by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which school to attend when you have so many options available. College Factual has developed its Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking as one thing you can use to help make this 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:
We analyzed 373 schools across the Great Lakes Region to determine which have the best value programs. To come up with this ranking of the best value schools, we look at factors that are all objective measurements. More specifically, the following explains what we consider and why.
To calculate the value of a school in our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, we first consider its average net price of students from families making $75-$110k 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 account for this we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of various 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 $75-$110k) school in the Great Lakes Region . University of Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Chicago, Illinois.
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 $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $13,648.
Out of the 373 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Gateway Community College landed the #2 spot on the list. Eastern Gateway Community College is a public institution located in Steubenville, Ohio.
Eastern Gateway Community College has the honor of being ranked #15 in Ohio for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $1,384.
The quality degree programs at Purdue University - Main Campus helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region. Purdue University - Main Campus is a large public school 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. Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $11,870.
The quality degree programs at Northwestern University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region. Located in Evanston, Illinois, the school is a large private not-for-profit institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Northwestern University is ranked #2 for quality in the state of Illinois. Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $19,870.
The quality degree programs at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region. U-M is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and has a large student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Michigan. Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $18,938.
Read full value report on University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
City Colleges of Chicago - Harry S Truman College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #6. This small public school is located in Chicago, Illinois.
Not only is City Colleges of Chicago - Harry S Truman College a great value, but it is also ranked #49 in Illinois for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $75-$110k per year is $5,078.
Full City Colleges of Chicago - Harry S Truman College Value Report
City Colleges of Chicago - Olive-Harvey College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region list. Olive-Harvey College is a small public school situated in Chicago, Illinois.
Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $7,692.
Full City Colleges of Chicago - Olive-Harvey College Value Report
Elgin Community College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. ECC is located in Elgin, Illinois and has a medium-sized student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Elgin Community College is ranked #29 for quality in the state of Illinois. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $75-$110k per year is $7,766.
Macomb Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #9. Macomb Community College is located in Warren, Michigan and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.
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 $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $9,345.
City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College is a medium-sized public school 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 $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $7,139.
Learn More About Value at City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College
Carl Sandburg College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Carl Sandburg College is located in Galesburg, Illinois and has a small student population. It is a public school.
Carl Sandburg College has the honor of being ranked #65 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,956.
Sinclair Community College landed the #12 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Dayton, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Sinclair Community College is ranked #29 for quality in the state of Ohio. Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $8,014.
With a ranking of #13, City Colleges of Chicago - Wilbur Wright College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is City Colleges of Chicago - Wilbur Wright College a great value, but it is also ranked #52 in Illinois for overall quality. Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,710.
Read full value report on City Colleges of Chicago - Wilbur Wright College
Triton College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Triton College is located in River Grove, Illinois and has a medium-sized student population. It is a public school.
Triton College has the honor of being ranked #47 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $7,274.
Lansing Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #15. Lansing Community College is a fairly large public school located in Lansing, Michigan.
Not only is Lansing Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #31 in Michigan for overall quality. Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $7,626.
With a ranking of #16, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region list. Michigan State is a public institution located in East Lansing, Michigan.
Not only is Michigan State University a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in Michigan for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $75-$110k per year is $17,089.
Lorain County Community College landed the #17 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. LCCC is a public institution located in Elyria, Ohio.
Lorain County Community College has the honor of being ranked #49 in Ohio for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,367.
University of Notre Dame did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #18. University of Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school 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 $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $22,568.
Washtenaw Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #19. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
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 $75-$110k per year is $8,878.
Joliet Junior College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Joliet, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Joliet Junior College a great value, but it is also ranked #53 in Illinois for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $75-$110k per year is $8,257.
With a ranking of #21, City Colleges of Chicago - Richard J Daley College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region list. Richard J Daley College is a small public school situated in Chicago, Illinois.
City Colleges of Chicago - Richard J Daley College has the honor of being ranked #69 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $75-$110k per year is $6,730.
Full City Colleges of Chicago - Richard J Daley College Value Report
City Colleges of Chicago - Malcolm X College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region list. This medium-sized public school is located in Chicago, Illinois.
Not only is City Colleges of Chicago - Malcolm X College a great value, but it is also ranked #59 in Illinois for overall quality. Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $7,711.
Read full value report on City Colleges of Chicago - Malcolm X College
Midwestern Career College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #23. This small private for-profit school is located in Chicago, Illinois.
The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $75-$110k per year is $14,514.
Oakton Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #24. Oakton Community College is located in Des Plaines, Illinois and has a medium-sized student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Oakton Community College is ranked #37 for quality in the state of Illinois. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $75-$110k per year is $10,297.
University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UW - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and has a large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is University of Wisconsin - Madison a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Wisconsin for overall quality. Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $21,706.
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 | Chippewa Valley Technical College | Eau Claire, WI | Value Report |
| 52 | Schoolcraft College | Livonia, MI | Value Report |
| 53 | University of Wisconsin - La Crosse | La Crosse, WI | Value Report |
| 54 | Lakeshore Technical College | Cleveland, WI | Value Report |
| 55 | Danville Area Community College | Danville, IL | Value Report |
| 56 | University of Illinois at Chicago | Chicago, IL | Value Report |
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These schools also performed well in our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region ranking:
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 57 | Mott Community College | Flint, MI | Value Report |
| 58 | Grand Rapids Community College | Grand Rapids, MI | Value Report |
| 59 | Waukesha County Technical College | Pewaukee, WI | Value Report |
| 60 | Ohio University - Southern Campus | Ironton, OH | Value Report |
| 61 | McHenry County College | Crystal Lake, IL | Value Report |
| 62 | Shawnee Community College | Ullin, IL | Value Report |
| 62 | Clark State Community College | Springfield, OH | Value Report |
| 64 | Fox Valley Technical College | Appleton, WI | Value Report |
| 65 | Southwest Wisconsin Technical College | Fennimore, WI | Value Report |
| 66 | Lake Land College | Mattoon, IL | Value Report |
| 67 | Rock Valley College | Rockford, IL | Value Report |
| 68 | Indiana University - Southeast | New Albany, IN | Value Report |
| 69 | Black Hawk College | Moline, IL | Value Report |
| 70 | Northwestern Michigan College | Traverse City, MI | Value Report |
| 71 | Richland Community College | Decatur, IL | Value Report |
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 72 | Kaskaskia College | Centralia, IL | Value Report |
| 73 | Indiana University - Kokomo | Kokomo, IN | Value Report |
| 74 | Muskegon Community College | Muskegon, MI | Value Report |
| 75 | Kankakee Community College | Kankakee, IL | Value Report |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.