by our College Data Analytics TeamWith all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our Top Great Lakes Region Colleges ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
Our analysis looked at 387 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best in terms of overall quality. To come up with this ranking, we look at more than 20 factors that are all objective measurements. These factors include freshman retention, graduation rate, student-to-faculty ratio, and post graduate earnings, among other things.
Find out more about our ranking methodology.
We've developed a number of other tools and rankings to help you make your college decision. Start by filtering this list by location or field of study and then explore our other rankings that feature schools great for different groups of students such as veterans or returnings adults.
We've created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you're torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another!
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
University of Chicago tops this year’s ranking as the best school in the Great Lakes Region for overall quality.
Bachelor’s degree students at the school tend to finish their degree on-time. The 4-year graduation rate is 91%, which is impressive compared to the national rate of 33%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from UChicago go into careers with an average salary of $91,885 during the early years of their career.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #2 on our 2025 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list.
The low student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern make an average of $89,363 per year during the early years of their career.
A rank of #3 on our Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list means University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $83,648 during the early years of their career..
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Notre Dame helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in the Great Lakes Region .
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. During the early years of their career, graduates from Notre Dame make an average of $99,980 a year.
A rank of #5 on our Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list means Indiana University - Bloomington is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from IU Bloomington go into careers with an average salary of $63,742 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #6, Fox College did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $41,539 during the early years of their career..
With a ranking of #7, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UW - Madison make an average of $73,792 per year during the early years of their career.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from UIUC go into careers with an average salary of $81,054 during the early years of their career.
Read full report on University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Michigan State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. During the early years of their career, graduates from Michigan State make an average of $67,253 a year.
Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #10 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Purdue is $72,424 during the early years of their career.
Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #11 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Ohio State is $60,409 during the early years of their career.
Loyola University Chicago came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Loyola Chicago make an average of $71,530 per year during the early years of their career.
University of Northwestern Ohio did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #13.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from University of Northwestern Ohio go into careers with an average salary of $50,968 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #14, Herzing University - Madison did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list.
During the early years of their career, graduates from Herzing University - Madison make an average of $36,909 a year.
Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #15.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology make an average of $101,253 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #16, Rasmussen University - Illinois did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list.
Bachelor’s degree students at the school tend to finish their degree on-time. The 4-year graduation rate is 100%, which is impressive compared to the national rate of 33%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Rasmussen University - Illinois make an average of $39,080 a year.
Marquette University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $78,257 during the early years of their career..
Case Western Reserve University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. During the early years of their career, graduates from Case Western make an average of $87,989 a year.
Union Institute & University landed the #19 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 6 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Union make an average of $64,080 per year during the early years of their career.
Concordia University, Chicago came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
During the early years of their career, graduates from Concordia University, Chicago make an average of $54,089 a year.
With a ranking of #21, Miami University - Oxford did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $55,076 during the early years of their career..
DePaul University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from DePaul is $68,751 during the early years of their career.
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #23.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $54,810 during the early years of their career..
School of the Art Institute of Chicago did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #24.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $40,151 during the early years of their career..
Gateway Technical College did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #25.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 8 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Gateway Technical College is $40,264 during the early years of their career.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 20% of this year’s ranking:
View Best Colleges Nationwide >
To learn more about the schools below, just click on their names:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Kenyon College | Gambier, OH |
| 52 | Chippewa Valley Technical College | Eau Claire, WI |
| 53 | Grand Valley State University | Allendale, MI |
| 54 | Central Michigan University | Mount Pleasant, MI |
| 55 | Aurora University | Aurora, IL |
| 56 | Denison University | Granville, OH |
| 57 | Vincennes University | Vincennes, IN |
| 58 | Butler University | Indianapolis, IN |
| 59 | University of Wisconsin - La Crosse | La Crosse, WI |
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These schools also performed well in our Best Colleges ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 60 | National Louis University | Chicago, IL |
| 61 | Fox Valley Technical College | Appleton, WI |
| 62 | University of Wisconsin - Whitewater | Whitewater, WI |
| 63 | Wheaton College Illinois | Wheaton, IL |
| 64 | Cleveland Institute of Art | Cleveland, OH |
| 65 | Saint Anthony College of Nursing | Rockford, IL |
| 66 | University of Detroit Mercy | Detroit, MI |
| 67 | Kettering University | Flint, MI |
| 68 | DePauw University | Greencastle, IN |
| 69 | Benedictine University | Lisle, IL |
| 70 | College for Creative Studies | Detroit, MI |
| 71 | Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute | Wooster, OH |
| 72 | Cleary University | Howell, MI |
| 73 | Mount Mary University | Milwaukee, WI |
| 74 | Northeast Wisconsin Technical College | Green Bay, WI |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 75 | Lakeview College of Nursing | Danville, IL |
| 76 | Wayne State University | Detroit, MI |
| 77 | Lincoln Land Community College | Springfield, IL |
| 78 | Oakland University | Rochester Hills, MI |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.