2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Education is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 4th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 310,601 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2017-2018, education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $43,887 and had an average of $30,244 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 43,513 education graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,643 and $27,857 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 16,211 education graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 182 colleges that offered a degree in education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great education programs and cost less that 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 education program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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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 Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value 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 education students.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Education in the Great Lakes Region
Out of the 182 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - River Falls landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Wisconsin - River Falls is a medium-sized school located in River Falls, Wisconsin that handed out 178 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - River Falls not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $13,748 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 182 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #2 spot on the list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 253 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
SIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend SIUC is $16,945 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students.
Read more about Education at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. UW - La Crosse is a fairly large school located in La Crosse, Wisconsin that handed out 165 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - La Crosse did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is $14,580 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Education at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Green Bay. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Green Bay is a public institution located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 74 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Green Bay is also in the top of our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is $14,395 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students.
Read more about Education at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Whitewater is located in Whitewater, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 304 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.
UW - Whitewater not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $15,249 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater.
Read full report on Education at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Eau Claire, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 177 students in 2019-2020.
UW - Eau Claire also took the #20 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $16,020 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire.
Read full report on Education at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
University of Wisconsin - Stout landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Wisconsin - Stout is a medium-sized public school situated in Menomonie, Wisconsin. It awarded 124 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Stout is also in the top of our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $15,839 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Stout.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Education at University of Wisconsin - Stout
Purdue University Northwest landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Hammond, Indiana, this medium-sized public school handed out 86 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Purdue University Northwest is $11,250 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students.
Read full report on Education at Purdue University Northwest
University of Wisconsin - Platteville did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Platteville, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school awarded 93 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on this list, UW - Platteville is in the top on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $15,718 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Platteville.
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #10. University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is a public institution located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 215 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend UW Oshkosh is $15,463 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students.
With a ranking of #11, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is a public institution located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 204 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,465 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. SIUE is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 103 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $14,423 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students.
With a ranking of #13, Grand Valley State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Allendale, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 368 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students list, GVSU has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $17,646 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students per year to attend Grand Valley State University.
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%.
Illinois State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #14. Illinois State is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 735 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $20,895 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students per year to attend Illinois State.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #15, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Eastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Charleston, Illinois that handed out 121 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Eastern Illinois University is $14,607 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students.
Read full report on Education at Eastern Illinois University
With a ranking of #16, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 166 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend NIU is $18,259 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students.
Western Illinois University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 74 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $16,210 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students per year to attend WIU.
University of Wisconsin - Superior landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Superior, Wisconsin, this small public school awarded 103 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Superior is $13,774 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students.
Western Michigan University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Western Michigan University is a fairly large public school situated in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It awarded 180 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend WMU is $19,433 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students.
Purdue University Global ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Purdue University Global is a large school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 148 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #21, Ferris State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Ferris State University is located in Big Rapids, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 62 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $12,889 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students per year to attend Ferris State University.
VanderCook College of Music landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
VanderCook College of Music did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for VanderCook College of Music is $19,160 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
National Louis University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. NLU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 162 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,957 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students per year to attend National Louis University.
Eastern Michigan University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Eastern Michigan University is a fairly large public school situated in Ypsilanti, Michigan. It awarded 280 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Eastern Michigan University is $15,924 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students.
Read full report on Education at Eastern Michigan University
Youngstown State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Youngstown, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 135 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $11,947 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree education students per year to attend Youngstown State University.
Rest of the Best 28 in Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region
Not only did these schools make the top 28 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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Best Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region
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Education students with family income $48-$75k in the Great Lakes Region
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Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Education in the Great Lakes Region
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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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