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2023 Most Focused Colleges for Engineering in the Great Lakes Region

200 Ranked Colleges
32,891 Degrees Awarded
$31,900 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Engineering is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 7th of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 198,468 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2019-2020, engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $68,653 and had an average of $23,855 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 32,891 engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $69,005 and $24,728 respectively.

This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 200 colleges that offered a degree in engineering. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in engineering.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region”.

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Engineering in the Great Lakes Region

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region. Located in Terre Haute, Indiana, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 372 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.

Full Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology Engineering Report

2
MSOE crest
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Milwaukee School of Engineering. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Milwaukee School of Engineering is a private not-for-profit institution located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school has a small population, and it awarded 432 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering at Milwaukee School of Engineering

3
Kettering crest
Kettering University
Flint, Michigan

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Kettering University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region. Kettering is a small school located in Flint, Michigan that handed out 392 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Kettering Engineering Report

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Michigan Technological University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region. Located in Houghton, Michigan, this medium-sized public school awarded 1,047 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Engineering at Michigan Technological University

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lawrence Technological University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region. Lawrence Technological University is a small school located in Southfield, Michigan that handed out 282 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering at Lawrence Tech

6

With a ranking of #6, Air Force Institute of Technology - Graduate School of Engineering & Management did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region list. AFIT Graduate School of Engineering & Management is a small public school situated in Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. It awarded 414 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Full AFIT Graduate School of Engineering & Management Engineering Report

7

With a ranking of #7, Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Illinois Tech is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 606 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read full report on Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology

8

With a ranking of #8, University of Wisconsin - Platteville did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Platteville, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school awarded 540 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Platteville

9

University of Michigan - Dearborn came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UM Dearborn is a public institution located in Dearborn, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 651 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UM Dearborn Engineering Report

10
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #10. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, this large public school awarded 3,177 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering at Purdue University - Main Campus

11
Trine crest
Trine University
Angola, Indiana

With a ranking of #11, Trine University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Angola, Indiana, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 127 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%.

Read full report on Engineering at Trine

12

With a ranking of #12, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 2,695 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad 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%.

Read full report on Engineering at UIUC

13

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school handed out 2,789 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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 U-M Engineering Report

14

Case Western Reserve University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Cleveland, Ohio, and it awarded 615 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Engineering at Case Western Reserve University

15
Marietta crest
Marietta College
Marietta, Ohio

Marietta College landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Marietta, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 35 students in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 Engineering at Marietta

16
UDayton crest
University of Dayton
Dayton, Ohio

University of Dayton did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. Dayton, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 591 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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 UDayton Engineering Report

17

Indiana Institute of Technology ranked #17 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and it awarded 82 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Engineering at Indiana Institute of Technology

18

With a ranking of #18, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Ohio State is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2,359 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Engineering at Ohio State

19

Ohio Northern University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #19. This small school is located in Ada, Ohio, and it awarded 80 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full ONU Engineering Report

20

With a ranking of #20, University of Akron Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Akron Main Campus is a fairly large school located in Akron, Ohio that handed out 575 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Engineering at University of Akron Main Campus

21
University of Toledo crest
University of Toledo
Toledo, Ohio

University of Toledo did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #21. University of Toledo is a fairly large school located in Toledo, Ohio that handed out 644 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Engineering at University of Toledo

22

Wright State University - Lake Campus landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Wright State University - Lake Campus is a small public school situated in Celina, Ohio. It awarded 29 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Engineering at Wright State University - Lake Campus

23

With a ranking of #23, Wright State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Dayton, Ohio, this fairly large public school handed out 394 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Engineering at Wright State University - Main Campus

24
Bradley crest
Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois

With a ranking of #24, Bradley University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Bradley University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Peoria, Illinois. It awarded 195 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read more about Engineering at Bradley University

25
Oakland crest
Oakland University
Rochester Hills, Michigan

Oakland University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Oakland University is a fairly large school located in Rochester Hills, Michigan that handed out 535 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.

Read more about Engineering at Oakland

Rest of the Best 31 in Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in the Great Lakes Region

Not only did these schools make the top 31 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
Notre Dame crest
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana
27
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Valparaiso University
Valparaiso, Indiana
28
29
30
31

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Notes and References

References

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