by our College Data Analytics TeamThere are lots of options to choose from today when trying to decide which school to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard. This list is proof that you shouldn't avoid normally high-priced schools, since the actual price may be very affordable if you qualify for financial aid.
In This Year's Value Report:
After analyzing 383 schools in the Great Lakes Region , we came up with our list of those that offered the best value programs. Our ranking for the best value schools is based on objective factors. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another. In the next few paragraphs, we'll talk a little about what we use in our analysis and why.
The first step of determing the value of a school in our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking is to look at the school's average net price for students with families that make $48-$75k a year. The net price is the sum of tuition, fees, and room and board minus any financial aid awarded to the student. In addition, the overall quality of a school is important to ensure a good education, not just how much it costs.
To make it into this list a school must offer a quality education like the schools in our Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considers factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Find out more about our best value ranking methodology.
You can scroll down to see the top schools for this ranking, but you may also want to view some of the other ranking methods listed below.
Know what field you want to major in? Make sure you check out our best value schools by major. In addition, you can select one of the links below to see the best value colleges for other degree levels.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2024 rankings named University of Chicago the best value (income $48-$75k) school in the Great Lakes Region . Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Not only is University of Chicago a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Illinois for overall quality. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $7,432.
A rank of #2 on our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region list means Northwestern University is a great place for students working on their degree. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois.
Northwestern University has the honor of being ranked #2 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $9,389.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region list. Purdue is a public institution located in West Lafayette, Indiana.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Purdue University - Main Campus is ranked #2 for quality in the state of Indiana. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,645.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #4 on our 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Wisconsin - Madison is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Wisconsin. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $9,844.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #5 on our 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region list. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is University of Michigan - Ann Arbor a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Michigan for overall quality. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $12,432.
Learn More About Value at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Eastern Gateway Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Eastern Gateway Community College is a public institution located in Steubenville, Ohio.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Eastern Gateway Community College is ranked #15 for quality in the state of Ohio. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $2,204.
With a ranking of #7, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region list. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and has a large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign a great value, but it is also ranked #3 in Illinois for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $11,677.
Read full value report on University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Notre Dame landed the #8 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit institution located in Notre Dame, Indiana.
University of Notre Dame has the honor of being ranked #1 in Indiana for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $14,582.
Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #9. Bloomington, Indiana 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, Indiana University - Bloomington is ranked #3 for quality in the state of Indiana. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $11,484.
With a ranking of #10, Fox College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region list. Fox College is located in Tinley Park, Illinois and has a small student population. It is a private for-profit school.
The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $11,181.
College of Lake County did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #11. This fairly large public school is located in Grayslake, Illinois.
Not only is College of Lake County a great value, but it is also ranked #12 in Illinois for overall quality. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $7,694.
Michigan State University did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #12. Michigan State University is a large public school located in East Lansing, Michigan.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Michigan State University is ranked #2 for quality in the state of Michigan. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $12,578.
Macomb Community College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Macomb Community College is a fairly large public school situated in Warren, Michigan.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Macomb Community College is ranked #8 for quality in the state of Michigan. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $7,178.
Michigan Technological University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region list. Houghton, Michigan is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Michigan Technological University a great value, but it is also ranked #3 in Michigan for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $11,285.
Elgin Community College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region list. ECC is a public institution located in Elgin, Illinois.
Elgin Community College has the honor of being ranked #29 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $5,893.
Washtenaw Community College landed the #16 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Washtenaw Community College is a fairly large public school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Not only is Washtenaw Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #26 in Michigan for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $4,981.
City Colleges of Chicago - Olive-Harvey College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Olive-Harvey College is a small public school situated in Chicago, Illinois.
Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,965.
Full City Colleges of Chicago - Olive-Harvey College Value Report
City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College landed the #18 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Harold Washington College is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois.
City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College has the honor of being ranked #39 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,080.
Learn More About Value at City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College
Joliet Junior College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Joliet Junior College is a fairly large public school located in Joliet, Illinois.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Joliet Junior College is ranked #53 for quality in the state of Illinois. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,840.
Sinclair Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #20. Dayton, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Sinclair Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #29 in Ohio for overall quality. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,483.
City Colleges of Chicago - Wilbur Wright College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the school is a medium-sized public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, City Colleges of Chicago - Wilbur Wright College is ranked #52 for quality in the state of Illinois. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $5,027.
Read full value report on City Colleges of Chicago - Wilbur Wright College
Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #22 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region list. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Ohio State University - Main Campus has the honor of being ranked #2 in Ohio for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $14,619.
Learn More About Value at Ohio State University - Main Campus
College of DuPage landed the #23 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Glen Ellyn, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
College of DuPage has the honor of being ranked #31 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $7,631.
City Colleges of Chicago - Harry S Truman College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #24. Harry S Truman College is located in Chicago, Illinois and has a small student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, City Colleges of Chicago - Harry S Truman College is ranked #49 for quality in the state of Illinois. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $5,898.
Learn More About Value at City Colleges of Chicago - Harry S Truman College
Oakland Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #25. Oakland Community College is a fairly large public school situated in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
Oakland Community College has the honor of being ranked #29 in Michigan for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,021.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
View Best Value
To learn more about the schools below, just click on their names:
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | Lewis and Clark Community College | Godfrey, IL | Value Report |
| 52 | Lincoln Land Community College | Springfield, IL | Value Report |
| 53 | University of Michigan - Dearborn | Dearborn, MI | Value Report |
| 54 | University of Wisconsin - La Crosse | La Crosse, WI | Value Report |
| 55 | Gateway Technical College | Kenosha, WI | Value Report |
| 56 | Kent State University at Stark | North Canton, OH | Value Report |
| 57 | Northcentral Technical College | Wausau, WI | Value Report |
| 58 | City Colleges of Chicago - Kennedy-King College | Chicago, IL | Value Report |
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These schools also performed well in our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking:
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 59 | Danville Area Community College | Danville, IL | Value Report |
| 60 | North Central State College | Mansfield, OH | Value Report |
| 61 | Fox Valley Technical College | Appleton, WI | Value Report |
| 62 | Chippewa Valley Technical College | Eau Claire, WI | Value Report |
| 63 | Trinity Christian College | Palos Heights, IL | Value Report |
| 64 | Ball State University | Muncie, IN | Value Report |
| 65 | Grand Rapids Community College | Grand Rapids, MI | Value Report |
| 66 | Richland Community College | Decatur, IL | Value Report |
| 67 | Lakeshore Technical College | Cleveland, WI | Value Report |
| 68 | John Wood Community College | Quincy, IL | Value Report |
| 69 | McHenry County College | Crystal Lake, IL | Value Report |
| 70 | Mott Community College | Flint, MI | Value Report |
| 71 | Northeast Wisconsin Technical College | Green Bay, WI | Value Report |
| 72 | Schoolcraft College | Livonia, MI | Value Report |
| 73 | Oakland City University | Oakland City, IN | Value Report |
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 74 | Southwest Wisconsin Technical College | Fennimore, WI | Value Report |
| 75 | Clark State Community College | Springfield, OH | Value Report |
| 76 | Indiana University - East | Richmond, IN | Value Report |
| 77 | Indiana University - Northwest | Gary, IN | Value Report |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.