13
Ranked Colleges
566
Degrees Awarded
$28,100
Avg Cost*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Community Organization” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Community Organization & Advocacy is the 169th most popular major in the country with 3,096 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, community organization and advocacy graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $38,265 and had an average of $26,263 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 566 community organization and advocacy graduates with average earnings and debt of $49,872 and $27,886 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Community Organization” ranking analyzed 13 colleges that offered a degree in community organization and advocacy. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great community organization and advocacy programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the community organization and advocacy program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Community Organization” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region vets studying community organization.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Community Organization. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 45 ’s community organization degrees to qualified students.
U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 47,907 students enrolled at U-M, 570 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 325 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $27,058. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
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Out of the 13 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Community Organization that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified ’s community organization students in 2020-2021.
UIUC also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 52,679 students enrolled at UIUC, 10 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UIUC does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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Out of the 13 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Community Organization that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis landed the #3 spot on the list. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is a large public school situated in Indianapolis, Indiana. It awarded 73 ’s community organization degrees in 2020-2021.
IUPUI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis supports 29,390 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,439. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full IUPUI Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Central Michigan University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Community Organization. Central Michigan is a fairly large public school situated in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. It awarded 155 ’s community organization degrees in 2020-2021.
Central Michigan did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 17,311 students enrolled at Central Michigan University, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $425. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Central Michigan University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Aurora University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Community Organization. Aurora is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Aurora, Illinois. It awarded 1 ’s community organization degrees in 2020-2021.
Aurora not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 6,265 students enrolled at Aurora University, 3 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,999. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Aurora University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Aurora]](/colleges/aurora-university/student-life/veterans/)
Western Illinois University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Community Organization ranking. Western Illinois University is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
WIU also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 330 of the 7,490 students enrolled at Western Illinois University were GI Bill® students, of which 62 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,652. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Western Illinois University]](/colleges/western-illinois-university/student-life/veterans/)
Northwestern University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Community Organization ranking. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s community organization degrees to 109 students in 2020-2021.
Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 22,603 students enrolled at Northwestern University, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $399. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 97%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Northwestern University]](/colleges/northwestern-university/student-life/veterans/)
Cleveland State University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Community Organization list. Cleveland State University is a public institution located in Cleveland, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 17 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Cleveland State University also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 15,247 students enrolled at Cleveland State University, 411 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 169 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,076. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Full Cleveland State University Veteran Student Life Report
Youngstown State University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Community Organization list. Located in Youngstown, Ohio, this fairly large public school handed out 1 degrees to qualified ’s community organization students in 2020-2021.
Youngstown State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 327 of the 11,835 students enrolled at Youngstown State University were GI Bill® students, of which 130 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,697. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Read More…
University of Michigan - Dearborn landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Community Organization ranking. Dearborn, Michigan is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s community organization degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UM Dearborn, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 8,783 students enrolled at University of Michigan - Dearborn, 159 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 111 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,134. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Michigan - Dearborn does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Michigan - Dearborn]](/colleges/university-of-michigan-dearborn/student-life/veterans/)
Madonna University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Community Organization ranking, coming in at #11. Madonna is located in Livonia, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 19 ’s community organization degrees to qualified students.
Madonna also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 66 of the 2,792 students enrolled at Madonna University were GI Bill® students, of which 31 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $13,452. During this same period, 8 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Madonna University]](/colleges/madonna-university/student-life/veterans/)
Siena Heights University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Community Organization ranking. Adrian, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s community organization degrees to 36 students in 2020-2021.
Siena Heights University also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, Siena Heights University supports 2,036 students, and 74 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 38 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,992. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Full Siena Heights University Veteran Student Life Report
Aquinas College Michigan ranked #13 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Community Organization list. Aquinas College Michigan is a small school located in Grand Rapids, Michigan that handed out 5 ’s community organization degrees in 2020-2021.
Aquinas College Michigan also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Aquinas College Michigan supports 1,517 students, and 13 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 7 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,944. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%.
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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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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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