2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
General Education is the 35th most popular major in the country with 29,936 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, general education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $47,138 and had an average of $29,674 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 3,216 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,306 and $27,810 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,058 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 42 colleges that offer a degree in general education. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general education programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the general education program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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.
Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Education (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
Out of the 42 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 13 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.
UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $5,477 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Michigan State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Michigan State is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 157 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.
Michigan State also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $6,686 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Michigan State.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 42 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. Purdue is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.
Purdue also took the #9 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue University - Main Campus is $5,483 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Green Bay. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Green Bay, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 74 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Green Bay, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $11,337 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - Green Bay.
Read more about General Education at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Beloit College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Beloit is a small school located in Beloit, Wisconsin that handed out 16 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
Beloit also took the #11 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Beloit College is $8,574 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Grand Valley State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Grand Valley State University is a large public school situated in Allendale, Michigan. It awarded 221 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
GVSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for GVSU is $11,578 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
With a ranking of #7, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and it awarded 153 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
UWM also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #12. It costs about $13,222 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UWM.
University of Michigan - Dearborn ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Michigan - Dearborn is a public institution located in Dearborn, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend University of Michigan - Dearborn is $6,751 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
Denison University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Denison is a small school located in Granville, Ohio that handed out 22 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Denison, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $18,990 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Denison.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Lake Forest College landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Lake Forest is located in Lake Forest, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.
Lake Forest also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for Lake Forest is $18,192 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Marquette University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 13 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.
Marquette also took the #2 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Marquette University is $19,169 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Illinois College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Jacksonville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Illinois College is $11,376 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Miami University - Oxford did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Oxford, Ohio, this fairly large public school handed out 12 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.
Miami University - Oxford also took the #21 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Miami University - Oxford is $13,759 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Marian University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. Marian is a small school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 8 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,053 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Marian University.
John Carroll University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. University Heights, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 27 students in 2019-2020.
John Carroll did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $20,360 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend John Carroll.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at John Carroll University
Kent State University at Kent landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Kent, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 95 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $13,915 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Kent State.
Mount St. Joseph University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Mount St. Joe is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Mount St. Joe has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $14,097 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Mount St. Joe.
Marietta College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. This small school is located in Marietta, Ohio, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Marietta has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Marietta is $17,208 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
With a ranking of #19, Taylor University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Taylor University is located in Upland, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.
Taylor U also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #17. It costs about $18,399 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Taylor University.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Manchester University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Manchester University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in North Manchester, Indiana. It awarded 11 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Manchester University has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Manchester University is $12,712 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a ranking of #21, University of Evansville did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Evansville is located in Evansville, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k list, UE has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Evansville is $15,212 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Elmhurst University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Elmhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elmhurst, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Elmhurst, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Elmhurst is $16,903 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Saint Francis - Fort Wayne came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of St. Francis Fort Wayne is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It awarded 1 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of St. Francis Fort Wayne is $12,429 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full University of Saint Francis - Fort Wayne General Education Report
DePauw University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. DePauw University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Greencastle, Indiana. It awarded 16 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k list, DePauw has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for DePauw is $14,008 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Hiram College landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Hiram College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Hiram, Ohio. It awarded 11 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Hiram College is $21,421 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.
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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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