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

125 Ranked Colleges
4,354 Degrees Awarded
$13,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 40,622 people earned their degree in elementary education, making the major the 19th most popular in the United States.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 5,199 elementary education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,354 elementary education graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 125 colleges that offered a degree in elementary education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great elementary education programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the elementary education program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The elementary teaching 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 “Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Elementary Teaching 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 elementary teaching students with aid.

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

#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to 67 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,880 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students with aid per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 full report on Elementary Education at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Northwest. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. IU Northwest is a small public school situated in Gary, Indiana. It awarded 24 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend IU Northwest is $7,755 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students with aid.

Read full report on Elementary Education at Indiana University - Northwest

#3

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Purdue University - Main Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. Purdue is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 97 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue also took the #8 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $13,986 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Elementary Education at Purdue University - Main Campus

#9 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. This fairly large school is located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and it awarded 122 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - La Crosse did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $14,580 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students with aid per year to attend UW - La Crosse.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Elementary Education at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to 130 students in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison also took the #3 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $17,708 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UW - Madison Elementary Education Report

#6

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Bloomington, Indiana, this large public school awarded 93 degrees to qualified bachelors’s elementary teaching students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at IU Bloomington, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Bloomington is $13,253 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full IU Bloomington Elementary Education Report

#7

Purdue University Northwest

Hammond, Indiana
Top 25% in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Purdue University Northwest did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Purdue Northwest is located in Hammond, Indiana and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 77 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $11,250 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students with aid per year to attend Purdue Northwest.

Full Purdue University Northwest Elementary Education Report

#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 57 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIC, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,312 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students with aid per year to attend University of Illinois at Chicago.

The low 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%.

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Elementary Education Report

#13 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Whitewater, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school awarded 105 degrees to qualified bachelors’s elementary teaching students in 2019-2020.

UW - Whitewater also took the #13 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is $15,249 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students with aid.

Full University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Elementary Education Report

#24 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Oshkosh, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to 107 students in 2019-2020.

UW Oshkosh also made our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #24. It costs about $15,463 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh.

Read more about Elementary Education at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

#11

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin
#14 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - River Falls came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Wisconsin - River Falls is a medium-sized public school situated in River Falls, Wisconsin. It awarded 81 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - River Falls also made our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls is $13,748 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree elementary teaching 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 Elementary Education at UW - River Falls

#12

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan
#1 in overall quality

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school handed out 33 degrees to qualified bachelors’s elementary teaching students in 2019-2020.

U-M also took the #1 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $15,336 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Elementary Education at U-M

#13

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana
Top 25% in overall quality

Ball State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. Ball State University is a large public school situated in Muncie, Indiana. It awarded 133 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,147 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students with aid per year to attend Ball State.

Read more about Elementary Education at Ball State University

#14

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin
#25 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. UW - Stevens Point is a public institution located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 80 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Stevens Point, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is $14,465 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students with aid.

Read full report on Elementary Education at UW - Stevens Point

#15

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
#18 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and it awarded 73 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Eau Claire not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $16,020 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire.

Read full report on Elementary Education at UW - Eau Claire

With a ranking of #16, Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is a large school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 167 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is $11,285 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students with aid.

Read more about Elementary Education at IUPUI

#17

Indiana University - South Bend

South Bend, Indiana

Indiana University - South Bend did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. Indiana University - South Bend is a public institution located in South Bend, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - South Bend is $8,717 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students with aid.

Full Indiana University - South Bend Elementary Education Report

#18

Indiana University - Southeast

New Albany, Indiana

Indiana University - Southeast landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Indiana University - Southeast is a small school located in New Albany, Indiana that handed out 41 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Southeast is $10,657 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students with aid.

Read more about Elementary Education at Indiana University - Southeast

#19

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Platteville, Wisconsin
#19 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Platteville landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Platteville, Wisconsin, and it awarded 57 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Platteville, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Platteville is $15,718 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students with aid.

Full University of Wisconsin - Platteville Elementary Education Report

#20

Indiana University - Kokomo

Kokomo, Indiana

Indiana University - Kokomo landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. IU Kokomo is a small public school situated in Kokomo, Indiana. It awarded 29 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Kokomo is $9,796 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students with aid.

Read full report on Elementary Education at IU Kokomo

#21

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

Governors State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. GSU is a small school located in University Park, Illinois that handed out 21 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for GSU is $12,077 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students with aid.

Read full report on Elementary Education at GSU

#22

Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Purdue University Fort Wayne came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and it awarded 77 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Purdue University Fort Wayne is $10,912 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students with aid.

Full PFW Elementary Education Report

#23

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

With a ranking of #23, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. EIU is a medium-sized school located in Charleston, Illinois that handed out 49 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend EIU is $14,607 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students with aid.

Full Eastern Illinois University Elementary Education Report

#24

Indiana University - East

Richmond, Indiana

With a ranking of #24, Indiana University - East did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Indiana University - East is a public institution located in Richmond, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for IU East is $7,722 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students with aid.

Read more about Elementary Education at IU East

#25

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 61 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

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

Read more about Elementary Education at Northern Illinois University

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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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