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2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region

92 Ranked Colleges
3,179 Degrees Awarded
$15,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

History is the 22nd most popular major in the country with 32,905 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, history graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,593 and had an average of $23,490 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 3,735 history graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,343 and $24,004 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,179 history graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 92 colleges that offered a degree in history. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great history programs and cost less that 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 history program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank History 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 History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” list to help you make the college 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 History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region

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

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for History in the Great Lakes Region

#1

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin
#13 in overall quality

Out of the 92 schools in the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - River Falls landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Wisconsin - River Falls is located in River Falls, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s history degrees to qualified students.

UW - River Falls did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $13,748 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree History students per year to attend UW - 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 History at University of Wisconsin - River Falls

#18 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is a fairly large public school situated in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It awarded 28 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree history students list, UW Oshkosh has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,463 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree history students per year to attend UW Oshkosh.

Full UW Oshkosh History Report

#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 #3 for the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. UW - La Crosse is a fairly large school located in La Crosse, Wisconsin that handed out 20 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - La Crosse also made our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is $14,580 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree History students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.

Full UW - La Crosse History Report

#19 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Whitewater, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school handed out 42 degrees to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2019-2020.

UW - Whitewater did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $15,249 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree history students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater.

Read full report on History at UW - Whitewater

#24 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is a public institution located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Eau Claire not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Eau Claire is $16,020 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree History students.

Full UW - Eau Claire History Report

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 49 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,423 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree History students per year to attend SIUE.

Read more about History at SIUE

With a ranking of #7, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Green Bay is a medium-sized school located in Green Bay, Wisconsin that handed out 34 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is $14,395 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree History students.

Read full report on History at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

#8

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Platteville, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #8, University of Wisconsin - Platteville did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Platteville, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school handed out 6 degrees to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Platteville is $15,718 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree history students.

Read full report on History at UW - Platteville

#9

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

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

Read full report on History at UW - Stevens Point

#10

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

Illinois State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #10. Illinois State University is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 97 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also took the #7 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State is $20,895 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree History students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about History at Illinois State University

#11

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

With a ranking of #11, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. NIU is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $18,259 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree History students per year to attend NIU.

Read full report on History at Northern Illinois University

#12

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, Michigan

Grand Valley State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large school is located in Allendale, Michigan, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $17,646 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree History students per year to attend Grand Valley State University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full GVSU History Report

#12

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

With a ranking of #12, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Macomb, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Western Illinois University is $16,210 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree history students.

Full WIU History Report

#14

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

With a ranking of #14, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 20 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend EIU is $14,607 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree history students.

Read more about History at EIU

#15

University of Illinois at Springfield

Springfield, Illinois

University of Illinois at Springfield came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UIS is a public institution located in Springfield, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UIS is $12,477 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree History students.

Read more about History at University of Illinois at Springfield

Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 21 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $16,945 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree History students per year to attend SIUC.

Read more about History at SIUC

#17

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this large public school handed out 64 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $17,876 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree history students per year to attend UWM.

Read more about History at UWM

#18

Ashland University

Ashland, Ohio
#21 in overall quality

Ashland University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Ashland, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ashland, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ashland University is $20,111 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree History students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.0% 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 History at Ashland University

#19

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, Michigan

Western Michigan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #19. Western Michigan University is a public institution located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $19,433 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree History students per year to attend Western Michigan University.

Full WMU History Report

#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Cincinnati, Ohio. It awarded 26 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

UC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $21,843 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree History students per year to attend University of Cincinnati - Main Campus.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about History at UC

#21

University of Southern Indiana

Evansville, Indiana

University of Southern Indiana landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. USI is a public institution located in Evansville, Indiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,437 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree history students per year to attend USI.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Southern Indiana History Report

#22

Indiana University - Kokomo

Kokomo, Indiana

With a ranking of #22, Indiana University - Kokomo did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Indiana University - Kokomo is located in Kokomo, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s history degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Kokomo is $9,796 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree history students.

Full IU Kokomo History Report

#23

Eastern Michigan University

Ypsilanti, Michigan

Eastern Michigan University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Eastern Michigan University is a fairly large school located in Ypsilanti, Michigan that handed out 40 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Eastern Michigan is $15,924 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree history students.

Full Eastern Michigan History Report

#24

Cleveland State University

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland State University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Cleveland State University is a fairly large school located in Cleveland, Ohio that handed out 34 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Cleveland State University is $17,278 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree History students.

Read full report on History at Cleveland State University

#25

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan

Oakland University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #25. Oakland University is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 33 bachelors’s history degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $11,802 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree history students per year to attend Oakland University.

Read more about History at Oakland

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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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