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2023 Best Value Colleges for Business Economics in the Great Lakes Region

28 Ranked Colleges
642 Degrees Awarded
$21,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 5,667 people earned their degree in business economics, making the major the 130th most popular in the United States.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 642 business economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking looked at 28 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in business economics. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent business economics programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the business economics program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 “Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most 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 Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Business Economics in the Great Lakes Region

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Grand Valley State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region. Allendale, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s business economics degrees to 45 students in 2020-2021.

GVSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $17,356 for Great Lakes Region Business Economics students per year to attend GVSU.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 more about Business Economics at Grand Valley State University

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region. SIUE is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 16 ’s business economics degrees in 2020-2021.

SIUE also made our “Best Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #25. It costs about $14,462 for great lakes region business economics students per year to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Business Economics Report

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ohio University - Athens Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. OHIO Athens is a large school located in Athens, Ohio that handed out 19 ’s business economics degrees in 2020-2021.

OHIO Athens also made our “Best Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $23,831 for great lakes region business economics students per year to attend Ohio University - Athens Campus.

Read full report on Business Economics at Ohio University - Athens Campus

4

Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Illinois University landed the #4 spot on the list. Western Illinois University is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Western Illinois University is $15,305 for great lakes region business economics students.

Full Western Illinois University Business Economics Report

5
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Oakland University
Rochester Hills, Michigan

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Oakland University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region. Oakland is a fairly large public school situated in Rochester Hills, Michigan. It awarded 6 ’s business economics degrees in 2020-2021.

Oakland also took the #12 spot in our “Best Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Oakland is $13,449 for Great Lakes Region Business Economics students.

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 full report on Business Economics at Oakland

6

With a ranking of #6, Cleveland State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Cleveland State University is a fairly large school located in Cleveland, Ohio that handed out 12 ’s business economics degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cleveland State University, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cleveland State University is $16,943 for Great Lakes Region Business Economics students.

Read full report on Business Economics at Cleveland State University

7

Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a large school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 78 ’s business economics degrees in 2020-2021.

Ohio State also took the #2 spot in our “Best Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State University - Main Campus is $16,845 for great lakes region business economics students.

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 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 Business Economics at Ohio State University - Main Campus

8
Eastern Michigan crest
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, Michigan

With a ranking of #8, Eastern Michigan University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Ypsilanti, Michigan, this fairly large public school handed out 5 degrees to qualified ’s business economics students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Eastern Michigan University is $15,127 for great lakes region business economics students.

Read more about Business Economics at Eastern Michigan University

9

Wright State University - Main Campus landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Wright State University - Main Campus is located in Dayton, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 18 ’s business economics degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Wright State University - Main Campus is $15,962 for great lakes region business economics students.

Full Wright State University - Main Campus Business Economics Report

10
Xavier crest
Xavier University
Cincinnati, Ohio

With a ranking of #10, Xavier University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Xavier University is a medium-sized school located in Cincinnati, Ohio that handed out 15 ’s business economics degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region business economics students list, Xavier has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $34,592 for great lakes region business economics students per year to attend Xavier.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Business Economics at Xavier

11
Saginaw Valley State University crest
Saginaw Valley State University
University Center, Michigan

Saginaw Valley State University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in University Center, Michigan, and it awarded 6 ’s business economics degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Saginaw Valley State University, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Saginaw Valley State University is $14,279 for Great Lakes Region Business Economics students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Saginaw Valley State University Business Economics Report

12
Wheaton College Illinois crest
Wheaton College Illinois
Wheaton, Illinois

With a ranking of #12, Wheaton College Illinois did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wheaton, Illinois. It awarded 65 ’s business economics degrees in 2020-2021.

Wheaton College Illinois not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $25,692 for great lakes region business economics students per year to attend Wheaton College Illinois.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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.

Read full report on Business Economics at Wheaton College Illinois

13
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Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Bradley University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Peoria, Illinois. It awarded 10 ’s business economics degrees in 2020-2021.

Bradley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Bradley University is $25,196 for Great Lakes Region Business Economics students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 Bradley Business Economics Report

14
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Cedarville University
Cedarville, Ohio

Cedarville University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Cedarville University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cedarville, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Cedarville also took the #19 spot in our “Best Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cedarville is $22,817 for Great Lakes Region Business Economics students.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 more about Business Economics at Cedarville University

15
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Northwood University
Midland, Michigan

Northwood University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Northwood University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Midland, Michigan. It awarded 5 ’s business economics degrees in 2020-2021.

Northwood also took the #21 spot in our “Best Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwood is $21,257 for great lakes region business economics students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%. With a undergrad 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 about Business Economics at Northwood University

16
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Benedictine University
Lisle, Illinois

With a ranking of #16, Benedictine University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Benedictine University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lisle, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Benedictine U also made our “Best Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #24. It costs about $25,698 for Great Lakes Region Business Economics students per year to attend Benedictine U.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Business Economics at Benedictine U

17

With a ranking of #17, Miami University - Oxford did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Miami University - Oxford is located in Oxford, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 44 ’s business economics degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region business economics students list, Miami University - Oxford has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $24,756 for Great Lakes Region Business Economics students per year to attend Miami University - Oxford.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Business Economics at Miami University - Oxford

18
Aquinas College Michigan crest
Aquinas College Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan

Aquinas College Michigan did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #18. Aquinas College Michigan is a small school located in Grand Rapids, Michigan that handed out 5 ’s business economics degrees in 2020-2021.

Aquinas College Michigan also made our “Best Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #16. The yearly cost to attend Aquinas College Michigan is $18,400 for Great Lakes Region Business Economics students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Business Economics at Aquinas College Michigan

19
Hope crest
Hope College
Holland, Michigan

With a ranking of #19, Hope College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Hope College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Holland, Michigan. It awarded 5 ’s business economics degrees in 2020-2021.

Hope did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $26,944 for great lakes region business economics students per year to attend Hope.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 full report on Business Economics at Hope

20
Lewis crest
Lewis University
Romeoville, Illinois

Lewis University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Lewis University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Romeoville, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region business economics students list, Lewis has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lewis is $19,074 for great lakes region business economics students.

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 full report on Business Economics at Lewis

21
Carroll U crest
Carroll University
Waukesha, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #21, Carroll University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Carroll University is located in Waukesha, Wisconsin and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 ’s business economics degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region business economics students list, Carroll U has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Carroll University is $22,987 for great lakes region business economics students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Business Economics at Carroll University

22
Capital crest
Capital University
Columbus, Ohio

Capital University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Capital is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 6 ’s business economics degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Capital, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $20,020 for Great Lakes Region Business Economics students per year to attend Capital.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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 Business Economics at Capital

23
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s business economics degrees to 35 students in 2020-2021.

DePaul did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend DePaul University is $31,174 for great lakes region business economics students.

The low undergrad 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 Business Economics at DePaul University

24

University of Dayton did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Dayton, Ohio, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 48 degrees to qualified ’s business economics students in 2020-2021.

UDayton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Dayton is $29,928 for Great Lakes Region Business Economics students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national 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.

Read full report on Business Economics at University of Dayton

25
Marquette crest
Marquette University
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Marquette University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Marquette is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 30 ’s business economics degrees to qualified students.

Marquette also made our “Best Business Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for Marquette is $30,380 for Great Lakes Region Business Economics 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.

Read full report on Business Economics at Marquette

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