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2022 Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region

56 Ranked Colleges
2,065 Degrees Awarded
$15,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 38,020 people earned their degree in public health, making the major the 27th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, public health graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $41,740 and had an average of $35,895 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 4,716 public health graduates with average earnings and debt of $41,391 and $36,986 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,065 public health graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 56 colleges that offer a degree in public health. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent public health 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 public health program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Public Health Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Health in the Great Lakes Region

Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse landed the #1 spot on the list. La Crosse, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public health degrees to 56 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree public health students list, UW - La Crosse has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Public Health Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is $14,580 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public health students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Public Health at UW - La Crosse

Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire landed the #2 spot on the list. UW - Eau Claire is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s public health degrees to qualified students.

UW - Eau Claire did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Public Health Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UW - Eau Claire is $16,020 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public health students.

Read full report on Public Health at UW - Eau Claire

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. SIUE is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree public health students list, SIUE has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Public Health Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SIUE is $14,423 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public health students.

Read full report on Public Health at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

#4

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 43 bachelors’s public health degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree public health students list, Illinois State has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Public Health Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State is $20,895 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Health students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Health at Illinois State University

#5

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#21 in overall quality

Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #5 spot on the list. NIU is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 56 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NIU, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Public Health Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Illinois University is $18,259 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public health students.

Full NIU Public Health Report

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s public health students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,463 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public health students per year to attend UW Oshkosh.

Read full report on Public Health at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

#7

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

With a ranking of #7, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Macomb, Illinois, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s public health degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $16,210 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Health students per year to attend WIU.

Read more about Public Health at WIU

#8

Ferris State University

Big Rapids, Michigan

Ferris State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ferris is a fairly large school located in Big Rapids, Michigan that handed out 3 bachelors’s public health degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Ferris State University is $12,889 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public health students.

Read more about Public Health at Ferris State University

#9

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, Ohio

Youngstown State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Youngstown State University is a fairly large public school situated in Youngstown, Ohio. It awarded 6 bachelors’s public health degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Youngstown State University is $11,947 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public health students.

Read full report on Public Health at Youngstown State University

#10

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, Michigan

With a ranking of #10, Central Michigan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, this fairly large public school awarded 8 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s public health students in 2019-2020.

Central Michigan also made our “Best Public Health Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend Central Michigan is $15,981 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public health students.

Read full report on Public Health at Central Michigan

Kent State University at Kent ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in Kent, Ohio, and it awarded 181 bachelors’s public health degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree public health students list, Kent State has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Public Health Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Kent State is $18,885 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public health students.

Full Kent State University at Kent Public Health Report

#12

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

With a ranking of #12, Governors State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. University Park, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public health degrees to 50 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,077 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Health students per year to attend Governors State University.

Read more about Public Health at GSU

#13

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, Michigan

Western Michigan University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Kalamazoo, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public health degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Western Michigan University is $19,433 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public health students.

Full WMU Public Health Report

#14

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Purdue University - Main Campus is a large school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 66 bachelors’s public health degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Public Health Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $13,986 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public health students.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Purdue Public Health Report

Indiana University - Northwest did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #15. Indiana University - Northwest is a small school located in Gary, Indiana that handed out 26 bachelors’s public health degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for IU Northwest is $7,755 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public health students.

Read more about Public Health at IU Northwest

Bowling Green State University - Main Campus came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. BGSU is a fairly large school located in Bowling Green, Ohio that handed out 24 bachelors’s public health degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for BGSU is $18,394 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public health students.

Read full report on Public Health at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus

#17

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan

Oakland University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Oakland University is a public institution located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Oakland not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Public Health Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Oakland is $11,802 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public health students.

Read more about Public Health at Oakland University

#18

Eastern Michigan University

Ypsilanti, Michigan

Eastern Michigan University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Eastern Michigan is a public institution located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Eastern Michigan University is $15,924 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public health students.

Full Eastern Michigan University Public Health Report

#19

Union Institute & University

Cincinnati, Ohio

Union Institute & University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #19. Union Institute & University is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s public health degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Union Institute & University is $16,585 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Health students.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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 full report on Public Health at Union

Wright State University - Main Campus came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Wright State University - Main Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Dayton, Ohio. It awarded 15 bachelors’s public health degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Wright State University - Main Campus is $16,823 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Health students.

Read full report on Public Health at Wright State University - Main Campus

Ohio University - Athens Campus landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. OHIO Athens is a large school located in Athens, Ohio that handed out 6 bachelors’s public health degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree public health students list, OHIO Athens has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Public Health Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for OHIO Athens is $22,906 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public health students.

Full OHIO Athens Public Health Report

#22

University of Toledo

Toledo, Ohio

University of Toledo landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Toledo is located in Toledo, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 bachelors’s public health degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $17,630 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public health students per year to attend University of Toledo.

Full University of Toledo Public Health Report

#22 in overall quality

University of Cincinnati - Main Campus came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is a large school located in Cincinnati, Ohio that handed out 52 bachelors’s public health degrees in 2019-2020.

UC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Public Health Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC is $21,843 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public health students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.

Read full report on Public Health at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #24. University of Illinois at Chicago is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree public health students list, UIC has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Public Health Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,312 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Health students per year to attend University of Illinois at Chicago.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Health at University of Illinois at Chicago

University of Michigan - Flint landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Health Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UM Flint is a public institution located in Flint, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Michigan - Flint is $12,734 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public health students.

Read full report on Public Health at UM Flint

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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.

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