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2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k

11 Ranked Colleges
946 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking.

Public Policy is the 113th most popular major in the country with 6,430 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, public policy graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $49,451 and had an average of $21,866 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 946 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $49,270 and $20,394 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 11 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public policy. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent public policy programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the public policy program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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The public policy 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 “Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. 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.

Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region public policy students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region

1
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 411 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.

UChicago also took the #1 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $8,375 for Great Lakes Region Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UChicago.

With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full University of Chicago Public Policy Report

2
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 45 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region public policy students whose families make $48-$75k list, Northwestern has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $5,849 for great lakes region public policy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Northwestern University.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Read more about Public Policy at Northwestern University

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school handed out 225 degrees to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.

U-M also made our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $10,481 for great lakes region public policy students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, 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 96%.

Read full report on Public Policy at U-M

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k. University of Wisconsin - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 96 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

UW - Madison also made our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $10,364 for great lakes region public policy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UW - Madison.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Public Policy Report

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Ohio State is a large school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 22 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ohio State, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,273 for Great Lakes Region Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 Public Policy at Ohio State

6

With a ranking of #6, Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Indianapolis, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.

IUPUI also took the #8 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is $13,306 for Great Lakes Region Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Policy at IUPUI

7

University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 27 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

UIC also took the #6 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIC is $14,105 for Great Lakes Region Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 full report on Public Policy at University of Illinois at Chicago

8
Olivet Nazarene crest
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Olivet Nazarene is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

Olivet Nazarene not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Olivet Nazarene is $17,206 for Great Lakes Region Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Policy at Olivet Nazarene University

9
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. East Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 30 students in 2020-2021.

Michigan State also made our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $20,557 for great lakes region public policy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Michigan State.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 Public Policy at Michigan State University

10
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. DePaul is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 26 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

DePaul also made our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul University is $28,577 for great lakes region public policy students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Policy at DePaul

11
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Loyola Chicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Loyola Chicago is $32,229 for great lakes region public policy students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.

Read full report on Public Policy at Loyola Chicago

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