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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Early Childhood Education in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

80 Ranked Colleges
1,963 Degrees Awarded
$14,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Early Childhood Education is the 34th most popular major in the country with 31,017 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 4,088 early childhood education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,963 early childhood education graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 80 colleges that offered a degree in early childhood education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great early childhood 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 early childhood education program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Early Childhood Education Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree child development students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Early Childhood Education in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree child development students with aid list, UIUC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,880 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Child development students with aid per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#2

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 80 schools in the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #2 spot on the list. West Lafayette, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

Purdue not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $13,986 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree child development students with aid per year to attend Purdue.

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%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Purdue University - Main Campus

#3

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Bloomington. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Indiana University - Bloomington is a public institution located in Bloomington, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

IU Bloomington also took the #3 spot in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend IU Bloomington is $13,253 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree child development students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Indiana University - Bloomington

#4

Purdue University Northwest

Hammond, Indiana
#16 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Purdue University Northwest. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. Purdue University Northwest is a medium-sized public school situated in Hammond, Indiana. It awarded 7 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue Northwest also made our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $11,250 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Child development students with aid per year to attend Purdue Northwest.

Full Purdue University Northwest Early Childhood Education Report

#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Whitewater, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school handed out 51 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2019-2020.

UW - Whitewater did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Whitewater is $15,249 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Child development students with aid.

Full UW - Whitewater Early Childhood Education Report

#6

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin
#7 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - River Falls came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in River Falls, Wisconsin, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - River Falls also took the #7 spot in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls is $13,748 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree child development students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at UW - River Falls

#7

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana
#14 in overall quality

Ball State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Muncie, Indiana, this large public school awarded 59 degrees to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2019-2020.

Ball State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Ball State University is $15,147 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree child development students with aid.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Ball State

#8

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin
#13 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is a medium-sized public school situated in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. It awarded 22 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Stevens Point also made our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend UW - Stevens Point is $14,465 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Child development students with aid.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at UW - Stevens Point

With a ranking of #9, Wright State University - Lake Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Celina, Ohio, this small public school awarded 20 degrees to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Wright State University - Lake Campus is $12,099 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Child development students with aid.

Full Wright State University - Lake Campus Early Childhood Education Report

#10

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

Governors State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in University Park, Illinois, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,077 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Child development students with aid per year to attend GSU.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Governors State University

#11

University of Wisconsin - Stout

Menomonie, Wisconsin
#18 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Stout ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. UW - Stout is a medium-sized school located in Menomonie, Wisconsin that handed out 38 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Stout did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Stout is $15,839 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Child development students with aid.

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%.

Full UW - Stout Early Childhood Education Report

#12

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 21 degrees to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for NIU is $18,259 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree child development students with aid.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at NIU

#13

University of Southern Indiana

Evansville, Indiana

University of Southern Indiana came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Evansville, Indiana, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for USI is $13,437 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree child development students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at University of Southern Indiana

#14

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois

Saint Xavier University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. SXU is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 4 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend SXU is $14,528 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree child development students with aid.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at SXU

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 18 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend SIUE is $14,423 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Child development students with aid.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

#16

National Louis University

Chicago, Illinois

National Louis University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. National Louis University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 132 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,957 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Child development students with aid per year to attend National Louis University.

Full National Louis University Early Childhood Education Report

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 26 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $16,945 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Child development students with aid per year to attend SIUC.

Full SIUC Early Childhood Education Report

#18

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Central Michigan University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Central Michigan is a public institution located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 46 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Central Michigan is $15,981 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree child development students with aid.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Central Michigan

#18

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Illinois State University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 63 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree child development students with aid list, Illinois State has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State University is $20,895 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree child development students with aid.

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%.

Full Illinois State Early Childhood Education Report

#20

Saginaw Valley State University

University Center, Michigan

Saginaw Valley State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. Saginaw Valley State University is a medium-sized public school situated in University Center, Michigan. It awarded 22 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Saginaw Valley State University is $14,248 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree child development students with aid.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Saginaw Valley State University

With a ranking of #21, University of Michigan - Dearborn did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Dearborn, Michigan, this medium-sized public school handed out 17 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,473 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree child development students with aid per year to attend UM Dearborn.

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%.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at UM Dearborn

#22

Chicago State University

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago State University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Chicago State University is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 11 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSU is $11,733 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Child development students with aid.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at CSU

Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 12 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,843 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree child development students with aid per year to attend Northeastern Illinois University.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Early Childhood Education Report

#24

Eastern Michigan University

Ypsilanti, Michigan

Eastern Michigan University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Eastern Michigan University is a fairly large school located in Ypsilanti, Michigan that handed out 36 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,924 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree child development students with aid per year to attend Eastern Michigan University.

Full Eastern Michigan University Early Childhood Education Report

#25

Oakland City University

Oakland City, Indiana

Oakland City University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Oakland City is a private not-for-profit institution located in Oakland City, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Oakland City University is $11,894 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Child development students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Oakland City

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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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Vgrigas.

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