by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2021-2022, 6,614 people earned their degree in international studies, making the major the 100th most popular in the United States. In , international studies graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $34,413 and had an average of $23,173 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 732 international studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,564 and $22,360 respectively.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 72 colleges that offered a degree in international studies. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their international studies program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
The international studies school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region”.
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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region international studies students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Principia College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Elsah, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 3 degrees to qualified ’s international studies students in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Kenyon College. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region. Kenyon is a small school located in Gambier, Ohio that handed out 21 ’s international studies degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Out of the 72 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Albion College landed the #3 spot on the list. Albion is a private not-for-profit institution located in Albion, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 72 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Monmouth College landed the #4 spot on the list. Monmouth is a small school located in Monmouth, Illinois that handed out 2 ’s international studies degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 72 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Hanover College landed the #5 spot on the list. Hanover College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hanover, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
Illinois Wesleyan University ranked #6 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Illinois Wesleyan is a small school located in Bloomington, Illinois that handed out 4 ’s international studies degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 International Studies at Illinois Wesleyan University
Saint Mary’s College landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Notre Dame, Indiana, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified ’s international studies students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Hope College landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Hope is a small school located in Holland, Michigan that handed out 9 ’s international studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Mount Union landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Alliance, Ohio, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 1 diplomas to qualified ’s international studies students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about International Studies at University of Mount Union
With a ranking of #10, Heidelberg University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Heidelberg University is a small school located in Tiffin, Ohio that handed out 0 ’s international studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 Notre Dame did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #11. Notre Dame, Indiana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s international studies degrees to 68 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #12. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 152 ’s international studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.
Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor International Studies Report
With a ranking of #13, Malone University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Canton, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s international studies degrees to 2 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.
North Central College landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. North Central College is a small school located in Naperville, Illinois that handed out 2 ’s international studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Lawrence University ranked #15 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Appleton, Wisconsin, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified ’s international studies students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, 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 89%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Mount Mary University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Milwaukee, Wisconsin is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s international studies degrees to 2 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Ohio Wesleyan University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #17. This small school is located in Delaware, Ohio, and it awarded 4 ’s international studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Illinois College ranked #18 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Jacksonville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s international studies degrees to 4 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on International Studies at Illinois College
Cedarville University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Cedarville is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cedarville, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #20, University of Dayton did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Dayton, Ohio, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 24 diplomas to qualified ’s international studies students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 - Milwaukee did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #21. UWM is a large school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that handed out 26 ’s international studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #22, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school handed out 98 diplomas to qualified ’s international studies students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.2% 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 International Studies at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranked #23 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. SIUE is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 5 ’s international studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about International Studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and it awarded 10 ’s international studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 International Studies at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
With a ranking of #25, Case Western Reserve University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 15 degrees to qualified ’s international studies students in 2021-2022.
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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, 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 94%.
Read more about International Studies at Case Western Reserve University
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