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2024 Best General Business/Commerce Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

55 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
4,860 Bachelor's Degrees
$41,956 Avg Early-Career Salary
General Business/Commerce is of the hottest bachelor's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #21 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 55 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for general business/commerce students pursuing a bachelor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 4,860 bachelor's degrees in general business/commerce to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great General Business/Commerce School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best General Business/Commerce Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region The general business bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for general business/commerce students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More General Business Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best General Business/Commerce Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study General Business/Commerce in the Great Lakes Region

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for general business/commerce students seeking a a bachelor's degree.

10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools for a Bachelor's in General Business

1
2,053 Annual Graduates
$63,371 Median Starting Salary
$19,500 Median Student Debt

Indiana University - Bloomington is a wonderful choice for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in general business/commerce. Located in the city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the general business/commerce degree program at Indiana University - Bloomington earn $21,415 more than the typical graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in general business/commerce from Indiana University - Bloomington

2

University of Notre Dame is a wonderful decision for students interested in a bachelor's degree in general business/commerce. Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.

Bachelor's recipients from the general business/commerce program at University of Notre Dame make $22,211 above the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in general business/commerce from University of Notre Dame

3
475 Annual Graduates
$46,042 Median Starting Salary
$22,003 Median Student Debt

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in general business/commerce. IUPUI is a fairly large public university located in the city of Indianapolis.

Bachelor's recipients from the general business/commerce degree program at Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis make $4,086 more than the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in general business/commerce from Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

4
202 Annual Graduates
$43,798 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

It's hard to beat Ball State University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in general business/commerce. Ball State is a large public university located in the city of Muncie.

Soon after graduating, general business bachelor's recipients generally earn around $43,798 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in general business/commerce from Ball State University

5
43 Annual Graduates

Illinois Wesleyan is a small private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Bloomington.More information about a bachelor’s in general business/commerce from Illinois Wesleyan University

6
85 Annual Graduates
$46,778 Median Starting Salary
$25,675 Median Student Debt

Located in the distant town of Whitewater, UW - Whitewater is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the general business/commerce major at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater get $4,822 more than the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in general business/commerce from University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

7
K College crest
Kalamazoo College
Kalamazoo, MI
58 Annual Graduates
$43,367 Median Starting Salary
$26,000 Median Student Debt

K College is a small private not-for-profit college located in the small city of Kalamazoo.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the general business program earn about $43,367 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in general business/commerce from Kalamazoo College

8
160 Annual Graduates
$41,756 Median Starting Salary
$22,764 Median Student Debt

PFW is a medium-sized public university located in the large city of Fort Wayne.

After graduating, general business bachelor's recipients usually earn around $41,756 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in general business/commerce from Purdue University Fort Wayne

9
41 Annual Graduates
$39,849 Median Starting Salary
$26,697 Median Student Debt

Located in the midsize suburb of De Pere, SNC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the general business program report average early career wages of $39,849.

More information about a bachelor’s in general business/commerce from Saint Norbert College

10
Lake Forest crest
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, IL
64 Annual Graduates
$39,515 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Lake Forest is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Lake Forest.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the general business program earn around $39,515 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in general business/commerce from Lake Forest College

Best General Business/Commerce Colleges by State

Explore the best general business/commerce schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 261 366
Ohio 252 288
Illinois 241 453
Indiana 235 3,539
Wisconsin 213 214

View All Rankings >

General Business/Commerce is one of 21 different types of Business, Management & Marketing programs to choose from.

General Business Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Business/Commerce 4,860

Majors Similar to General Business

Related Major Annual Graduates
Business Administration & Management 18,114
Finance & Financial Management 8,740
Marketing 8,627
Accounting 7,979
Human Resource Management 2,347
Management Sciences & Quantitative Methods 2,185
Management Information Systems 1,545
Hospitality Management 1,086
International Business 1,048
Entrepreneurial Studies 688

Notes and References

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