by our College Data Analytics Team
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 “Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
With 327,871 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, education is the 4th most popular major in the United States. In 2019-2020, education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $46,202 and had an average of $24,437 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 45,404 education graduates with average earnings and debt of $43,621 and $25,804 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 19,986 education graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,892 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s” ranking looked at 177 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in education. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in education.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s”.
Out of the 177 schools in the Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, American College of Education landed the #1 spot on the list. American College of Education is a medium-sized private for-profit school situated in Indianapolis, Indiana. It awarded 3,474 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ball State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s list. Located in Muncie, Indiana, this large public school handed out 1,661 diplomas to qualified masters’s education students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 177 schools in the Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Concordia University, Chicago landed the #3 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in River Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 811 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Out of the 177 schools in the Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, National Louis University landed the #4 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 789 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Michigan State University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s. Michigan State University is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 380 masters’s education degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.
Northern Illinois University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s ranking. NIU is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 328 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
DePaul University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 321 degrees to qualified masters’s education students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 293 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #9. This large school is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, and it awarded 282 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Education at Purdue University - Main Campus
Kent State University at Kent did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #10. Kent State is a large public school situated in Kent, Ohio. It awarded 277 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Education at Kent State University at Kent
With a ranking of #11, University of St Francis did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s list. University of St Francis is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Joliet, Illinois. It awarded 275 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #12. OHIO Athens is a large school located in Athens, Ohio that handed out 272 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Western Michigan University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #13. Western Michigan University is a public institution located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 257 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s ranking. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this large public school handed out 253 degrees to qualified masters’s education students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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 more about Education at Ohio State University - Main Campus
Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #15. Bourbonnais, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s education degrees to 251 students in 2020-2021.
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%.
With a ranking of #16, Eastern Michigan University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s list. Ypsilanti, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s education degrees to 234 students in 2020-2021.
Grand Valley State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #17. GVSU is a large public school situated in Allendale, Michigan. It awarded 233 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.
University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #18. UIC is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 226 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Cleveland State University ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s list. Cleveland, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s education degrees to 213 students in 2020-2021.
Oakland University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #20. Oakland University is a public institution located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 212 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Miami University - Oxford ranked #21 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s list. Oxford, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s education degrees to 209 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Northeastern Illinois University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s ranking. Northeastern Illinois University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 208 masters’s education degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Education at Northeastern Illinois University
Eastern Illinois University landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 204 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #24, Purdue University Global did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s list. Purdue University Global is a large public school situated in Indianapolis, Indiana. It awarded 202 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #25, Bowling Green State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s list. Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is a fairly large school located in Bowling Green, Ohio that handed out 192 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Education at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus
Not only did these schools make the top 27 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
