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2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

167 Ranked Colleges
8,250 Degrees Awarded
$9,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 75,655 accounting students received their degree, making the major the 7th most popular in the country.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 11,764 accounting graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 8,250 accounting graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 167 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in accounting. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great accounting programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the accounting program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. 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 Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Accounting (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 374 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $5,477 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Accounting at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UW - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 126 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison also took the #3 spot in our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $4,367 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Accounting Report

#3

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Notre Dame. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Notre Dame, Indiana. It awarded 100 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Notre Dame, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Notre Dame is $12,498 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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.

Full University of Notre Dame Accounting Report

#4

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Purdue University - Main Campus is a public institution located in West Lafayette, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 127 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students whose families make $0-$30k list, Purdue has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Purdue University - Main Campus is $5,483 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Accounting at Purdue University - Main Campus

#5

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Michigan State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Michigan State is a large school located in East Lansing, Michigan that handed out 231 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan State also took the #6 spot in our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $6,686 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Michigan State University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Michigan State University Accounting Report

#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Ohio State is located in Columbus, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 451 bachelors’s accounting degrees to qualified students.

Ohio State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State University - Main Campus is $8,194 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.

Read more about Accounting at Ohio State

#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. La Crosse, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s accounting degrees to 96 students in 2019-2020.

UW - La Crosse also made our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for UW - La Crosse is $7,939 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UW - La Crosse Accounting Report

Top 25% in overall quality

Michigan Technological University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Houghton, Michigan is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s accounting degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Michigan Technological University is $8,295 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Accounting at Michigan Tech

#22 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UW - Whitewater is a fairly large public school situated in Whitewater, Wisconsin. It awarded 133 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Whitewater, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $11,868 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater.

Read more about Accounting at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

#10

Franklin University

Columbus, Ohio
Top 25% in overall quality

Franklin University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Franklin University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 148 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,328 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Franklin University.

Read more about Accounting at Franklin University

#11

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
#20 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and it awarded 82 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Eau Claire also took the #20 spot in our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is $11,528 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full UW - Eau Claire Accounting Report

University of Wisconsin - Parkside came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Wisconsin - Parkside is a small school located in Kenosha, Wisconsin that handed out 42 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,652 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - Parkside.

Full UW - Parkside Accounting Report

#13

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin
Top 25% in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - River Falls ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. River Falls, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s accounting degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - River Falls is $8,366 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Accounting at University of Wisconsin - River Falls

#14

Purdue University Northwest

Hammond, Indiana

Purdue University Northwest landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Purdue Northwest is located in Hammond, Indiana and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 71 bachelors’s accounting degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $6,911 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Purdue University Northwest.

Full Purdue University Northwest Accounting Report

#15

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is a medium-sized school located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin that handed out 46 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,446 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point.

Read more about Accounting at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

#16

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Ball State is a public institution located in Muncie, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 86 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Ball State is $8,403 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Ball State Accounting Report

#24 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UIC is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 172 bachelors’s accounting degrees to qualified students.

UIC also made our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #24. It costs about $10,648 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UIC.

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%.

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Accounting Report

#18

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

Green Bay, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UW - Green Bay is a public institution located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is $11,337 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Accounting at UW - Green Bay

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 83 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for SIUE is $8,055 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Accounting Report

#20

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan

Oakland University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. Oakland University is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 98 bachelors’s accounting degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Oakland is $7,490 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Accounting at Oakland University

#21

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
Top 20% in overall quality

Northern Illinois University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Northern Illinois University is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 171 bachelors’s accounting degrees to qualified students.

NIU excels when it comes to accounting quality. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $15,281 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend NIU.

Read full report on Accounting at NIU

#22

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, Michigan
Top 20% in overall quality

Grand Valley State University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Allendale, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s accounting degrees to 142 students in 2019-2020.

On top of its placing in this ranking, GVSU also did well on our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Grand Valley State University is $11,578 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.

Read full report on Accounting at GVSU

#23

University of Southern Indiana

Evansville, Indiana

University of Southern Indiana came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. USI is a fairly large public school situated in Evansville, Indiana. It awarded 65 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,244 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend USI.

The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.

Read full report on Accounting at USI

#24

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Platteville, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #24, University of Wisconsin - Platteville did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UW - Platteville is located in Platteville, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s accounting degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $12,117 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - Platteville.

Read full report on Accounting at UW - Platteville

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is a fairly large public school situated in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It awarded 32 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is $11,687 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Accounting at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

Rest of the Best 26 in Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

Not only did these schools make the top 26 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

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 Pixabay.

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