2023 Best Value Adult and Continuing Ed 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. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Adult and Continuing Ed Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 1,074 people earned their degree in adult and continuing education, making the major the 432nd most popular in the United States.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 79 adult and continuing education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Adult and Continuing Ed Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in adult and continuing education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great adult and continuing education programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the adult and continuing education program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Adult & Continuing Education Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Adult and Continuing Ed Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Adult and Continuing Ed Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region adult and continuing ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 4 Best Value Colleges for Adult & Continuing Education (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

1

Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana

#1 in overall quality

$5,752 Average Net Price

$44,025 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University - Bloomington. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Adult and Continuing Ed Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Bloomington, Indiana, this large public school handed out 13 diplomas to qualified ’s adult and continuing ed students in 2020-2021.

IU Bloomington also made our “Best Adult & Continuing Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Bloomington is $5,752 for great lakes region adult and continuing ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full IU Bloomington Adult & Continuing Education Report

2

Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana

#2 in overall quality

$8,273 Average Net Price

$42,329 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ball State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Adult and Continuing Ed Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Muncie, Indiana, and it awarded 19 ’s adult and continuing ed degrees in 2020-2021.

Ball State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Adult & Continuing Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $8,273 for Great Lakes Region Adult and Continuing Ed students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Ball State University.

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%.

Full Ball State University Adult & Continuing Education Report

3

Muskingum University
New Concord, Ohio

#3 in overall quality

$14,692 Average Net Price

$37,532 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Adult and Continuing Ed Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Muskingum University landed the #3 spot on the list. New Concord, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s adult and continuing ed degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.

Muskingum also took the #3 spot in our “Best Adult & Continuing Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Muskingum University is $14,692 for great lakes region adult and continuing ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Muskingum Adult & Continuing Education Report

4

Cleveland State University
Cleveland, Ohio

#4 in overall quality

$13,272 Average Net Price

$44,241 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cleveland State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Adult and Continuing Ed Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Cleveland, Ohio, and it awarded 29 ’s adult and continuing ed degrees in 2020-2021.

Cleveland State University also took the #4 spot in our “Best Adult & Continuing Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,272 for great lakes region adult and continuing ed students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cleveland State University.

Read more about Adult & Continuing Education at Cleveland State University

• Best Value Colleges for Adult & Continuing Education (Income $0-$30k)

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.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Vgrigas.