Criminal Justice Institute

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions for Criminal Justice Institute Basic Academy and Sworn Officer.

Locations

The School of Public Safety, Legal Studies, and Education offers training and education at seven convenient locations.

 

Basic Academy

What programs do you offer?
The Criminal Justice Institute (CJI) is a state certified Law Enforcement and Corrections training academy. CJI offers the Law Enforcement and Corrections Certification Programs and Advanced/Specialized courses for certified, sworn officers.


Can the CJI provide me with a Valencia College Transcript?
Yes, we can provide both your credit and vocational transcripts. However, you can only get Criminal Justice Institute (Corrections or Law Enforcement) transcripts from the Criminal Justice Institute. Credit and vocational coursework will print as two separate transcripts (each transcript requires a separate transcript request fee).

 Download Transcript Request Form

You will need to print and complete the Transcript Request Form (any incomplete forms and forms without payment will not be processed.) The form must be submitted to the Criminal Justice Institute with payment attached (cash, check or money order). Please make checks or money orders payable to Valencia College. If paying with cash, you must provide the exact amount. The $3.00 per transcript fee must be paid before your request will be processed.

This form can be submitted in person or mailed in with the transcript fee to:

Valencia College
School of Public Safety
Attn: Transcript Request
8600 Valencia College Lane
Orlando, FL. 32825

Transcript requests are typically processed within 2 business days.


Do I need to be a student at Valencia to apply to the Criminal Justice Institute?
Yes. You must apply to the college before you can enroll in the Criminal Justice Institute. You can apply online.


What is the cost of tuition?
Tuition is $3,000 for the Law Enforcement Academy and $1,500 for the Corrections Academy (cost subject to change).


How do I qualify for Florida residency?
When completing your Valencia College admissions application, you must prove Florida residency by providing supporting documents that are dated at least 12 consecutive months prior to the term for which the residency is sought.


Is Financial Aid available for the Criminal Justice Institute programs?
The Law Enforcement Academy is the only Financial Aid eligible program that we offer. Refer to Valencia 's Financial Aid Department for more information on applying. Financial Aid should not be applied for until you have been accepted into the Law Enforcement Academy .

Valencia's Financial Aid TV


What is the deadline to apply to the Criminal Justice Institute?
The Criminal Justice Institute programs allow year-round enrollment. Once a student meets all the eligibility requirements and obtains the minimum required score of 70% for either the Law Enforcement or Corrections version of the CJBAT, the student can submit their CJBAT to receive an application. Applications are date stamped upon receipt and placed in date order on the wait-list.


How long is the wait list?
Currently, the estimated wait is 6 months to 1 year. The length of time that you will wait to get into an academy is based on the number of agency employed/sponsored applicants that we admit.

Students are admitted into the Academy in the following order of priority:

  1. Applicants employed by any agency which is a member of the CJI Advisory Board.
  2. Applicants employed by any other agency in the state.
  3. Applicants who are sponsored by any agency.
  4. Applicants who have served in the military (veterans).
  5. Applicants who are current students or have earned a degree from Valencia College.
  6. Pre-service applicants that are on the wait list.

What can I do while I'm waiting to begin the program?
Many students complete their AS degree in Criminal Justice. You must successfully complete a state mandated training academy program such as those offered by the Criminal Justice Institute in order to be a sworn Law Enforcement or Corrections officer in the state of Florida, however a degree in Criminal Justice will make you a more competitive candidate for a law enforcement position.


What is the process for requesting a Letter of Good Standing, Enrollment, Verification or a Block Request for another academy?
Print the "Letter Request Form" and submit it via fax, email, mail or in person to the CJI administration. The Letter Request Form may take up to 48 hours to be completed. Hand delivered requests will not be processed 'while you wait'.

Law Enforcement Letter Requests, should be emailed to Lauren Livingston at llivingston6@valenciacollege.edu 

 Download Letter Request Form


What is the process for requesting a block of training at The Criminal Justice Institute in the Law Enforcement or Corrections Academies if I am a CJI student or a student coming from another academy?
The first step is to complete the  Block Request Form and submit it via fax, email, mail, or in person. Upon submission of the form, you will be contacted regarding the remaining steps to complete the process.

Block Request Forms should be emailed to:
jruiz98@valenciacollege.edu FAX: (407) 582-8222

Mailing Address:
Valencia College, Attn: Block Request,
8600 Valencia College Lane
Orlando, FL 32825

 Download Block Request Form

 

Sworn Officer

Do you provide Mandatory Retraining (40 hours) for LEO or Corrections?
No. Much of the training is provided by FDLE online:


How does Salary Incentive work?
FDLE Rule 11B-14.003 Authorized Salary Incentive Payments provides the guidance for salary incentive payments. Here is a brief summary of how it works. Sworn officers receive $20 each month for each successfully completed 80 hour unit of Advanced Courses. Only FDLE approved salary incentive classes count toward these hours. You can receive up to a maximum of $120 a month for these career development courses.

You can also receive $30 a month for completion of an accredited two year degree and $80 for an accredited four-year degree. The maximum salary incentive money per month for combined educational and career development courses is $130.

Mandatory Only courses and Instructor Courses do not quality for salary incentive payments. All courses are listed on our online website: CJI Online Schedule