by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which school to attend when you have so many options available. 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 Getting Aid 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. 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 Master's Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, we first consider its average net price, which 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 include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection 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 analysis found Michigan State University to be the best value (with aid) school for master’s degrees in the Great Lakes Region in this year’s ranking. Located in East Lansing, Michigan, the school is a large public institution.
Michigan State University has the honor of being ranked #2 in Michigan for overall quality on top of being a good value.
A rank of #2 on our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region list means University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great place for students working on their degree. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois.
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.
Read full value report on University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
A rank of #3 on our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region list means is a great place for students working on their degree.
Out of the 166 master’s degree schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #4 spot on the list. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
University of Wisconsin - Madison has the honor of being ranked #1 in Wisconsin for overall quality on top of being a good value.
The quality degree programs at Purdue University - Main Campus helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region. 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.
Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #6 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region list. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large public school located 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.
Ball State University landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large public school is located in Muncie, Indiana.
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.
With a ranking of #8, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region list. This large public school is 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.
Learn More About Value at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
With a ranking of #9, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region list. UIC is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois.
University of Illinois at Chicago has the honor of being ranked #12 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis landed the #10 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Indianapolis, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
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
With a ranking of #11, Indiana University - Kokomo did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region list. IU Kokomo is a public institution located in Kokomo, Indiana.
Not only is Indiana University - Kokomo a great value, but it is also ranked #31 in Indiana for overall quality.
Indiana University - Southeast came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Indiana University - Southeast is located in New Albany, Indiana and has a small student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Indiana University - Southeast is ranked #23 for quality in the state of Indiana.
With a ranking of #13, Indiana University - Northwest did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region list. IU Northwest is a small public school situated in Gary, Indiana.
Indiana University - Northwest has the honor of being ranked #26 in Indiana for overall quality on top of being a good value.
University of Wisconsin - La Crosse ranked #14 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region list. La Crosse, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
University of Wisconsin - La Crosse has the honor of being ranked #4 in Wisconsin 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 (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region list. UM Dearborn is located in Dearborn, Michigan and has a medium-sized student population. It is a public school.
Not only is University of Michigan - Dearborn a great value, but it is also ranked #8 in Michigan for overall quality.
With a ranking of #16, Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region list. Fort Wayne, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Not only is Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses a great value, but it is also ranked #10 in Indiana for overall quality.
Read full value report on Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses
With a ranking of #17, Purdue University Northwest did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region list. Purdue University Northwest is a medium-sized public school located in Hammond, Indiana.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Purdue University Northwest is ranked #24 for quality in the state of Indiana.
With a ranking of #18, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region list. Whitewater, Wisconsin 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, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is ranked #11 for quality in the state of Wisconsin.
National Louis University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. National Louis University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Chicago, Illinois.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, National Louis University is ranked #13 for quality in the state of Illinois.
Indiana University - East ranked #20 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region list. IU East is a public institution located in Richmond, Indiana.
Indiana University - East has the honor of being ranked #28 in Indiana for overall quality on top of being a good value.
With a ranking of #21, Indiana University - South Bend did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region list. Indiana University - South Bend is a public institution located in South Bend, Indiana.
Not only is Indiana University - South Bend a great value, but it is also ranked #27 in Indiana for overall quality.
Michigan Technological University landed the #22 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This medium-sized public school is located in Houghton, Michigan.
Not only is Michigan Technological University a great value, but it is also ranked #3 in Michigan for overall quality.
With a ranking of #23, Chicago State University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region list. CSU is a small public school situated in Chicago, Illinois.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Chicago State University is ranked #37 for quality in the state of Illinois.
Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #24. WIU is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois.
Western Illinois University has the honor of being ranked #28 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value.
University of Southern Indiana did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #25. USI is a medium-sized public school situated in Evansville, Indiana.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Southern Indiana is ranked #11 for quality in the state of Indiana.
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These schools also performed well in our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Great Lakes Region ranking:
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | University of Wisconsin - Platteville | Platteville, WI | Value Report |
| 27 | Ohio State University - Main Campus | Columbus, OH | Value Report |
| 28 | University of Wisconsin - Green Bay | Green Bay, WI | Value Report |
| 29 | Governors State University | University Park, IL | Value Report |
| 30 | University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire | Eau Claire, WI | Value Report |
| 31 | University of Illinois at Springfield | Springfield, IL | Value Report |
| 32 | Northern Illinois University | Dekalb, IL | Value Report |
| 33 | Concordia University, Chicago | River Forest, IL | Value Report |
| 34 | Oakland University | Rochester Hills, MI | Value Report |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.