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2025 Best International Relations Schools in the Great Lakes Region

18 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
1,086 International Relations Degrees Awarded
Ranked #63 in popularity, international relations is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 18 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best International Relations Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,086 degrees in international relations to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great International Relations School

Best International Relations Schools in the Great Lakes Region The international relations program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for International Relations rankings. For our Best Overall International Relations School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your International Relations Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in International Relations
Master's Degrees in International Relations

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 International Relations Schools in the Great Lakes Region list to help you make the college decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for International Relations in the Great Lakes Region

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the international relations degree levels they offer.

10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools in International Relations

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IL
163 International Relations Degrees Awarded

Every student who is interested in international relations has to check out University of Chicago. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were roughly 163 international relations students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in international relations from University of Chicago

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IL
34 International Relations Degrees Awarded

Northwestern University is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in international relations. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were about 34 international relations students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in international relations from Northwestern University

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More information about a degree in MBA in International Business from Southern New Hampshire University
3
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MI
87 International Relations Degrees Awarded

Every student who is interested in international relations needs to look into Michigan State University. Located in the small city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #54 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Michigan State is a great university overall.

There were about 87 international relations students who graduated with this degree at Michigan State in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in international relations from Michigan State University

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In OH
144 International Relations Degrees Awarded

Any student pursuing a degree in international relations has to check out Ohio State University - Main Campus. Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Columbus. A Best Colleges rank of #70 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 144 international relations students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in international relations from Ohio State University - Main Campus

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IN
103 International Relations Degrees Awarded

IU Bloomington is a very large public university located in the small city of Bloomington. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means IU Bloomington is a great university overall.

There were approximately 103 international relations students who graduated with this degree at IU Bloomington in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in international relations from Indiana University - Bloomington

6
Marquette crest
Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In WI

Located in the large city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #114 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Marquette is a great university overall.

There were roughly 26 international relations students who graduated with this degree at Marquette in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in international relations from Marquette University

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In OH
44 International Relations Degrees Awarded

Miami University - Oxford is a large public university located in the fringe town of Oxford. A Best Colleges rank of #134 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Miami University - Oxford is a great university overall.

There were approximately 44 international relations students who graduated with this degree at Miami University - Oxford in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in international relations from Miami University - Oxford

8
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In IL
35 International Relations Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #135 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.

There were roughly 35 international relations students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in international relations from DePaul University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In WI

Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #40 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were about 11 international relations students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in international relations from University of Wisconsin - Madison

10
Central Michigan crest
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, MI
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In MI

Central Michigan is a fairly large public university located in the town of Mount Pleasant. This university ranks 6th out of 56 schools for overall quality in the state of Michigan.

There were about 10 international relations students who graduated with this degree at Central Michigan in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in international relations from Central Michigan University

Best International Relations Colleges by State

Explore the best international relations colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Ohio 939 406
Michigan 915 211
Illinois 870 290
Indiana 737 184
Wisconsin 672 76

View All Rankings >

One of 2 majors within the International Relations & National Security area of study, International Relations has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Other International Relations & National Security Studies 45
International Security 28

View All International Relations Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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