2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.
General Education is the 28th most popular major in the country with 29,936 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 3,216 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,058 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking looked at 42 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general education. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general education 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 general education program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general education students.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Education in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Green Bay. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and it awarded 74 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Green Bay also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is $14,395 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Education students.
Read full report on General Education at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
Out of the 42 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Grand Valley State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Allendale, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general education degrees to 221 students in 2019-2020.
GVSU also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend Grand Valley State University is $17,646 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Education students.
The low 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%.
Out of the 42 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee landed the #3 spot on the list. Milwaukee, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general education degrees to 153 students in 2019-2020.
UWM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is $17,876 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Education students.
Full University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee General Education Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Kent State University at Kent. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Kent State University at Kent is a large school located in Kent, Ohio that handed out 95 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Kent State is $18,885 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general education students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. West Lafayette, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general education degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.
Purdue did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue is $13,986 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general education students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Wilmington College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Wilmington College is a small school located in Wilmington, Ohio that handed out 30 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
Wilmington College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $21,216 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general education students per year to attend Wilmington College.
Hiram College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Hiram is a small school located in Hiram, Ohio that handed out 11 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Hiram College is $21,294 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Education students.
Baker College landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Baker College is a medium-sized school located in Owosso, Michigan that handed out 9 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Baker College is $15,049 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general education students.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Alverno College landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Alverno is a small school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that handed out 11 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree general education students list, Alverno has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,491 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general education students per year to attend Alverno College.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
University of Michigan - Dearborn ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Dearborn, Michigan is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general education degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Michigan - Dearborn is $11,473 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Education students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Greenville University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small school is located in Greenville, Illinois, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $20,689 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Education students per year to attend Greenville.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on General Education at Greenville University
With a ranking of #12, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 13 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $15,880 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general education students per year to attend UIUC.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, 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 94%.
Read full report on General Education at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Mount St. Joseph University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #13. This small school is located in Cincinnati, Ohio, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
Mount St. Joe also took the #24 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $21,913 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general education students per year to attend Mount St. Joseph University.
Siena Heights University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Adrian, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general education degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $21,249 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Education students per year to attend Siena Heights University.
Read full report on General Education at Siena Heights University
Michigan State University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Michigan State is a public institution located in East Lansing, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 157 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Michigan State, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State is $19,173 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Education students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, 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 students.
Read full report on General Education at Michigan State University
Ohio Northern University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. ONU is located in Ada, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.
ONU also took the #14 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Ohio Northern University is $24,072 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general education students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at Ohio Northern University
McKendree University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #17. McKendree University is located in Lebanon, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $19,844 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Education students per year to attend McKendree University.
Manchester University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small school is located in North Manchester, Indiana, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
Manchester University also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #25. It costs about $17,557 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Education students per year to attend Manchester University.
Taylor University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Taylor University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Upland, Indiana. It awarded 3 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
Taylor U also took the #17 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $25,888 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Education students per year to attend Taylor U.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Ohio Dominican University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #20. Ohio Dominican University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Ohio Dominican University is $19,960 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Education students.
With a ranking of #21, Concordia University, Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in River Forest, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 7 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Concordia University, Chicago is $16,512 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Education students.
Illinois College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Illinois College is a small school located in Jacksonville, Illinois that handed out 2 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Illinois College is $16,562 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Education students.
Trinity Christian College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Palos Heights, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general education degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $21,904 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Education students per year to attend Trinity Christian College.
The student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The 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 more about General Education at Trinity Christian College
University of Saint Francis - Fort Wayne came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of St. Francis Fort Wayne is located in Fort Wayne, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend University of Saint Francis - Fort Wayne is $17,796 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Education students.
Full University of Saint Francis - Fort Wayne General Education Report
With a ranking of #25, Marietta College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Marietta College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Marietta, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Marietta not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $20,786 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general education students per year to attend Marietta.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
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Notes and References
References
- 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
Footnotes
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
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