2021 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region for Students from Canada
106
Colleges
$43,062
Avg Tuition & Fees*
57%
Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*
When it comes to choosing a college, international students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Colleges for Canadian Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking is part of that endeavor.
Our analysis looked at 106 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for Canadian students in the Great Lakes Region. Instead of depending on subjective information, we focus on objective factors to determine this ranking. These factors include such things as the total number of international students at the school and the school's overall quality.
Find out more about our ranking methodology.
Customizing Your List
We know that one set of rankings doesn't always help you determine the best school for you, so we've created the ability to narrow your list by location as well as alternative rankings that prioritize different factors such as those of importance to online students or returning adults or those who value diversity and value for your money.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you're torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Top Colleges in the Great Lakes Region for Students from Canada
See which schools came out on top of our ranking:
Our analysis found Northwestern University to be the best school for Canadian students in the Great Lakes Region in this year’s ranking. Northwestern University is a large private not-for-profit school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 2,722 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 16.3% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Northwestern to study.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Northwestern University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian students in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 2,163 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 26.6% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UChicago to study.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full University of Chicago Report
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for Canadian students in the Great Lakes Region. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the large public school handed out 9,144 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 13.9% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at U-M are China, India, and South Korea.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Report
A rank of #4 on our list means Michigan State University is a great place for Canadian students in the Great Lakes Region working on their bachelor’s degree. Michigan State is a public institution located in East Lansing, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9,450 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 9.1% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Michigan State are China, South Korea, and India.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #5 on our 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian students in the Great Lakes Region list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9,305 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 19.2% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UIUC to study.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read full report on University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
With a ranking of #6, University of Detroit Mercy did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in the Great Lakes Region. Detroit, Michigan is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 719 students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 13.6% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Detroit Mercy are Canada, China, and India.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on University of Detroit Mercy
University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #7. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 9,926 students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 13.2% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at UW - Madison are China, India, and South Korea.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read More…
University of Notre Dame did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #8. Notre Dame, Indiana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,848 students in 2020-2021.
Around 10.6% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Notre Dame are China, India, and South Korea.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on University of Notre Dame
Case Western Reserve University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Canadian Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Cleveland, Ohio, and it awarded 1,541 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 18.1% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Case Western are China, India, and South Korea.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full Case Western Reserve University Report
Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Canadian Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Bloomington, Indiana, the large public school handed out 7,959 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 10.2% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to IU Bloomington to study.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Indiana University - Bloomington Report
Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #11 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in the Great Lakes Region. Located in Columbus, Ohio, the large public school handed out 12,018 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 9.1% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Ohio State are China, India, and South Korea.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full Ohio State University - Main Campus Report
Illinois Institute of Technology ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges for Canadian Students in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 620 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Around 33.9% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Illinois Tech are China, India, and Spain.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Illinois Institute of Technology
Wayne State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Canadian Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Wayne State is a public institution located in Detroit, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4,208 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 4.3% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Wayne State are India, Canada, and China.
Read More…
With a ranking of #14, Calvin University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in the Great Lakes Region. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and it awarded 942 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 12.4% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Calvin come from such countries as South Korea, Ghana, and Canada.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read More…
University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #15 on this year’s Best Colleges for Canadian Students in the Great Lakes Region list. This large public school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 5,247 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 10.4% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at UIC are India, China, and Iran.
Read full report on University of Illinois at Chicago
Michigan Technological University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. Michigan Tech is a public institution located in Houghton, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,202 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 9.0% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as India, China, and Iran come to Michigan Tech to study.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read full report on Michigan Technological University
DePaul University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Canadian Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking. DePaul is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3,335 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
International students make up 5.1% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at DePaul are China, India, and Saudi Arabia.
Read full report on DePaul University
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus landed the #18 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in the Great Lakes Region. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, the large public school handed out 6,500 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 7.3% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at UC come from such countries as India, China, and South Korea.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
School of the Art Institute of Chicago came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Canadian Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 588 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 30.8% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at School of the Art Institute of Chicago are China, South Korea, and India.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full School of the Art Institute of Chicago Report
Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #20. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 3,353 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 3.8% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Loyola Chicago come from such countries as China, India, and Saudi Arabia.
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Oberlin College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Canadian Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Oberlin, Ohio, and it awarded 771 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 12.1% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, South Korea, and Canada come to Oberlin to study.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read More…
Marquette University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Canadian Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Marquette University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that handed out 2,386 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 3.2% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Marquette are China, India, and Bangladesh.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.
Full Marquette University Report
Principia College did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #23. Principia is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elsah, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 102 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 20.9% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Principia come from such countries as Kenya, Canada, and Brazil.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read More…
Lawrence Technological University landed the #24 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in the Great Lakes Region. Southfield, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 371 students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 12.8% are international. Students studying at Lawrence Tech come from such countries as India, Saudi Arabia, and China.
Read More…
Andrews University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #25. Andrews is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Berrien Springs, Michigan. It awarded 347 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 23.4% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Andrews come from such countries as South Korea, Canada, and Brazil.
Read More…
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