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2023 Best Value Colleges for Educational Administration (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

94 Ranked Colleges
6,938 Degrees Awarded
$8,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Education Admin Schools 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. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2020-2021, 46,469 people earned their degree in educational administration, making the major the 27th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, educational administration graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $61,457 and had an average of $32,661 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 6,938 educational administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,893 and $31,702 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 94 colleges that offered a degree in educational administration. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality educational administration programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the educational administration program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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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 Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Educational Administration (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

1
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northwestern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 31 ’s education admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Educational Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $245 for Great Lakes Region Education Admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwestern University.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Educational Administration at Northwestern

2

Out of the 94 schools in the Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school awarded 31 degrees to qualified ’s education admin students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region education admin students whose families make $0-$30k list, U-M has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Educational Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $2,670 for great lakes region education admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Educational Administration Report

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. UW - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 95 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - Madison also took the #4 spot in our “Best Educational Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $3,981 for great lakes region education admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - Madison.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Educational Administration Report

4
IU Bloomington crest
Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University - Bloomington. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. IU Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 52 ’s education admin degrees to qualified students.

IU Bloomington did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Educational Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Bloomington is $5,752 for great lakes region education admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, 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.

Full Indiana University - Bloomington Educational Administration Report

5

Out of the 94 schools in the Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #5 spot on the list. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 ’s education admin degrees to qualified students.

UIUC also made our “Best Educational Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $4,858 for great lakes region education admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Educational Administration at UIUC

6
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. East Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education admin degrees to 125 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region education admin students whose families make $0-$30k list, Michigan State has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Educational Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Michigan State is $6,927 for Great Lakes Region Education Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. 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 more about Educational Administration at Michigan State University

7
Ball State crest
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. This large school is located in Muncie, Indiana, and it awarded 129 ’s education admin degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ball State, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Educational Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ball State University is $8,273 for great lakes region education admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Educational Administration at Ball State University

8
Oakland crest
Oakland University
Rochester Hills, Michigan

Oakland University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. Oakland is a fairly large school located in Rochester Hills, Michigan that handed out 110 ’s education admin degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Oakland is $8,949 for great lakes region education admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 Educational Administration at Oakland

9

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UW - La Crosse is a public institution located in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 47 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - La Crosse also took the #25 spot in our “Best Educational Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is $7,517 for Great Lakes Region Education Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Educational Administration at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

10

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. IUPUI is located in Indianapolis, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 20 ’s education admin degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is $7,026 for great lakes region education admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Educational Administration at IUPUI

11

Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a large school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 56 ’s education admin degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Ohio State is $7,068 for Great Lakes Region Education Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Educational Administration at Ohio State

12
Concordia University, Chicago crest
Concordia University, Chicago
River Forest, Illinois

With a ranking of #12, Concordia University, Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Concordia University, Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in River Forest, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 520 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Concordia University, Chicago also made our “Best Educational Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Concordia University, Chicago is $15,644 for great lakes region education admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 Educational Administration at Concordia University, Chicago

13

University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Illinois at Chicago is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 49 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region education admin students whose families make $0-$30k list, UIC has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Educational Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Chicago is $10,549 for great lakes region education admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Read full report on Educational Administration at University of Illinois at Chicago

14
Ferris crest
Ferris State University
Big Rapids, Michigan

Ferris State University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Big Rapids, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education admin degrees to 33 students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $6,577 for Great Lakes Region Education Admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Ferris State University.

Full Ferris Educational Administration Report

15

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, and it awarded 61 ’s education admin degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $8,047 for Great Lakes Region Education Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Educational Administration at SIUE

16
Central Michigan crest
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Central Michigan University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Central Michigan is a fairly large public school situated in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. It awarded 84 ’s education admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Central Michigan also made our “Best Educational Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #20. The yearly cost to attend Central Michigan University is $10,805 for Great Lakes Region Education Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Read full report on Educational Administration at Central Michigan

17
WMU crest
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Western Michigan University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and it awarded 66 ’s education admin degrees in 2020-2021.

WMU also made our “Best Educational Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $13,112 for great lakes region education admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend WMU.

Full WMU Educational Administration Report

18
GVSU crest
Grand Valley State University
Allendale, Michigan

Grand Valley State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. Grand Valley State University is a public institution located in Allendale, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 89 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $10,259 for Great Lakes Region Education Admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Grand Valley State University.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Educational Administration at GVSU

19

University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. UIS is a public institution located in Springfield, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 26 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $10,831 for great lakes region education admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Illinois at Springfield.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 more about Educational Administration at University of Illinois at Springfield

20
WLC crest
Wisconsin Lutheran College
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #20, Wisconsin Lutheran College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Milwaukee, Wisconsin is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education admin degrees to 30 students in 2020-2021.

WLC also took the #11 spot in our “Best Educational Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wisconsin Lutheran College is $13,073 for Great Lakes Region Education Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Educational Administration at WLC

21
NLU crest
National Louis University
Chicago, Illinois

National Louis University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. National Louis University is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 199 ’s education admin degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region education admin students whose families make $0-$30k list, NLU has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Educational Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend National Louis University is $14,190 for Great Lakes Region Education Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full National Louis University Educational Administration Report

22
IU East crest
Indiana University - East
Richmond, Indiana

Indiana University - East came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Richmond, Indiana, this small public school awarded 11 diplomas to qualified ’s education admin students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $5,516 for Great Lakes Region Education Admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend IU East.

Read full report on Educational Administration at Indiana University - East

23
Viterbo crest
Viterbo University
La Crosse, Wisconsin

Viterbo University landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and it awarded 187 ’s education admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Viterbo also took the #19 spot in our “Best Educational Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,699 for Great Lakes Region Education Admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Viterbo University.

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%.

Read more about Educational Administration at Viterbo University

24
Oakland City crest
Oakland City University
Oakland City, Indiana

Oakland City University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. Oakland City is located in Oakland City, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 36 ’s education admin degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $8,081 for Great Lakes Region Education Admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Oakland City.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Educational Administration at Oakland City

25
Illinois State crest
Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. Illinois State is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 35 ’s education admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Illinois State also took the #14 spot in our “Best Educational Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State University is $13,783 for great lakes region education admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 more about Educational Administration at Illinois State

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