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2023 Best Value Colleges for Finance & Financial Management in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

123 Ranked Colleges
9,758 Degrees Awarded
$14,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Finance & Financial Management is the 14th most popular major in the country with 57,778 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, finance and financial management graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $53,475 and had an average of $24,463 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 9,758 finance and financial management graduates with average earnings and debt of $52,044 and $24,671 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 123 colleges that offered a degree in finance and financial management. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great finance and financial management programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the finance and financial management 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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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Finance & Financial Management in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. University of Wisconsin - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 463 ’s finance degrees to qualified students.

UW - Madison not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Finance & Financial Management Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $17,234 for great lakes region finance students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%.

Read full report on Finance & Financial Management at UW - Madison

2
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Purdue University - Main Campus. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, this large public school awarded 276 diplomas to qualified ’s finance students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region finance students with aid list, Purdue has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Finance & Financial Management Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $13,377 for Great Lakes Region Finance students with aid.

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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Finance & Financial Management at Purdue

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 287 ’s finance degrees in 2020-2021.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Finance & Financial Management Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $14,321 for Great Lakes Region Finance students with aid per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Finance & Financial Management Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Madison Area Technical College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school handed out 13 diplomas to qualified ’s finance students in 2020-2021.

Madison College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Finance & Financial Management Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $10,053 for Great Lakes Region Finance students with aid per year to attend Madison College.

Full Madison Area Technical College Finance & Financial Management Report

5
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Michigan State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in East Lansing, Michigan, this large public school handed out 343 diplomas to qualified ’s finance students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region finance students with aid list, Michigan State has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Finance & Financial Management Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Michigan State is $19,058 for Great Lakes Region Finance students with aid.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Finance & Financial Management at Michigan State

6
Western Technical College crest
Western Technical College
La Crosse, Wisconsin

Western Technical College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. This small school is located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and it awarded 9 ’s finance degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Western Technical College is $10,279 for great lakes region finance students with aid.

The undergraduate 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.

Full Western Technical College Finance & Financial Management Report

7

With a ranking of #7, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s finance degrees to 261 students in 2020-2021.

UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Finance & Financial Management Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UIC is $13,214 for Great Lakes Region Finance students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Finance & Financial Management at UIC

8

Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s finance degrees to 767 students in 2020-2021.

Ohio State also made our “Best Finance & Financial Management Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $16,845 for great lakes region finance students with aid per year to attend Ohio State.

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 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 Finance & Financial Management at Ohio State

9

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UW - La Crosse is a fairly large school located in La Crosse, Wisconsin that handed out 163 ’s finance degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - La Crosse also made our “Best Finance & Financial Management Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #24. It costs about $14,654 for Great Lakes Region Finance students with aid per year to attend UW - La Crosse.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Finance & Financial Management at UW - La Crosse

10

With a ranking of #10, Milwaukee Area Technical College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Milwaukee Area Technical College is a fairly large school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that handed out 6 ’s finance degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Milwaukee Area Technical College is $8,721 for Great Lakes Region Finance students with aid.

Read full report on Finance & Financial Management at Milwaukee Area Technical College

11

University of Michigan - Dearborn landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Dearborn, Michigan is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s finance degrees to 94 students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for UM Dearborn is $12,855 for great lakes region finance students with aid.

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 University of Michigan - Dearborn Finance & Financial Management Report

12

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Whitewater, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s finance degrees to 186 students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is $14,417 for Great Lakes Region Finance students with aid.

Read full report on Finance & Financial Management at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

13
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s finance degrees to 74 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region finance students with aid list, Northwestern has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Finance & Financial Management Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $23,279 for great lakes region finance students with aid per year to attend Northwestern.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Finance & Financial Management at Northwestern University

14
Oakland crest
Oakland University
Rochester Hills, Michigan

With a ranking of #14, Oakland University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and it awarded 107 ’s finance degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $13,449 for great lakes region finance students with aid per year to attend Oakland University.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Finance & Financial Management at Oakland

15

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and it awarded 112 ’s finance degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - Eau Claire also claimed a top spot on our “Best Finance & Financial Management Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Eau Claire is $16,051 for Great Lakes Region Finance students with aid.

Read full report on Finance & Financial Management at UW - Eau Claire

16
FVTC crest
Fox Valley Technical College
Appleton, Wisconsin

Fox Valley Technical College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. FVTC is a fairly large school located in Appleton, Wisconsin that handed out 5 ’s finance degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $12,207 for great lakes region finance students with aid per year to attend FVTC.

Read full report on Finance & Financial Management at FVTC

17

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. Located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school awarded 70 degrees to qualified ’s finance students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is $14,687 for Great Lakes Region Finance students with aid.

Read full report on Finance & Financial Management at UW Oshkosh

18
Central Michigan crest
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Central Michigan University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Central Michigan is a public institution located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 92 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $16,007 for Great Lakes Region Finance students with aid per year to attend Central Michigan University.

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 Finance & Financial Management at Central Michigan University

19

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Milwaukee, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s finance degrees to 203 students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend UWM is $17,486 for Great Lakes Region Finance students with aid.

Read full report on Finance & Financial Management at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

20
Ball State crest
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. Ball State University is a large school located in Muncie, Indiana that handed out 78 ’s finance degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $14,765 for Great Lakes Region Finance students with aid per year to attend Ball State University.

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 Finance & Financial Management at Ball State University

21

Grand Valley State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. GVSU is a public institution located in Allendale, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 280 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at GVSU, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Finance & Financial Management Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $17,356 for Great Lakes Region Finance students with aid 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%.

Full GVSU Finance & Financial Management Report

22

Youngstown State University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Youngstown State University is located in Youngstown, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 48 ’s finance degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Youngstown State University is $12,225 for great lakes region finance students with aid.

Read more about Finance & Financial Management at Youngstown State University

23

Purdue University Northwest did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. This medium-sized school is located in Hammond, Indiana, and it awarded 37 ’s finance degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Purdue Northwest is $11,384 for great lakes region finance students with aid.

Read full report on Finance & Financial Management at Purdue Northwest

24
WMU crest
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan

With a ranking of #24, Western Michigan University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Western Michigan University is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 166 ’s finance degrees to qualified students.

WMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Finance & Financial Management Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Western Michigan University is $20,371 for Great Lakes Region Finance students with aid.

Read full report on Finance & Financial Management at WMU

25
Wayne State crest
Wayne State University
Detroit, Michigan

Wayne State University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Finance Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Wayne State University is a large school located in Detroit, Michigan that handed out 144 ’s finance degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Wayne State is $13,962 for great lakes region finance students with aid.

Full Wayne State Finance & Financial Management Report

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