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2022 Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

118 Ranked Colleges
8,465 Degrees Awarded
$15,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 52,394 finance students received their degree, making the major the 10th most popular in the country.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 9,217 finance graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 8,465 finance graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 118 colleges that offered a degree in finance. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great finance programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the finance program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Finance Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree finance students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Finance in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 256 bachelors’s finance degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also made our “Best Finance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree finance students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Finance at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 118 schools in the Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 307 bachelors’s finance degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree finance students with aid list, UW - Madison has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Finance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW - Madison is $17,708 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree finance students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Finance Report

#3

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#8 in overall quality

Out of the 118 schools in the Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. Purdue University - Main Campus is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 202 bachelors’s finance degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue also took the #8 spot in our “Best Finance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,986 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree finance students with aid per year to attend Purdue.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Purdue University - Main Campus Finance Report

#12 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is a fairly large school located in La Crosse, Wisconsin that handed out 170 bachelors’s finance degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - La Crosse, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Finance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $14,580 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Finance students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full UW - La Crosse Finance Report

#19 in overall quality

Out of the 118 schools in the Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater landed the #5 spot on the list. Whitewater, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s finance degrees to 219 students in 2019-2020.

UW - Whitewater not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Finance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $15,249 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Finance students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater.

Read full report on Finance at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

#6

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#4 in overall quality

Michigan State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in East Lansing, Michigan, this large public school awarded 376 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s finance students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Michigan State, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Finance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $19,173 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Finance students with aid per year to attend Michigan State University.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Michigan State Finance Report

#23 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 253 bachelors’s finance degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC also took the #23 spot in our “Best Finance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Chicago is $13,312 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree finance students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Finance at University of Illinois at Chicago

#20 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and it awarded 101 bachelors’s finance degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Eau Claire, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Finance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW - Eau Claire is $16,020 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree finance students with aid.

Read full report on Finance at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

#9

Franklin University

Columbus, Ohio

With a ranking of #9, Franklin University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Franklin University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Franklin University is $12,895 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Finance students with aid.

Full Franklin University Finance Report

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and it awarded 80 bachelors’s finance degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UW Oshkosh is $15,463 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree finance students with aid.

Read full report on Finance at UW Oshkosh

#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Ohio State is located in Columbus, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 741 bachelors’s finance degrees to qualified students.

Ohio State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Finance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State is $17,616 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Finance students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Finance at Ohio State University - Main Campus

#12

Purdue University Northwest

Hammond, Indiana

Purdue University Northwest did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. Hammond, Indiana is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s finance degrees to 36 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,250 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree finance students with aid per year to attend Purdue Northwest.

Read more about Finance at Purdue University Northwest

With a ranking of #13, University of Michigan - Dearborn did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Dearborn, Michigan, this medium-sized public school awarded 74 degrees to qualified bachelors’s finance students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,473 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Finance students with aid per year to attend University of Michigan - Dearborn.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Finance at UM Dearborn

#14

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana

With a ranking of #14, Ball State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Ball State is a public institution located in Muncie, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 100 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,147 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Finance students with aid per year to attend Ball State University.

Full Ball State University Finance Report

#15

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana
#1 in overall quality

University of Notre Dame landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Notre Dame, Indiana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s finance degrees to 235 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree finance students with aid list, Notre Dame has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Finance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $33,025 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Finance students with aid per year to attend Notre Dame.

The low student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Finance at Notre Dame

#16

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #16, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is a public institution located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 230 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UWM is $17,876 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree finance students with aid.

Read full report on Finance at UWM

#17

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

With a ranking of #17, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 90 bachelors’s finance degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for NIU is $18,259 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree finance students with aid.

Full NIU Finance Report

#18

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UW - Stevens Point is a medium-sized public school situated in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. It awarded 21 bachelors’s finance degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is $14,465 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree finance students with aid.

Read more about Finance at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

#19

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan

Oakland University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. Oakland University is a fairly large school located in Rochester Hills, Michigan that handed out 99 bachelors’s finance degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Oakland is $11,802 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree finance students with aid.

Read full report on Finance at Oakland University

#20

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, Michigan
#22 in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, Grand Valley State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Allendale, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s finance degrees to 271 students in 2019-2020.

GVSU also took the #22 spot in our “Best Finance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $17,646 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree finance students with aid per year to attend Grand Valley State University.

The low student loan default rate of 3.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Grand Valley State University Finance Report

#21

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. Eastern Illinois University is located in Charleston, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 bachelors’s finance degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for EIU is $14,607 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree finance students with aid.

Read more about Finance at EIU

#22

Ferris State University

Big Rapids, Michigan

Ferris State University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Ferris is located in Big Rapids, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s finance degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Ferris State University is $12,889 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Finance students with aid.

Read more about Finance at Ferris State University

#23

University of Southern Indiana

Evansville, Indiana

With a ranking of #23, University of Southern Indiana did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Evansville, Indiana, this fairly large public school handed out 60 degrees to qualified bachelors’s finance students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend USI is $13,437 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree finance students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 5.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full USI Finance Report

#24

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois

Saint Xavier University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Saint Xavier University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 40 bachelors’s finance degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Saint Xavier University is $14,528 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree finance students with aid.

Read more about Finance at SXU

#25

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Central Michigan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Finance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #25. This fairly large school is located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and it awarded 90 bachelors’s finance degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,981 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Finance students with aid per year to attend Central Michigan.

Read full report on Finance at Central Michigan University

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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