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2023 Best Value Colleges for Industrial Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

22 Ranked Colleges
1,927 Degrees Awarded
$11,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2020-2021, 9,072 people earned their degree in industrial engineering, making the major the 87th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, industrial engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $68,960 and had an average of $24,268 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 1,927 industrial engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $68,118 and $26,481 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 22 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in industrial engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality industrial engineering 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 industrial engineering program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region ie students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 22 Best Value Colleges for Industrial Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

1
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s IE degrees to 91 students in 2020-2021.

Northwestern also made our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $245 for Great Lakes Region IE students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, 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 97%.

Read more about Industrial Engineering at Northwestern University

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 296 ’s IE degrees in 2020-2021.

U-M also made our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $2,670 for Great Lakes Region IE students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Industrial Engineering at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school handed out 150 diplomas to qualified ’s IE students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $3,981 for Great Lakes Region IE students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Industrial Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Madison

4
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Purdue University - Main Campus is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 369 ’s IE degrees in 2020-2021.

Purdue did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $5,995 for great lakes region ie students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Purdue Industrial Engineering Report

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s IE degrees to 110 students in 2020-2021.

UIUC also took the #5 spot in our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $4,858 for Great Lakes Region IE students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UIUC.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, 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 94%.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Industrial Engineering Report

6

Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 162 ’s IE degrees in 2020-2021.

Ohio State also took the #6 spot in our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State is $7,068 for great lakes region ie students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, 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.

Full Ohio State University - Main Campus Industrial Engineering Report

7

With a ranking of #7, University of Michigan - Dearborn did quite well on the 2023 Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Michigan - Dearborn is located in Dearborn, Michigan and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 75 ’s IE degrees to qualified students.

UM Dearborn did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UM Dearborn is $9,113 for great lakes region ie students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Industrial Engineering at UM Dearborn

8
Oakland crest
Oakland University
Rochester Hills, Michigan

With a ranking of #8, Oakland University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Oakland is a public institution located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 40 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Oakland also took the #13 spot in our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Oakland is $8,949 for Great Lakes Region IE students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Industrial Engineering at Oakland

9

University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 67 ’s IE degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region ie students whose families make $0-$30k list, UIC has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Chicago is $10,549 for Great Lakes Region IE students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Industrial Engineering Report

10

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, and it awarded 53 ’s IE degrees in 2020-2021.

SIUE not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $8,047 for great lakes region ie students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Industrial Engineering at SIUE

11
WMU crest
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Western Michigan University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Kalamazoo, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s IE degrees to 61 students in 2020-2021.

WMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for WMU is $13,112 for Great Lakes Region IE students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Western Michigan University Industrial Engineering Report

12
Wayne State crest
Wayne State University
Detroit, Michigan

Wayne State University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Detroit, Michigan, and it awarded 69 ’s IE degrees in 2020-2021.

Wayne State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $11,060 for great lakes region ie students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Wayne State University.

Read full report on Industrial Engineering at Wayne State University

13

With a ranking of #13, Youngstown State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Youngstown, Ohio, this fairly large public school handed out 35 diplomas to qualified ’s IE students in 2020-2021.

Youngstown State University also made our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #20. The yearly cost to attend Youngstown State University is $9,175 for Great Lakes Region IE students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Industrial Engineering at Youngstown State University

14

University of Wisconsin - Platteville ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Wisconsin - Platteville is a medium-sized school located in Platteville, Wisconsin that handed out 49 ’s IE degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - Platteville not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $8,887 for Great Lakes Region IE students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Platteville.

Read full report on Industrial Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Platteville

15
Bradley crest
Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Peoria, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 17 degrees to qualified ’s IE students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region ie students whose families make $0-$30k list, Bradley has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $16,588 for Great Lakes Region IE students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Bradley University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 full report on Industrial Engineering at Bradley University

16

Northern Illinois University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. NIU is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 70 ’s IE degrees in 2020-2021.

NIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $10,395 for Great Lakes Region IE students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend NIU.

Read more about Industrial Engineering at NIU

17

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UWM is a public institution located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 23 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region ie students whose families make $0-$30k list, UWM has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UWM is $11,973 for Great Lakes Region IE students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Industrial Engineering Report

18
MSOE crest
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee School of Engineering ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and it awarded 30 ’s IE degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region ie students whose families make $0-$30k list, MSOE has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Milwaukee School of Engineering is $19,593 for great lakes region ie students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.

Read full report on Industrial Engineering at Milwaukee School of Engineering

19

Ohio University - Athens Campus landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Ohio University - Athens Campus is a large public school situated in Athens, Ohio. It awarded 26 ’s IE degrees in 2020-2021.

OHIO Athens also made our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #17. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio University - Athens Campus is $17,614 for great lakes region ie students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Ohio University - Athens Campus Industrial Engineering Report

20

Kent State University at Kent ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Kent State is a large public school situated in Kent, Ohio. It awarded 31 ’s IE degrees in 2020-2021.

Kent State also made our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #22. It costs about $13,793 for great lakes region ie students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Kent State University at Kent.

Read full report on Industrial Engineering at Kent State

21
Kettering crest
Kettering University
Flint, Michigan

With a ranking of #21, Kettering University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Kettering University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Flint, Michigan. It awarded 25 ’s IE degrees in 2020-2021.

Kettering also took the #7 spot in our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Kettering University is $24,706 for Great Lakes Region IE students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Industrial Engineering at Kettering

22

Lawrence Technological University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lawrence Tech is a small school located in Southfield, Michigan that handed out 13 ’s IE degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region ie students whose families make $0-$30k list, Lawrence Tech has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $32,402 for Great Lakes Region IE students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lawrence Tech.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Lawrence Technological University Industrial Engineering Report

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