2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Geography is the 144th most popular major in the country with 5,476 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 776 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 560 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 45 colleges that offer a degree in geography. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent geography programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the geography program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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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 Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.
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Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geography (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region
Out of the 45 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 1 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2019-2020.
Northwestern also took the #2 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $3,995 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 45 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 4 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.
UChicago also made our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $2,800 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Chicago.
With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 31 students in 2019-2020.
UW - Madison also made our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $6,860 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Geography at University of Wisconsin - Madison
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.
UIUC also took the #3 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $8,464 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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 more about Geography at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Ohio State is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 42 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Ohio State also made our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $10,037 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $30-$48k 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.
Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 7 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.
IU Bloomington also made our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #15. The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Bloomington is $6,192 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Wisconsin - La Crosse came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is a fairly large school located in La Crosse, Wisconsin that handed out 26 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - La Crosse also made our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is $9,795 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national 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.
University of Wisconsin - River Falls ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in River Falls, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school awarded 10 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - River Falls, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $10,124 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - 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 Geography at University of Wisconsin - River Falls
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. SIUE is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 32 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $30-$48k list, SIUE has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $9,938 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend SIUE.
University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Stevens Point did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Stevens Point is $11,433 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $30-$48k.
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $30-$48k list, UW - Eau Claire has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW - Eau Claire is $11,828 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read more about Geography at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
Grand Valley State University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Grand Valley State University is a large public school situated in Allendale, Michigan. It awarded 23 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.
GVSU also took the #11 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $12,459 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Grand Valley State University.
The low 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%.
With a ranking of #13, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Whitewater, Wisconsin, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Whitewater did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is $12,156 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $30-$48k.
Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. Indianapolis, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is $6,315 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $30-$48k.
University of Wisconsin - Platteville did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #15. University of Wisconsin - Platteville is a medium-sized public school situated in Platteville, Wisconsin. It awarded 3 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Platteville also took the #16 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $12,930 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Platteville.
With a ranking of #16, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.
UW Oshkosh also took the #21 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,114 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UW Oshkosh.
Read full report on Geography at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
University of Wisconsin - Parkside came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UW - Parkside is a small school located in Kenosha, Wisconsin that handed out 9 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend UW - Parkside is $9,018 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read more about Geography at University of Wisconsin - Parkside
Indiana University - Southeast did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #18. Indiana University - Southeast is a small public school situated in New Albany, Indiana. It awarded 14 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $8,675 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Indiana University - Southeast.
Eastern Illinois University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. EIU is a public institution located in Charleston, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $11,316 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend EIU.
Illinois State University landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 31 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.
Illinois State also made our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State is $14,999 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%.
Ball State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #21. Ball State is a public institution located in Muncie, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Ball State also made our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #24. The estimated yearly cost for Ball State University is $10,487 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $30-$48k.
Northern Illinois University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Northern Illinois University is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at NIU, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for NIU is $15,861 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a ranking of #23, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Michigan State is a large school located in East Lansing, Michigan that handed out 9 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Michigan State, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State is $15,197 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #24, Central Michigan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Central Michigan is a fairly large public school situated in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. It awarded 5 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Central Michigan University is $12,127 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read full report on Geography at Central Michigan University
With a ranking of #25, Indiana State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Terre Haute, Indiana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Indiana State University is $11,182 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $30-$48k.
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Couleur.
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