2024 Best Schools for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region
392
Colleges
$6,699
Avg Net Price (With Aid)*
75%
Discount Rate*
When pursuing a degree in today's world, there are many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region ranking as one thing you can use to help make this decision. 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:
Your Choice of School Matters
After analyzing 392 schools in the Great Lakes Region , we came up with our list of those that offered the best value 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.
Our Methodology
The first step of determing the value of a school in our Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region ranking is to look at the school's average net price - 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 include a college'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.
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.
Want to see the list of best value schools for families with specific income levels or whether or not aid is being applied? Click on one of the tiles above. If you'd rather work on your degree in a specific area of the country, you might be interested in our
rankings by place. Also, you may want to check out our other
college rankings.
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.
Best Value Schools (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Eastern Gateway Community College tops this year’s ranking as the best value (with aid) school in the Great Lakes Region for overall quality. Steubenville, Ohio 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, Eastern Gateway Community College is ranked #15 for quality in the state of Ohio. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $2,270.
Read full value report on Eastern Gateway Community College
A rank of #2 on our Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region list means Michigan State University is a great place for students working on their degree. This large public school is located in East Lansing, Michigan.
Michigan State University has the honor of being ranked #2 in Michigan for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $8,738 a year.
Learn More About Value at Michigan State University
A rank of #3 on our Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region list means is a great place for students working on their degree.
Learn More About Value at
The quality degree programs at College of Lake County helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region. College of Lake County is a fairly large public school situated in Grayslake, Illinois.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, College of Lake County is ranked #12 for quality in the state of Illinois. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $5,486.
Full College of Lake County Value Report
A rank of #5 on our Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region list means University of Wisconsin - Madison is a great place for students working on their degree. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, the school is a large public institution.
Not only is University of Wisconsin - Madison a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Wisconsin for overall quality. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $13,484.
Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Value Report
Moraine Valley Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. MVCC is located in Palos Hills, Illinois and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Moraine Valley Community College is ranked #48 for quality in the state of Illinois. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $1,831 a year.
Read full value report on Moraine Valley Community College
Macomb Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #7. Warren, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Macomb Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #8 in Michigan for overall quality. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $5,447 a year.
Learn More About Value at Macomb Community College
Elgin Community College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region list. Elgin Community College is a medium-sized public school located in Elgin, Illinois.
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. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $4,140.
Learn More About Value at Elgin Community College
Washtenaw Community College landed the #9 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the school is a fairly large public institution.
Washtenaw Community College has the honor of being ranked #26 in Michigan for overall quality on top of being a good value. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $2,857.
Full Washtenaw Community College Value Report
Fox College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #10. Fox College is a small private for-profit school situated in Tinley Park, Illinois.
For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $10,890.
Full Fox College Value Report
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school located in Champaign, Illinois.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has the honor of being ranked #3 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $14,272.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Value Report
Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #12. IU Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana.
Indiana University - Bloomington has the honor of being ranked #3 in Indiana for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $13,386 a year.
Learn More About Value at Indiana University - Bloomington
City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #13. 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 - Harold Washington College a great value, but it is also ranked #39 in Illinois for overall quality. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $4,068 a year.
Learn More About Value at City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College
Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #14 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Purdue is a public institution 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. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $14,619 a year.
Learn More About Value at Purdue University - Main Campus
City Colleges of Chicago - Olive-Harvey College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Olive-Harvey College is a small public school situated in Chicago, Illinois.
The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $5,670 a year.
Read full value report on City Colleges of Chicago - Olive-Harvey College
College of DuPage did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, the school is a large public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, College of DuPage is ranked #31 for quality in the state of Illinois. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $5,440 a year.
Learn More About Value at College of DuPage
With a ranking of #17, City Colleges of Chicago - Wilbur Wright College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region list. Wilbur Wright College is located in Chicago, 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, City Colleges of Chicago - Wilbur Wright College is ranked #52 for quality in the state of Illinois. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $3,439 a year.
Learn More About Value at City Colleges of Chicago - Wilbur Wright College
Ivy Tech Community College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ivy Tech Community College is a large public school located in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Not only is Ivy Tech Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #11 in Indiana for overall quality. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $6,806.
Learn More About Value at Ivy Tech Community College
Henry Ford College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Dearborn, Michigan.
Henry Ford College has the honor of being ranked #39 in Michigan for overall quality on top of being a good value. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $2,696.
Learn More About Value at Henry Ford College
Gateway Technical College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region list. Kenosha, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Gateway Technical College is ranked #13 for quality in the state of Wisconsin. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $7,378 a year.
Learn More About Value at Gateway Technical College
Sinclair Community College landed the #21 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Dayton, Ohio.
Not only is Sinclair Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #29 in Ohio for overall quality. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $5,476.
Read full value report on Sinclair Community College
Lincoln Land Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #22. Located in Springfield, Illinois, the school is a small public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Lincoln Land Community College is ranked #45 for quality in the state of Illinois. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $4,604 a year.
Learn More About Value at Lincoln Land Community College
Oakland Community College landed the #23 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Oakland Community College is a fairly large public school situated in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
Not only is Oakland Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #29 in Michigan for overall quality. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $4,444 a year.
Learn More About Value at Oakland Community College
South Suburban College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #24. Located in South Holland, Illinois, the school is a small public institution.
South Suburban College has the honor of being ranked #44 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $5,021.
Full South Suburban College Value Report
With a ranking of #25, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region list. Cincinnati State is a medium-sized public school situated in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Cincinnati State Technical and Community College has the honor of being ranked #13 in Ohio for overall quality on top of being a good value. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $8,321.
Read full value report on Cincinnati State Technical and Community College