by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 32,920 people earned their degree in early childhood education, making the major the 34th most popular in the United States.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 4,486 early childhood education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 173 colleges that offered a degree in early childhood education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular early childhood education programs in the United States.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
The child development school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region”.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend National Louis University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 315 diplomas to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Early Childhood Education at National Louis University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ivy Tech Community College. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region. This large school is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it awarded 601 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Ivy Tech Community College
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ohio University - Athens Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region. This large school is located in Athens, Ohio, and it awarded 151 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Early Childhood Education at Ohio University - Athens Campus
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Kent State University at Kent. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region. Located in Kent, Ohio, this large public school handed out 148 diplomas to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American College of Education. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region list. American College of Education is a medium-sized private for-profit school situated in Indianapolis, Indiana. It awarded 140 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
Full American College of Education Early Childhood Education Report
Miami University - Oxford did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #6. Miami University - Oxford is located in Oxford, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 97 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Read more about Early Childhood Education at Miami University - Oxford
With a ranking of #7, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school awarded 94 degrees to qualified ’s child development students 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%.
Full Illinois State University Early Childhood Education Report
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UC is a public institution located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 80 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Dayton ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region list. UDayton is located in Dayton, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 71 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.
Read more about Early Childhood Education at University of Dayton
Erikson Institute did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #10. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s child development degrees to 70 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Rochester University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Rochester University is a small school located in Rochester Hills, Michigan that handed out 67 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Rochester University
Saint Augustine College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 60 degrees to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at St. Augustine College
With a ranking of #13, Cleveland State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Cleveland State University is a fairly large public school situated in Cleveland, Ohio. It awarded 59 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Cleveland State University Early Childhood Education Report
University of Wisconsin - Whitewater landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UW - Whitewater is a public institution located in Whitewater, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 59 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at UW - Whitewater
Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Marion, Indiana, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 63 diplomas to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% 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 Wesleyan University - National & Global
With a ranking of #16, Milwaukee Area Technical College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Milwaukee Area Technical College is a public institution located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 94 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Eastern Michigan University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Eastern Michigan University is located in Ypsilanti, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 54 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.
Full Eastern Michigan University Early Childhood Education Report
Western Michigan University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and it awarded 54 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
Saginaw Valley State University ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Saginaw Valley State University is a public institution located in University Center, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 48 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Saginaw Valley State University Early Childhood Education Report
Northern Illinois University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 47 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Northern Illinois University Early Childhood Education Report
Central Michigan University ranked #21 on this year’s Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Mount Pleasant, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s child development degrees to 45 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 Central Michigan
Cedarville University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Cedarville University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cedarville, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 41 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Ball State University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large school is located in Muncie, Indiana, and it awarded 40 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Rasmussen University - Illinois ranked #23 on this year’s Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Rockford, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s child development degrees to 117 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Rasmussen University - Illinois
Northeastern Illinois University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 39 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Early Childhood Education at Northeastern Illinois University
Not only did these schools make the top 26 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
