2026 Best Urban Education & Leadership Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Urban Education & Leadership is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. A focused field like this rewards careful comparison of the schools that offer it.
College Factual analyzed 8 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best urban education & leadership schools.
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Best Schools for Urban Education & Leadership in the Great Lakes Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest overall urban education & leadership education in the Great Lakes Region.
Top Schools in Urban Education & Leadership
Our analysis ranked University Of Illinois At Chicago the best school in the country for a degree in urban education & leadership. Set in the city of Chicago, University Of Illinois At Chicago is a very large public institution. About 62% of students finish within six years. There were roughly 20 urban education & leadership students who graduated with this degree at University Of Illinois At Chicago in the most recent data year. Graduates of the urban education & leadership program make about $61,834 in their early career. University Of Illinois At Chicago graduates carry a median of $20,115 in student loans.
Read more about the urban education & leadership program at University Of Illinois At Chicago
A rank of #2 makes Northeastern Illinois University one of the top schools for urban education & leadership. Set in the city of Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University is a moderately-sized public institution. The six-year graduation rate is 22%. Northeastern Illinois University awarded about 10 urban education & leadership degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the urban education & leadership program make about $82,842 in their early career. Northeastern Illinois University graduates carry a median of $17,600 in student loans.
More information about a degree in urban education & leadership from Northeastern Illinois University
A rank of #3 makes Rockford College one of the top schools for urban education & leadership. Set in the city of Rockford, Rockford College is a small private not-for-profit institution. Rockford College graduates 47% of students within six years. Rockford College awarded about 18 urban education & leadership degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the urban education & leadership program make about $73,751 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $28,094.
Get the full urban education & leadership details for Rockford College
Students looking for a strong urban education & leadership program will find one at University Of Wisconsin Milwaukee, which ranked #4. Located in the city of Milwaukee, University Of Wisconsin Milwaukee is a very large public university. About 53% of students finish within six years. About 48 urban education & leadership degrees were awarded at University Of Wisconsin Milwaukee in the most recent year. Urban Education & Leadership graduates of University Of Wisconsin Milwaukee earn a median of $48,310 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $39,662.
More information about a degree in urban education & leadership from University Of Wisconsin Milwaukee
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 8 schools evaluated.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.