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2027 Best Value Operations Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region

[Operations Research](/majors/engineering/operations-research/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong operations research education at a price that pays off.

For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 2 schools to find the best return on investment for operations research students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Operations Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region

2027 Best Value Operations Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region

If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the operations research degrees they offer, see the list below.

Best Value Operations Research Schools

1

University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign
Champaign, IL

$18,267 In-State Tuition & Fees

$20,778 Avg Student Debt

$81,054 Median Earnings (10yr)

Leading the list is University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign, our #1 best value for operations research in the Great Lakes Region. Set in the city of Champaign, University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $18,267, with out-of-state students paying around $40,096. Typical student debt for operations research graduates is $20,778. Operations Research graduates of University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign earn a median of $57,461 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $20,778 median debt. University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign admits about 42% of applicants.

2

Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH

$66,608 In-State Tuition & Fees

$25,106 Avg Student Debt

$87,989 Median Earnings (10yr)

Case Western Reserve University came in at #2 on our 2027 list of the best value operations research schools. Case Western Reserve University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cleveland. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $66,608. Students borrow a median of $25,106 to complete the operations research program here. Operations Research graduates of Case Western Reserve University earn a median of $74,459 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 36% of applicants are accepted.

View All Operations Research Rankings >

Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 2 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked schools only.

• 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.