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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

76 Ranked Colleges
4,620 Degrees Awarded
$12,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 559,661 liberal arts general studies students received their degree, making the major the 1st most popular in the country. 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.

For this year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 76 colleges that offer a degree in liberal arts general studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great liberal arts general studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the liberal arts general studies 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 Liberal Arts General Studies 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 Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important 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 Getting Aid

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 Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

Out of the 76 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay landed the #1 spot on the list. Green Bay, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 103 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Green Bay, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is $14,395 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at UW - Green Bay

Out of the 76 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Northwest landed the #2 spot on the list. IU Northwest is located in Gary, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 55 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $7,755 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid per year to attend IU Northwest.

Full Indiana University - Northwest Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#3

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University - Bloomington. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 238 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

IU Bloomington also took the #6 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,253 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid per year to attend Indiana University - Bloomington.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full IU Bloomington Liberal Arts General Studies Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it awarded 264 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid list, IUPUI has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is $11,285 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at IUPUI

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is a fairly large school located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin that handed out 37 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid list, UW Oshkosh has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,463 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid per year to attend UW Oshkosh.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at UW Oshkosh

#6

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

Governors State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. University Park, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 108 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Governors State University is $12,077 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.

Full GSU Liberal Arts General Studies Report

With a ranking of #7, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid 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.

U-M also took the #3 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,336 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid per year to attend U-M.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

#8

Indiana University - South Bend

South Bend, Indiana

Indiana University - South Bend landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Indiana University - South Bend is located in South Bend, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 84 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - South Bend is $8,717 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Indiana University - South Bend

#9

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Ball State is a large public school situated in Muncie, Indiana. It awarded 249 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Ball State also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #16. The estimated yearly cost for Ball State University is $15,147 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Ball State University

#10

Purdue University Northwest

Hammond, Indiana

Purdue University Northwest came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts 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 45 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

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

Full Purdue University Northwest Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#11

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Whitewater, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #11, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is located in Whitewater, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

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 $15,249 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid per year to attend UW - Whitewater.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at UW - Whitewater

#12

Indiana University - East

Richmond, Indiana

With a ranking of #12, Indiana University - East did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Indiana University - East is located in Richmond, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 62 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for IU East is $7,722 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Indiana University - East

With a ranking of #13, Kent State University at Trumbull did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Warren, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 33 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,954 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid per year to attend Kent State University at Trumbull.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Kent State University at Trumbull

#14

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan

Oakland University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Oakland University is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 139 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

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. The yearly cost to attend Oakland University is $11,802 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Oakland University

#15

Indiana University - Southeast

New Albany, Indiana

Indiana University - Southeast landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Indiana University - Southeast is a small school located in New Albany, Indiana that handed out 96 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

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

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Indiana University - Southeast

#16

University of Illinois at Springfield

Springfield, Illinois

University of Illinois at Springfield came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UIS is a small public school situated in Springfield, Illinois. It awarded 15 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Springfield is $12,477 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid.

Full University of Illinois at Springfield Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#17

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 123 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

EIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $14,607 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid per year to attend EIU.

Full Eastern Illinois University Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#18

Indiana University - Kokomo

Kokomo, Indiana

With a ranking of #18, Indiana University - Kokomo did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Indiana University - Kokomo is a small school located in Kokomo, Indiana that handed out 68 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,796 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid per year to attend IU Kokomo.

Full IU Kokomo Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#19

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Platteville, Wisconsin
#15 in overall quality

With a ranking of #19, University of Wisconsin - Platteville did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts 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 3 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Platteville also took the #15 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW - Platteville is $15,718 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid.

Full University of Wisconsin - Platteville Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#20

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

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 Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 169 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Western Illinois University is $16,210 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.

Full WIU Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#21

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Eau Claire, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. Eau Claire, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 25 students in 2019-2020.

UW - Eau Claire also took the #19 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $16,020 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at UW - Eau Claire

Kent State University at Stark landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Canton, Ohio, this small public school awarded 15 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Kent State University at Stark is $7,795 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Kent State University at Stark

#23

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. NIU is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 61 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid list, NIU has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend NIU is $18,259 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid.

Full Northern Illinois University Liberal Arts General Studies Report

With a ranking of #24, Kent State University at Ashtabula did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Kent State University at Ashtabula is located in Ashtabula, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Kent State University at Ashtabula is $8,405 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Kent State University at Ashtabula

#25

Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, Indiana

With a ranking of #25, Purdue University Fort Wayne did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, this medium-sized public school handed out 85 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Purdue University Fort Wayne is $10,912 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at PFW

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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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