by our College Data Analytics TeamWhen pursuing a degree in today's world, there are many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best Great Lakes Region Schools For The Money For Those Making $0-$30k for a Master's ranking - to help you make that decision. This list may shock you as many typically expensive schools are very generous with need-based financial aid.
See What's Included in This Value Report:
After analyzing 166 schools in the Great Lakes Region , we came up with our list of those that offered the best value Master's Degree programs. Instead of depending on subjective information to rank the best value schools, we focus on objective factors in our analysis. More specifically, the following explains what we consider and why.
To calculate the value of a school in our Best Master's Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, we first consider its average net price of students from families making $0-$30k a year. The net price is the sum of room and board, tuition, and fees minus any financial aid that that the student receives. But, a school that excels in providing value for your money must also be a great school overall as well.
To take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
To learn more, visit our best value ranking methodology page.
Keep scrolling for the top schools in this ranking or select one of the other rankings methods below.
If you know what major you want to study, check out our list of the best value schools by major. If you're interested in other degree levels, you can view one of the lists below.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2024 rankings named University of Chicago the best value (income $0-$30k) school in the Great Lakes Region for students working on their master’s degree. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
University of Chicago has the honor of being ranked #1 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region list. U-M is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor has the honor of being ranked #1 in Michigan for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Out of the 166 master’s degree schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Michigan State University landed the #3 spot on the list. Michigan State is located in East Lansing, Michigan and has a large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Michigan State University a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in Michigan for overall quality.
Out of the 166 master’s degree schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, the school is a large private not-for-profit institution.
Not only is Northwestern University a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in Illinois for overall quality.
A rank of #5 on our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region list means Purdue University - Main Campus is a great place for students working on their degree. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, the school is a large public institution.
Not only is Purdue University - Main Campus a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in Indiana for overall quality.
With a ranking of #6, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region list. This large public school is located in Madison, Wisconsin.
Not only is University of Wisconsin - Madison a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Wisconsin for overall quality.
ranked #7 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region list.
With a ranking of #8, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is ranked #3 for quality in the state of Illinois.
Learn More About Value at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #9 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region list. IU Bloomington is a public institution located in Bloomington, Indiana.
Not only is Indiana University - Bloomington a great value, but it is also ranked #3 in Indiana for overall quality.
University of Notre Dame came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Notre Dame, Indiana, the school is a fairly large private not-for-profit institution.
Not only is University of Notre Dame a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Indiana for overall quality.
With a ranking of #11, Michigan Technological University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region list. Michigan Tech is located in Houghton, Michigan and has a medium-sized student population. It is a public school.
Michigan Technological University has the honor of being ranked #3 in Michigan for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #12 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region list. This large public school is located in Columbus, Ohio.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Ohio State University - Main Campus is ranked #2 for quality in the state of Ohio.
Learn More About Value at Ohio State University - Main Campus
Ball State University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Muncie, Indiana, the school is a large public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Ball State University is ranked #5 for quality in the state of Indiana.
Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis ranked #14 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region list. This large public school is located in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Not only is Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis a great value, but it is also ranked #7 in Indiana for overall quality.
Read full value report on Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis
University of Wisconsin - La Crosse ranked #15 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - La Crosse is located in La Crosse, Wisconsin and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is ranked #4 for quality in the state of Wisconsin.
Read full value report on University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
Indiana University - Kokomo landed the #16 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Indiana University - Kokomo is a small public school located in Kokomo, Indiana.
Not only is Indiana University - Kokomo a great value, but it is also ranked #31 in Indiana for overall quality.
With a ranking of #17, Indiana University - Southeast did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in New Albany, Indiana, the school is a small public institution.
Indiana University - Southeast has the honor of being ranked #23 in Indiana for overall quality on top of being a good value.
University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #18 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large public school located in Chicago, Illinois.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Illinois at Chicago is ranked #12 for quality in the state of Illinois.
Indiana University - Northwest did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #19. IU Northwest is a small public school situated in Gary, Indiana.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Indiana University - Northwest is ranked #26 for quality in the state of Indiana.
With a ranking of #20, University of Michigan - Dearborn did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region list. This medium-sized public school is located in Dearborn, Michigan.
Not only is University of Michigan - Dearborn a great value, but it is also ranked #8 in Michigan for overall quality.
University of Wisconsin - Platteville ranked #21 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region list. Platteville, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is University of Wisconsin - Platteville a great value, but it is also ranked #9 in Wisconsin for overall quality.
Learn More About Value at University of Wisconsin - Platteville
Purdue University Northwest came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Purdue Northwest is a public institution located in Hammond, Indiana.
Not only is Purdue University Northwest a great value, but it is also ranked #24 in Indiana for overall quality.
University of Southern Indiana did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #23. USI is a medium-sized public school situated in Evansville, Indiana.
Not only is University of Southern Indiana a great value, but it is also ranked #11 in Indiana for overall quality.
Oakland University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Oakland is a public institution located in Rochester Hills, Michigan.
Not only is Oakland University a great value, but it is also ranked #15 in Michigan for overall quality.
University of Wisconsin - Whitewater landed the #25 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UW - Whitewater is located in Whitewater, Wisconsin and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.
University of Wisconsin - Whitewater has the honor of being ranked #11 in Wisconsin for overall quality on top of being a good value.
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These schools also performed well in our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking:
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | Indiana University - South Bend | South Bend, IN | Value Report |
| 27 | Purdue University Fort Wayne | Fort Wayne, IN | Value Report |
| 28 | Indiana University - East | Richmond, IN | Value Report |
| 29 | Grand Valley State University | Allendale, MI | Value Report |
| 30 | Ferris State University | Big Rapids, MI | Value Report |
| 31 | University of Wisconsin - River Falls | River Falls, WI | Value Report |
| 32 | University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire | Eau Claire, WI | Value Report |
| 33 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Edwardsville, IL | Value Report |
| 34 | Aurora University | Aurora, IL | Value Report |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.