With 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 424 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.
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!
Our 2023 rankings named Northwestern University the best school in the Great Lakes Region in terms of overall quality for students working on their bachelor’s degree.Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 9,290 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $80,033 during the early years of their career..
A rank of #2 on our Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list means University of Chicago is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. University of Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 6,805 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from UChicago go into careers with an average salary of $76,730 during the early years of their career.
Out of the 424 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Notre Dame landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Notre Dame, Indiana, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 4,431 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The 4-year grad rate at the school is 91%. That’s impressive when you compare it to the national rate of 33%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Notre Dame make an average of $88,962 a year.
A rank of #4 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. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the large public school awarded 15,915 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Bachelor’s degree students at the school tend to finish their degree on-time. The 4-year graduation rate is 79%, which is impressive compared to the national rate of 33%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from U-M is $75,842 during the early years of their career.
A rank of #5 on our Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list means The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Chicago is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. The Chicago School Chicago Campus is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 393 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% During the early years of their career, graduates from The Chicago School Chicago Campus make an average of $52,835 a year.
University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking.Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 17,417 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UW - Madison make an average of $65,213 per year during the early years of their career.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large public school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 15,117 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 2.3% 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% Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from UIUC go into careers with an average salary of $71,539 during the early years of their career.
Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, the large public school handed out 12,568 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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% Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Purdue go into careers with an average salary of $65,257 during the early years of their career.
Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology is a small private not-for-profit school located in Terre Haute, Indiana that handed out 502 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, 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 $94,131 during the early years of their career..
Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #10.Bloomington, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 11,649 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from IU Bloomington go into careers with an average salary of $58,814 during the early years of their career.
Moody Bible Institute ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list. Moody Bible Institute is a small private not-for-profit school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 716 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%
Case Western Reserve University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking.Cleveland, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 3,885 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Case Western make an average of $78,330 a year.
Chamberlain University - Illinois landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Addison, Illinois, the large private for-profit school handed out 12,793 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% During the early years of their career, graduates from Chamberlain - Illinois make an average of $77,512 a year.
Michigan State University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list.East Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 13,487 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State make an average of $61,101 per year during the early years of their career.
Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #15. This large public school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 16,838 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Ohio State go into careers with an average salary of $55,332 during the early years of their career.
Illinois College of Optometry landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 126 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Medical College of Wisconsin ranked #17 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and it awarded 399 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Marquette University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list. Marquette is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3,619 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 Marquette make an average of $72,489 per year during the early years of their career.
Denison University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Granville, Ohio, and it awarded 604 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. During the early years of their career, graduates from Denison make an average of $57,435 a year.
Oberlin College landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Oberlin College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Oberlin, Ohio that handed out 778 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin go into careers with an average salary of $47,921 during the early years of their career.
Miami University - Oxford did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #21. Miami University - Oxford is a public institution located in Oxford, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 5,964 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 4.0% 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 Miami University - Oxford make an average of $54,650 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #22, Michigan Technological University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list. Michigan Tech is a medium-sized public school situated in Houghton, Michigan. It awarded 1,820 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Michigan Tech is $73,541 during the early years of their career.
DePauw University landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Greencastle, Indiana, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 583 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from DePauw make an average of $62,462 per year during the early years of their career.
Butler University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list. Butler University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 1,561 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 $66,540 during the early years of their career..
Loyola University Chicago came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking.Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 5,599 students in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $63,232 during the early years of their career..
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
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