2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
With 559,661 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, liberal arts general studies is the 1st most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, liberal arts general studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $26,786 and had an average of $16,538 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 65,409 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,947 and $17,710 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,620 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 75 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality liberal arts general studies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the liberal arts general studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 19 students in 2019-2020.
UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $7,934 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Chicago.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.
Full University of Chicago Liberal Arts General Studies Report
Out of the 75 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #2 spot on the list. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 68 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k list, U-M has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $10,028 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, 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 Notre Dame. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k. Located in Notre Dame, Indiana, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 47 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
Notre Dame not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Notre Dame is $17,768 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Notre Dame
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Bloomington. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Bloomington, Indiana, this large public school handed out 238 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k list, IU Bloomington has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for IU Bloomington is $12,060 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 4.3% 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%.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Indiana University - Bloomington
Out of the 75 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay landed the #5 spot on the list. University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is a medium-sized school located in Green Bay, Wisconsin that handed out 103 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Green Bay not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is $14,584 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
Oakland University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. Oakland is a public institution located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 139 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Oakland not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $10,387 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Oakland University.
Indiana University - Northwest landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Indiana University - Northwest is a small school located in Gary, Indiana that handed out 55 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $9,473 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Indiana University - Northwest.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at IU Northwest
With a ranking of #8, Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is a public institution located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 264 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at IUPUI, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $12,314 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis.
Eastern Illinois University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 123 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
EIU also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #20. The estimated yearly cost for EIU is $13,560 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.
Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #10. Ohio State is located in Columbus, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
Ohio State also took the #18 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,982 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Ohio State.
The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Ohio State
University of Illinois at Springfield ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Illinois at Springfield is located in Springfield, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $11,857 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UIS.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Illinois at Springfield
University of Wisconsin - Platteville did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #12. This medium-sized school is located in Platteville, Wisconsin, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Platteville also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $15,152 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Platteville.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at UW - Platteville
Indiana University - South Bend came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Indiana University - South Bend is a public institution located in South Bend, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 84 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $10,585 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Indiana University - South Bend.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Indiana University - South Bend
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is a fairly large public school situated in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It awarded 37 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
UW Oshkosh not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $15,236 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UW Oshkosh.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
Northern Illinois University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 61 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
NIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $18,346 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend NIU.
Full Northern Illinois University Liberal Arts General Studies Report
Grand Valley State University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Grand Valley State University is a public institution located in Allendale, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 80 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
GVSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Grand Valley State University is $15,775 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Grand Valley State University
University of Wisconsin - Whitewater came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is a fairly large school located in Whitewater, Wisconsin that handed out 26 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Whitewater also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #22. It costs about $14,941 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UW - Whitewater.
Full University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Liberal Arts General Studies Report
Ball State University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Ball State University is a large public school situated in Muncie, Indiana. It awarded 249 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
Ball State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Ball State is $15,185 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Ball State University
Governors State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in University Park, Illinois, this small public school handed out 108 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend GSU is $11,872 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.
Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #20. WIU is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 169 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at WIU, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Western Illinois University is $15,912 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a ranking of #21, University of Michigan - Dearborn did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. UM Dearborn is a public institution located in Dearborn, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UM Dearborn is $10,553 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%.
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is a fairly large school located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin that handed out 25 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Eau Claire also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #19. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is $14,887 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.
Indiana University - Kokomo landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Kokomo, Indiana, this small public school awarded 68 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Kokomo is $10,869 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.
Indiana University - East did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Richmond, Indiana, this small public school handed out 62 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $9,723 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Indiana University - East.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Indiana University - East
Kent State University at Trumbull landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Kent State University at Trumbull is a small public school situated in Warren, Ohio. It awarded 33 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Kent State University at Trumbull is $9,045 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Kent State University at Trumbull
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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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