Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Education

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Education in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

180 Ranked Colleges
16,211 Degrees Awarded
$14,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 310,601 education students received their degree, making the major the 4th most popular in the country. In 2017-2018, education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $43,887 and had an average of $30,244 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 43,513 education graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,643 and $27,857 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 16,211 education graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 180 colleges that offered a degree in education. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent education programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

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

More Ways to Rank Education Schools

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 Getting Aid” 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 Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid.

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

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 180 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 190 students in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $15,880 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students with aid per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.

Full UIUC Education Report

#2

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#12 in overall quality

Out of the 180 schools in the Best Value Education 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 #2 spot on the list. Purdue is a large school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 253 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue also made our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend Purdue University - Main Campus is $13,986 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students with aid.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read full report on Education at Purdue

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University - Northwest. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. IU Northwest is a small public school situated in Gary, Indiana. It awarded 34 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,755 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students with aid per year to attend IU Northwest.

Read full report on Education at Indiana University - Northwest

#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 230 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Education 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 Education students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Education at UW - Madison

#15 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. Located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school handed out 165 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students with aid list, UW - La Crosse has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is $14,580 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Education at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

Top 15% in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is a public institution located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 74 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Green Bay also claimed a top spot on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $14,395 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Green Bay.

Read full report on Education at UW - Green Bay

#7

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. IU Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 355 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.

IU Bloomington did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for IU Bloomington is $13,253 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Education at IU Bloomington

#16 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school awarded 116 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $13,312 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students with aid per year to attend University of Illinois at Chicago.

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 Education at University of Illinois at Chicago

#9

Purdue University Northwest

Hammond, Indiana

Purdue University Northwest came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Purdue Northwest is a medium-sized school located in Hammond, Indiana that handed out 86 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Purdue University Northwest is $11,250 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students with aid.

Read more about Education at Purdue University Northwest

#10

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Whitewater, Wisconsin
#25 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Whitewater, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school handed out 304 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

UW - Whitewater also took the #25 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,249 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students with aid per year to attend UW - Whitewater.

Read more about Education at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

#11

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin
#21 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - River Falls did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. UW - River Falls is a medium-sized school located in River Falls, Wisconsin that handed out 178 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - River Falls also took the #21 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,748 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Education at UW - River Falls

Top 25% in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UW Oshkosh is located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 215 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $15,463 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh.

Read more about Education at UW Oshkosh

#8 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 253 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students with aid list, SIUC has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $16,945 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students with aid per year to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Read full report on Education at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#14

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
#20 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UW - Eau Claire is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 177 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.

UW - Eau Claire also took the #20 spot in our “Best Education 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 Education students with aid.

Read full report on Education at UW - Eau Claire

#15

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan
#2 in overall quality

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. U-M is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 77 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $15,336 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, 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 96%.

Read more about Education at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

#16

Indiana University - South Bend

South Bend, Indiana

Indiana University - South Bend ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in South Bend, Indiana, this small public school awarded 67 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,717 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students with aid per year to attend Indiana University - South Bend.

Read more about Education at Indiana University - South Bend

#17

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana
Top 25% in overall quality

Ball State University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Ball State University is a large school located in Muncie, Indiana that handed out 361 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Ball State is $15,147 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students with aid.

Read more about Education at Ball State University

#18

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#7 in overall quality

Michigan State University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Michigan State University is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 239 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Michigan State, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $19,173 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students with aid per year to attend Michigan State University.

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 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%.

Read full report on Education at Michigan State

#19

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Top 25% in overall quality

With a ranking of #19, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. UW - Stevens Point is located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 204 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is $14,465 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students with aid.

Read full report on Education at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, this large public school awarded 209 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is $11,285 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students with aid.

Full Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Education Report

#21

University of Wisconsin - Stout

Menomonie, Wisconsin
Top 15% in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Stout landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Menomonie, Wisconsin, and it awarded 124 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Stout excels when it comes to education quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Stout is $15,839 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Education at UW - Stout

#22

Indiana University - Southeast

New Albany, Indiana

With a ranking of #22, Indiana University - Southeast did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Indiana University - Southeast is a public institution located in New Albany, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 69 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Southeast is $10,657 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students with aid.

Full Indiana University - Southeast Education Report

#23

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Platteville, Wisconsin
Top 20% in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Platteville ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. UW - Platteville is a medium-sized public school situated in Platteville, Wisconsin. It awarded 93 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Platteville excels when it comes to education quality. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend UW - Platteville is $15,718 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students with aid.

Full UW - Platteville Education Report

With a ranking of #24, Wright State University - Lake Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Wright State University - Lake Campus is a small school located in Celina, Ohio that handed out 29 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,099 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students with aid per year to attend Wright State University - Lake Campus.

Full Wright State University - Lake Campus Education Report

#25

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #25, 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 Getting Aid list. University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 238 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is $17,876 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students with aid.

Read full report on Education at UWM

Rest of the Best 28 in Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

Not only did these schools make the top 28 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#26

Indiana University - Kokomo

Kokomo, Indiana
#27

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois
#28

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Switch to a More Focused Major

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Horadrim.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You