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2021 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region for Students from Nigeria

69 Colleges
$42,725 Avg Tuition & Fees*
61% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

It's not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for international students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best Colleges for Nigerian Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking - to help you make that decision.

Our analysis looked at 69 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for Nigerian students in the Great Lakes Region. Our ranking is based on several objective factors, including the school's overall quality and the total number of international students at the school. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another.

Learn more about our ranking methodology.

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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 Nigeria

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1

Our analysis found Illinois Institute of Technology to be the best school for Nigerian students in the Great Lakes Region in this year’s ranking. Illinois Tech is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 620 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

International students make up 33.9% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Illinois Tech are China, India, and Spain.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Full Illinois Institute of Technology Report

2

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for Nigerian students in the Great Lakes Region. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 9,305 students in 2020-2021.

Around 19.2% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UIUC to study.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read More…

3

A rank of #3 on our list means Northwestern University is a great place for Nigerian students in the Great Lakes Region working on their bachelor’s degree. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2,722 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 16.3% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Northwestern to study.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Northwestern University

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #4 in this year’s ranking. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large public school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 9,144 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 13.9% of the total student body at the school. 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.

Read full report on University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Bloomington. It ranked #5 on our 2021 Best Colleges for Nigerian students in the Great Lakes Region list. IU Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 7,959 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 10.2% are international. 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

6

With a ranking of #6, University of Notre Dame did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Nigerian Students in the Great Lakes Region. Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit institution located in Notre Dame, Indiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,848 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 10.6% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Notre Dame to study.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on University of Notre Dame

7

University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Nigerian Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, the large public school awarded 9,926 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 13.2% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at UW - Madison come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read More…

8

Michigan State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Nigerian Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Michigan State is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9,450 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Of the total number of students at the school, 9.1% are international. Students from as far away as China, South Korea, and India come to Michigan State to study.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Full Michigan State University Report

9

Case Western Reserve University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Nigerian Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #9. Case Western is located in Cleveland, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,541 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Around 18.1% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Case Western to study.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read More…

10

University of Chicago ranked #10 on this year’s Best Colleges for Nigerian Students in the Great Lakes Region list. UChicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2,163 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Around 26.6% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at UChicago are China, India, and South Korea.

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.

Read More…

11

DePaul University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges for Nigerian Students in the Great Lakes Region list. DePaul University is a large private not-for-profit school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 3,335 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 5.1% are international. Students studying at DePaul come from such countries as China, India, and Saudi Arabia.

Full DePaul University Report

12

Michigan Technological University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Nigerian Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Michigan Tech is a medium-sized public school situated in Houghton, Michigan. 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 More…

13

Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Nigerian Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #13. This large public school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 12,018 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 9.1% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Ohio State to study.

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

Read More…

14

University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Nigerian Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #14. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large public school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 5,247 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 10.4% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as India, China, and Iran come to UIC to study.

Read More…

15
Calvin crest
Calvin University
Grand Rapids, MI

Calvin University landed the #15 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Nigerian Students in the Great Lakes Region. Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 942 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 12.4% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Calvin are 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…

16
Valpo crest
Valparaiso University
Valparaiso, IN

Valparaiso University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Nigerian Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Valparaiso, Indiana, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 795 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 4.2% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Valpo come from such countries as India, China, and Saudi Arabia.

Read full report on Valparaiso University

17

University of Cincinnati - Main Campus ranked #17 on this year’s Best Colleges for Nigerian Students in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, the large public school handed out 6,500 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 7.3% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as India, China, and South Korea come to UC to study.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read More…

18

University of Dayton did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Nigerian Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Dayton, Ohio, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2,123 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 8.5% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at UDayton come from such countries as China, Saudi Arabia, 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.

Full University of Dayton Report

19

Principia College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Colleges for Nigerian Students in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Elsah, Illinois, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 102 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 20.9% are international. Students from as far away as Kenya, Canada, and Brazil come to Principia to study.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Principia College

20

University of Evansville came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Nigerian Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Evansville, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 427 students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 6.5% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as Saudi Arabia, China, and Oman come to UE to study.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on University of Evansville

21
Knox crest
Knox College
Galesburg, IL

Knox College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Nigerian Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Galesburg, Illinois, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 318 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 15.8% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, Pakistan, and India come to Knox to study.

Read More…

22

Loyola University Chicago landed the #22 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Nigerian Students in the Great Lakes Region. Loyola Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3,353 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Of the total number of students at the school, 3.8% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Loyola Chicago are China, India, and Saudi Arabia.

Read full report on Loyola University Chicago

23

Illinois State University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Colleges for Nigerian Students in the Great Lakes Region list. Illinois State is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 4,745 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 2.6% are international. Students studying at Illinois State come from such countries as India, Panama, and China.

Full Illinois State University Report

24

Illinois Wesleyan University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Nigerian Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Bloomington, Illinois, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 393 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 2.8% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Illinois Wesleyan come from such countries as China, Vietnam, and South Korea.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read More…

25

With a ranking of #25, Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Nigerian Students in the Great Lakes Region. OHIO Athens is a public institution located in Athens, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6,797 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 3.7% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and Saudi Arabia come to OHIO Athens to study.

Read More…

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 25 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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