2023 Best Value Colleges for Operations Research (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Operations Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 1,698 people earned their degree in operations research, making the major the 203rd most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, operations research graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $84,787 and had an average of $14,538 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 159 operations research graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Operations Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking analyzed 2 colleges that offered a degree in operations research. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality operations research programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the operations research program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Operations Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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 Operations Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Operations Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k.

Top 2 Best Value Colleges for Operations Research (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region

1

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$22,400 Average Net Price

$53,270 Average Early-Career Earnings

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 Operations Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 46 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Operations Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $22,400 for Great Lakes Region Operations Research students whose families make $75-$110k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.

Full UIUC Operations Research Report

2

Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, Ohio

#1 in overall quality

$29,971 Average Net Price

$62,001 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Case Western Reserve University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Operations Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 23 degrees to qualified ’s operations research students in 2020-2021.

Case Western also took the #1 spot in our “Best Operations Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Case Western is $29,971 for great lakes region operations research students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%.

Read full report on Operations Research at Case Western Reserve University

• Best Value Colleges for Operations Research (Income $75-$110k)

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.