and more tests all the way through. Constant tests. Becoming a licensed physician is the goal-- which means more testing. THEN getting hired by the FBI after some clinical experience, AND research experience with a sociopathic population.
So put the FBI aside for now. On TV profilers are 30 year old hotshots. Reality is that they are experienced professionals who have decades of clinical work in addition to years of schooling after undergrad!