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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Human Development & Family Studies in the Great Lakes Region

28 Ranked Colleges
1,972 Degrees Awarded
$17,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 41,651 people earned their degree in human development and family studies, making the major the 41st most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, human development and family studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $27,032 and had an average of $24,110 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 4,162 human development and family studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,369 and $25,921 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,972 human development and family studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 28 colleges that offered a degree in human development and family studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent human development and family studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the human development and family studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Human Development & Family Studies 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 Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region

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

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Human Development & Family Studies in the Great Lakes Region

#1

University of Wisconsin - Stout

Menomonie, Wisconsin

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Stout. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Menomonie, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s human development degrees to 78 students in 2019-2020.

UW - Stout did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $15,839 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Human Development students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Stout.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UW - Stout Human Development & Family Studies Report

#2

Union Institute & University

Cincinnati, Ohio

Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Union Institute & University landed the #2 spot on the list. Union Institute & University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 103 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Union, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Union Institute & University is $16,585 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Human Development students.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at Union

#3

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #3 spot on the list. Northern Illinois University is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 107 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree human development students list, NIU has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $18,259 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree human development students per year to attend Northern Illinois University.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at Northern Illinois University

#4

Purdue University Northwest

Hammond, Indiana

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University Northwest. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Purdue University Northwest is a medium-sized school located in Hammond, Indiana that handed out 28 bachelors’s human development degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue Northwest also took the #20 spot in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Purdue University Northwest is $11,250 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree human development students.

Full Purdue University Northwest Human Development & Family Studies Report

#5

Baker College

Owosso, Michigan

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Baker College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Baker College is located in Owosso, Michigan and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 102 bachelors’s human development degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $15,049 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Human Development students per year to attend Baker College.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at Baker College

#6

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, Michigan

Western Michigan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #6. This fairly large school is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and it awarded 72 bachelors’s human development degrees in 2019-2020.

WMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Western Michigan University is $19,433 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree human development students.

Full Western Michigan University Human Development & Family Studies Report

#7

Ferris State University

Big Rapids, Michigan

Ferris State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Ferris is a fairly large public school situated in Big Rapids, Michigan. It awarded 28 bachelors’s human development degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree human development students list, Ferris has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ferris State University is $12,889 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree human development students.

Full Ferris Human Development & Family Studies Report

#8

Eastern Michigan University

Ypsilanti, Michigan
#18 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Eastern Michigan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Eastern Michigan University is a fairly large school located in Ypsilanti, Michigan that handed out 18 bachelors’s human development degrees in 2019-2020.

Eastern Michigan also made our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #18. The estimated yearly cost for Eastern Michigan is $15,924 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Human Development students.

Full Eastern Michigan Human Development & Family Studies Report

#9

National Louis University

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #9, National Louis University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. NLU is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 81 bachelors’s human development degrees to qualified students.

NLU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for National Louis University is $14,957 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Human Development students.

Full NLU Human Development & Family Studies Report

#10

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

With a ranking of #10, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Illinois State is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 49 bachelors’s human development degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois State, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State is $20,895 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Human Development students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at Illinois State University

Bowling Green State University - Main Campus came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Bowling Green, Ohio, and it awarded 87 bachelors’s human development degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree human development students list, BGSU has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for BGSU is $18,394 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Human Development students.

Read full report on Human Development & Family Studies at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus

Kent State University at Kent landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Kent State University at Kent is located in Kent, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 112 bachelors’s human development degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Kent State, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $18,885 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Human Development students per year to attend Kent State.

Full Kent State Human Development & Family Studies Report

#13

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Central Michigan University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Central Michigan is a fairly large school located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan that handed out 130 bachelors’s human development degrees in 2019-2020.

Central Michigan also took the #13 spot in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Central Michigan is $15,981 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree human development students.

Full Central Michigan University Human Development & Family Studies Report

#14

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large school is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, and it awarded 73 bachelors’s human development degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Purdue, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,986 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree human development students per year to attend Purdue University - Main Campus.

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

Full Purdue Human Development & Family Studies Report

#15

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, Ball State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Ball State is located in Muncie, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 45 bachelors’s human development degrees to qualified students.

Ball State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Ball State is $15,147 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree human development students.

Read full report on Human Development & Family Studies at Ball State

University of Akron Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. This fairly large school is located in Akron, Ohio, and it awarded 35 bachelors’s human development degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $17,792 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Human Development students per year to attend University of Akron Main Campus.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at University of Akron Main Campus

#17

Indiana State University

Terre Haute, Indiana

Indiana State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #17. Located in Terre Haute, Indiana, this fairly large public school handed out 43 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s human development students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Indiana State is $13,896 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree human development students.

Full Indiana State University Human Development & Family Studies Report

University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school handed out 33 degrees to qualified bachelors’s human development students in 2019-2020.

UIC also made our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend UIC is $13,312 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Human Development students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UIC Human Development & Family Studies Report

Ohio University - Athens Campus came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ohio University - Athens Campus is a large public school situated in Athens, Ohio. It awarded 53 bachelors’s human development degrees in 2019-2020.

OHIO Athens also took the #21 spot in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $22,906 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Human Development students per year to attend OHIO Athens.

Read full report on Human Development & Family Studies at Ohio University - Athens Campus

Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s human development degrees to 201 students in 2019-2020.

Ohio State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus is $17,616 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Human Development students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Ohio State Human Development & Family Studies Report

#21

Concordia University, Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Concordia University, Ann Arbor ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s human development degrees in 2019-2020.

Concordia University, Ann Arbor not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $24,557 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Human Development students per year to attend Concordia University, Ann Arbor.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 Human Development & Family Studies at Concordia University, Ann Arbor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 73 degrees to qualified bachelors’s human development students in 2019-2020.

UIUC also made our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $15,880 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Human Development students per year to attend UIUC.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

With a ranking of #23, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 214 bachelors’s human development degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison also took the #1 spot in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $17,708 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree human development students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UW - Madison Human Development & Family Studies Report

#24

Spring Arbor University

Spring Arbor, Michigan

Spring Arbor University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Spring Arbor University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Spring Arbor, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree human development students list, Spring Arbor has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Spring Arbor is $19,183 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree human development students.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at Spring Arbor

#25

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Michigan State University is a large public school situated in East Lansing, Michigan. It awarded 119 bachelors’s human development degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $19,173 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Human Development students per year to attend Michigan State.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Michigan State Human Development & Family Studies Report

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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 Jsonin.

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