by our College Data Analytics TeamWhen pursuing a degree in today's world, there are many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our Best Master's Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard. The amount of financial aid you could receive at various schools, including some with high sticker prices, may surprise you.
See What's Included in This Value Report:
We analyzed 163 schools across the Great Lakes Region to determine which have 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. 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 Master's Degree 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. 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 consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Find out more about our best value ranking methodology.
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 $48-$75k) school in the Great Lakes Region for students working on their master’s degree. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Chicago is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Illinois.
A rank of #2 on our Best Master’s Degree 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. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Evanston, Illinois.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Northwestern University is ranked #2 for quality in the state of Illinois.
Out of the 163 master’s degree schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. This large public school is located in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Not only is Purdue University - Main Campus a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in Indiana for overall quality.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #4 on our 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large public school 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.
The quality degree programs at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region. This large public school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Not only is University of Michigan - Ann Arbor a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Michigan for overall quality.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #6. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois.
Not only is University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign a great value, but it is also ranked #3 in Illinois for overall quality.
Read full value report on University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Notre Dame ranked #7 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region list. Notre Dame, Indiana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Not only is University of Notre Dame a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Indiana for overall quality.
Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #8 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large public school is located in Bloomington, Indiana.
Not only is Indiana University - Bloomington a great value, but it is also ranked #3 in Indiana for overall quality.
Michigan Technological University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Houghton, Michigan, the school is a medium-sized public institution.
Not only is Michigan Technological University a great value, but it is also ranked #3 in Michigan for overall quality.
Michigan State University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #10. Michigan State is located in East Lansing, Michigan and has a large student population. It is a public school.
Michigan State University has the honor of being ranked #2 in Michigan for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis ranked #11 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region list. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is a large public school 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.
Full Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Value Report
Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #12 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large public school is located in Columbus, Ohio.
Ohio State University - Main Campus has the honor of being ranked #2 in Ohio for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Read full value report on Ohio State University - Main Campus
With a ranking of #13, Indiana University - Kokomo did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region list. Indiana University - Kokomo is a small public school located in Kokomo, Indiana.
Indiana University - Kokomo has the honor of being ranked #31 in Indiana for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Ball State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ball State is located in Muncie, Indiana and has a large student population. It is a public school.
Ball State University has the honor of being ranked #5 in Indiana for overall quality on top of being a good value.
University of Michigan - Dearborn ranked #15 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region list. UM Dearborn is a medium-sized public school situated in Dearborn, Michigan.
University of Michigan - Dearborn has the honor of being ranked #8 in Michigan for overall quality on top of being a good value.
University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #16 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is University of Illinois at Chicago a great value, but it is also ranked #12 in Illinois for overall quality.
University of Wisconsin - La Crosse did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #17. This fairly large public school is located in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Not only is University of Wisconsin - La Crosse a great value, but it is also ranked #4 in Wisconsin for overall quality.
Oakland University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region list. Oakland is a public institution located in Rochester Hills, Michigan.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Oakland University is ranked #15 for quality in the state of Michigan.
University of Wisconsin - Platteville landed the #19 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UW - Platteville is a medium-sized public school situated in Platteville, Wisconsin.
University of Wisconsin - Platteville has the honor of being ranked #9 in Wisconsin for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Learn More About Value at University of Wisconsin - Platteville
Indiana University - Northwest came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. IU Northwest is a public institution located 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.
Central Michigan University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #21. Central Michigan is a public institution located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.
Central Michigan University has the honor of being ranked #7 in Michigan for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Oakland City University landed the #22 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Oakland City, Indiana.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Oakland City University is ranked #30 for quality in the state of Indiana.
Indiana University - Southeast did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #23. Indiana University - Southeast is located in New Albany, Indiana and has a small student population. It is a public school.
Indiana University - Southeast has the honor of being ranked #23 in Indiana for overall quality on top of being a good value.
With a ranking of #24, Viterbo University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region list. Viterbo is a small private not-for-profit school situated in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Not only is Viterbo University a great value, but it is also ranked #10 in Wisconsin for overall quality.
Indiana University - East did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #25. IU East is a public institution located in Richmond, Indiana.
Not only is Indiana University - East a great value, but it is also ranked #28 in Indiana for overall quality.
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These schools also performed well in our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking:
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | Concordia University, Chicago | River Forest, IL | Value Report |
| 27 | National Louis University | Chicago, IL | Value Report |
| 28 | University of Illinois at Springfield | Springfield, IL | Value Report |
| 29 | Aurora University | Aurora, IL | Value Report |
| 30 | Grand Valley State University | Allendale, MI | Value Report |
| 31 | Indiana University - South Bend | South Bend, IN | Value Report |
| 32 | University of Wisconsin - Whitewater | Whitewater, WI | Value Report |
| 33 | Western Illinois University | Macomb, IL | Value Report |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.