2025 Best General Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region
33
Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
3,298
Education Degrees Awarded
$55,624
Avg Early-Career Salary
General Education is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #41 most popular degree program in the country. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 33 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for general education students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 3,298 degrees in general education to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great General Education School
Your choice of general education school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall General Education School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Pick Your General Education Degree Level
The education school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best General Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region.
If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.
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.
Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.
Best Schools for General Education in the Great Lakes Region
If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the education degrees they offer, see the list below.
10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools in Education
Any student pursuing a degree in general education needs to check out Purdue University - Main Campus. Purdue is a very large public university located in the small city of West Lafayette. A Best Colleges rank of #65 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Purdue is a great university overall.
There were roughly 269 general education students who graduated with this degree at Purdue in the most recent data year. General Education degree recipients from Purdue University - Main Campus receive an earnings boost of about $6,441 over the typical income of general education graduates.
More information about a degree in general education from Purdue University - Main Campus
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in general education. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #41 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.
There were approximately 282 general education students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available. General Education degree recipients from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign earn a boost of about $6,996 over the typical income of general education majors.
More information about a degree in general education from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Masters
Degree Type
MEd in Curriculum & Instruction
Program Name
Enhance your career as a teacher or administrator or prepare to advance to a leadership position within your school with this specialized online MEd from Southern New Hampshire University.
More information about a degree in MEd in Curriculum & Instruction from Southern New Hampshire UniversityRelated Programs
Grand Valley State University is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in general education. Located in the fringe town of Allendale, GVSU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #342 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means GVSU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 303 general education students who graduated with this degree at GVSU in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, education degree recipients generally make around $45,608 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a degree in general education from Grand Valley State University
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in general education. U-M is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of #22 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.
There were about 149 general education students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the education program state that they receive average early career earnings of $52,336.
More information about a degree in general education from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #54 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Michigan State is a great university overall.
There were about 151 general education students who graduated with this degree at Michigan State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the education program report average early career income of $48,593.
More information about a degree in general education from Michigan State University
Ohio State is a very large public university located in the city of Columbus. A Best Colleges rank of #70 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.
There were about 279 general education students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the education program state that they receive average early career wages of $53,822.
More information about a degree in general education from Ohio State University - Main Campus
Eastern Michigan is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Ypsilanti. A Best Colleges rank of #598 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Eastern Michigan is a great university overall.
There were about 22 general education students who graduated with this degree at Eastern Michigan in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in general education from Eastern Michigan University
Masters
Degree Type
MS in Higher Education Administration
Program Name
Learn how strategic leadership, data-driven resource management and a culture centered on student success can enhance colleges and universities with this online master's from Southern New Hampshire University.
More information about a degree in MS in Higher Education Administration from Southern New Hampshire UniversityRelated Programs
Graduate Certificate
Highest Degree Type
7th
Most Popular In OH
37
Education Degrees Awarded
Miami University - Oxford is a large public university located in the town of Oxford. A Best Colleges rank of #134 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Miami University - Oxford is a great university overall.
There were roughly 37 general education students who graduated with this degree at Miami University - Oxford in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in general education from Miami University - Oxford
Located in the large suburb of University Heights, John Carroll is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #605 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means John Carroll is a great university overall.
There were about 30 general education students who graduated with this degree at John Carroll in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the education program report average early career income of $37,978.
More information about a degree in general education from John Carroll University
Located in the large city of Milwaukee, UWM is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 23rd out of 46 schools for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.
There were roughly 169 general education students who graduated with this degree at UWM in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the education program earn an average of $43,867 for their early career.
More information about a degree in general education from University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
