Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Architecture in the Great Lakes Region

11 Ranked Colleges
644 Degrees Awarded
$19,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region

When it comes to choosing a college, 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 Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 4,967 people earned their degree in architecture, making the major the 124th most popular in the United States.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 845 architecture graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 644 architecture graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in architecture. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality architecture programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the architecture program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Architecture Schools

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 “Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique 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.

Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree architecture students.

Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Architecture in the Great Lakes Region

#10 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 36 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s architecture students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $16,945 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree architecture students per year to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Read more about Architecture at SIUC

#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 95 bachelors’s architecture degrees to qualified students.

UWM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UWM is $17,876 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree architecture students.

Read full report on Architecture at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

#9 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Kent State University at Kent landed the #3 spot on the list. Kent State University at Kent is a large school located in Kent, Ohio that handed out 89 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Kent State, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Kent State University at Kent is $18,885 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree architecture students.

Read full report on Architecture at Kent State University at Kent

#4

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana
#8 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Ball State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Ball State University is a large public school situated in Muncie, Indiana. It awarded 51 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

Ball State also made our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend Ball State is $15,147 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree architecture students.

Read more about Architecture at Ball State

#7 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Cincinnati - Main Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. Cincinnati, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s architecture degrees to 82 students in 2019-2020.

UC also took the #7 spot in our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is $21,843 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree architecture students.

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

Full UC Architecture Report

#3 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UIC is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 69 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC also took the #3 spot in our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,312 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree architecture students per year to attend University of Illinois at Chicago.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Architecture Report

#7

Judson University

Elgin, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Judson University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Elgin, Illinois, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree architecture students list, Judson has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $18,737 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree architecture students per year to attend Judson.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Architecture at Judson

#5 in overall quality

Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ohio State is located in Columbus, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 87 bachelors’s architecture degrees to qualified students.

Ohio State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State is $17,616 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree architecture students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, 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 94%.

Read more about Architecture at Ohio State

#2 in overall quality

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in the 2022 Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #9. U-M is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 70 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $15,336 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree architecture students per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Architecture at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2022 Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Institute of Technology is $22,831 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree architecture students.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Illinois Tech Architecture Report

#11

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana
#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, University of Notre Dame did quite well on the 2022 Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Notre Dame, Indiana. It awarded 36 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree architecture students list, Notre Dame has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Notre Dame is $33,025 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree architecture students.

The low student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Architecture at University of Notre Dame

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

Notes and References

References

  • 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%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Danichou.

Featured Architecture / Urban Planning Schools

Find Schools Near You