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2023 Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Great Lakes Region

16 Ranked Colleges
949 Degrees Awarded
$26,200 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for General Studies for a Bachelor's

Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for General Studies for a Bachelor’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

General Studies is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 5th of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 129,869 degrees were awarded to students with this major.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 11,380 general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 949 general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,343 and $26,790 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for General Studies for a Bachelor’s” ranking analyzed 16 colleges that offered a degree in general studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general studies programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the general studies program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for General Studies for a Bachelor’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for General Studies for a Bachelor’s

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree vets studying general studies.

Top 16 Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Great Lakes Region

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for General Studies for a Bachelor’s list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 65 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.

U-M also made our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #2.Among the 47,907 students enrolled at U-M, 570 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 325 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $27,058. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. U-M offers credit for military training for eligible students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 veteran student life at U-M]](/colleges/university-of-michigan-ann-arbor/student-life/veterans/)

2

Out of the 16 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for General Studies for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana Wesleyan University landed the #2 spot on the list. This small school is located in Marion, Indiana, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.

IWU also took the #3 spot in our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, Indiana Wesleyan University supports 3,108 students, and 3 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 2 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,305. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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

Full IWU Veteran Student Life Report

3
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend DePaul University. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for General Studies for a Bachelor’s. DePaul University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 93 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.

DePaul not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.According to our most recent data, DePaul supports 21,922 students, and 528 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 367 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,957. During this same period, 101 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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

[Read full report on veteran student life at DePaul]](/colleges/depaul-university/student-life/veterans/)

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for General Studies for a Bachelor’s. Illinois State University is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 111 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree vets studying general studies list, Illinois State has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, Illinois State supports 20,720 students, and 530 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 163 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,997. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Illinois State offers credit for military training for eligible students.

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

Full Illinois State Veteran Student Life Report

5

Out of the 16 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for General Studies for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Dearborn landed the #5 spot on the list. Dearborn, Michigan is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general studies degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.

UM Dearborn also took the #8 spot in our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Among the 8,783 students enrolled at University of Michigan - Dearborn, 159 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 111 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $9,134. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Michigan - Dearborn offers credit for military training for eligible students.

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

Read More…

6
Alverno crest
Alverno College
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Alverno College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for General Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking. This small school is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree vets studying general studies list, Alverno has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Among the 1,876 students enrolled at Alverno, 30 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 17 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $17,482. On top of their other funding sources, 1 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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

[Read full report on veteran student life at Alverno]](/colleges/alverno-college/student-life/veterans/)

7

University of Toledo came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for General Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of Toledo is a fairly large school located in Toledo, Ohio that handed out 16 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Toledo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.According to our most recent data, University of Toledo supports 18,319 students, and 510 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 232 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,784. On top of their other funding sources, 11 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Read More…

8

With a ranking of #8, Youngstown State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for General Studies for a Bachelor’s list. Youngstown State University is located in Youngstown, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 116 bachelors’s general studies degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree vets studying general studies list, Youngstown State University has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Among the 11,835 students enrolled at Youngstown State University, 327 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 130 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,697. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Full Youngstown State University Veteran Student Life Report

9
Spring Arbor crest
Spring Arbor University
Spring Arbor, Michigan

Spring Arbor University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for General Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Spring Arbor, Michigan, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 17 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general studies students in 2020-2021.

Spring Arbor also made our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #13.Of the 3,118 students enrolled at Spring Arbor University, 87 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 48 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $9,673. In addition to receiving other benefits, 4 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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

Full Spring Arbor Veteran Student Life Report

10

With a ranking of #10, Kent State University at Kent did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for General Studies for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in Kent, Ohio, and it awarded 122 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Kent State, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 778 of the 26,822 students enrolled at Kent State University at Kent were GI Bill® students, of which 374 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,199. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Kent State]](/colleges/kent-state-university-at-kent/student-life/veterans/)

11
Baker College crest
Baker College
Owosso, Michigan

Baker College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for General Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking. Baker College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Owosso, Michigan. It awarded 39 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree vets studying general studies list, Baker College has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Among the 6,028 students enrolled at Baker College, 173 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 143 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,169. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read More…

12

Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for General Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 15 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general studies students in 2020-2021.

Northeastern Illinois University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.According to our most recent data, Northeastern Illinois University supports 7,119 students, and 147 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 83 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,460. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Veteran Student Life Report

13
Ferris crest
Ferris State University
Big Rapids, Michigan

Ferris State University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for General Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking. This fairly large school is located in Big Rapids, Michigan, and it awarded 63 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Ferris also took the #11 spot in our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Among the 11,165 students enrolled at Ferris State University, 377 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 189 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,426. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Full Ferris Veteran Student Life Report

14
Siena Heights University crest
Siena Heights University
Adrian, Michigan

Siena Heights University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for General Studies for a Bachelor’s list. Siena Heights University is a small school located in Adrian, Michigan that handed out 28 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Siena Heights University also took the #5 spot in our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Among the 2,036 students enrolled at Siena Heights University, 74 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 38 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,992. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Read More…

15
CSU crest
Chicago State University
Chicago, Illinois

Chicago State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for General Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #15. Chicago State University is a small public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 11 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSU, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 94 of the 2,644 students enrolled at Chicago State University were GI Bill® students, of which 48 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,489. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The undergraduate 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.

[Read full report on veteran student life at CSU]](/colleges/chicago-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

16
OCU crest
Ohio Christian University
Circleville, Ohio

Ohio Christian University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for General Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking. This small school is located in Circleville, Ohio, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.

OCU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Among the 2,186 students enrolled at OCU, 121 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 85 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,824. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. OCU does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read More…

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

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