by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2021-2022, 4,439 people earned their degree in geography, making the major the 159th most popular in the United States.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 621 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 63 colleges that offer a degree in geography. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their geography program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
The geography 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 Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region”.
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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region geography students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Carthage College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Carthage is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It awarded 8 ’s geography degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 63 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Augustana College landed the #2 spot on the list. Augustana is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Rock Island, Illinois. It awarded 7 ’s geography degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana State University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region. Indiana State University is a medium-sized school located in Terre Haute, Indiana that handed out 17 ’s geography degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 63 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse landed the #4 spot on the list. UW - La Crosse is a fairly large school located in La Crosse, Wisconsin that handed out 22 ’s geography degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Eau Claire, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geography degrees to 33 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad 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 ranking of #6, Indiana University - Southeast did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in New Albany, Indiana, this small public school awarded 7 degrees to qualified ’s geography students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #7, Ohio Wesleyan University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Ohio Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Delaware, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 ’s 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%.
With a ranking of #8, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Edwardsville, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 30 degrees to qualified ’s geography students 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%.
Read more about Geography at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Calvin University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #9. Calvin is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 2 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
University of Wisconsin - River Falls came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UW - River Falls is a medium-sized public school situated in River Falls, Wisconsin. It awarded 2 ’s geography degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 - Whitewater came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is a public institution located in Whitewater, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 38 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 #12, Chicago State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. CSU is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 - Parkside did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #13. This small school is located in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and it awarded 12 ’s geography 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%.
Illinois State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #14. Illinois State University is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 14 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 #15, Aquinas College Michigan did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Aquinas College Michigan is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 3 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.
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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Valparaiso University ranked #16 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Valparaiso University is located in Valparaiso, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Western Michigan University ranked #17 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Kalamazoo, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geography degrees to 32 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #18, Miami University - Oxford did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Oxford, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geography degrees to 43 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, 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%.
Eastern Illinois University ranked #19 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Charleston, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geography degrees to 6 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee ranked #20 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. UWM is a large public school situated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It awarded 14 ’s geography 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%.
With a ranking of #21, Kent State University at Kent did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Kent State is a large school located in Kent, Ohio that handed out 18 ’s geography 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%.
Read full report on Geography at Kent State University at Kent
Ball State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #22. Ball State University is a public institution located in Muncie, Indiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 21 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Northern Illinois University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geography degrees to 18 students 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 Wisconsin - Oshkosh landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and it awarded 8 ’s geography 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%.
Read full report on Geography at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
Grand Valley State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Grand Valley State University is a public institution located in Allendale, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 our data sources and methodologies