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2023 Best Value Colleges for Legal Research in the Great Lakes Region

16 Ranked Colleges
966 Degrees Awarded
$22,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Legal Research Schools 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. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 6,874 people earned their degree in legal research, making the major the 114th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, legal research graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $66,544 and had an average of $26,000 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 966 legal research graduates with average earnings and debt of $90,143 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking looked at 16 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in legal research. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality legal research programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the legal research program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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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 Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list to help you make the college decision.

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 when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region.

1
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Loyola University Chicago. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 252 diplomas to qualified ’s legal research students in 2020-2021.

Loyola Chicago also made our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Loyola University Chicago is $36,434 for great lakes region legal research students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Legal Research at Loyola University Chicago

2

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School landed the #2 spot on the list. Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s legal research degrees to 26 students in 2020-2021.

WMU-Cooley Law School also took the #12 spot in our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Legal Research at WMU-Cooley Law School

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 25 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - Madison also made our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend UW - Madison is $17,234 for Great Lakes Region Legal Research students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UW - Madison Legal Research Report

4
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, DePaul University landed the #4 spot on the list. DePaul University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 39 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region legal research students list, DePaul has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $31,174 for Great Lakes Region Legal Research students per year to attend DePaul.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Legal Research at DePaul University

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Indianapolis, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s legal research degrees to 95 students in 2020-2021.

IUPUI also made our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend IUPUI is $12,416 for great lakes region legal research students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Legal Research at Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

6

Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. IU Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 41 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region legal research students list, IU Bloomington has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $14,619 for great lakes region legal research students per year to attend Indiana University - Bloomington.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad 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%.

Read full report on Legal Research at IU Bloomington

7

Illinois Institute of Technology landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Illinois Tech is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 34 ’s legal research degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois Tech, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $23,772 for Great Lakes Region Legal Research students per year to attend Illinois Institute of Technology.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read full report on Legal Research at Illinois Institute of Technology

8

With a ranking of #8, University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s legal research degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC is $22,415 for great lakes region legal research students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.

Full University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Legal Research Report

9

Cleveland State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #9. Cleveland State University is a public institution located in Cleveland, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 17 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Cleveland State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $16,943 for great lakes region legal research students per year to attend Cleveland State University.

Read full report on Legal Research at Cleveland State University

10

University of Toledo came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Toledo, Ohio, this fairly large public school handed out 4 degrees to qualified ’s legal research students in 2020-2021.

University of Toledo also made our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend University of Toledo is $17,312 for Great Lakes Region Legal Research students.

Full University of Toledo Legal Research Report

11

Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 12 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.

Ohio State also took the #14 spot in our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus is $16,845 for Great Lakes Region Legal Research students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Legal Research at Ohio State

12

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. U-M is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 18 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

U-M also made our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $14,878 for great lakes region legal research students per year to attend U-M.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read full report on Legal Research at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

13

Case Western Reserve University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Cleveland, Ohio, and it awarded 85 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region legal research students list, Case Western has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $34,214 for great lakes region legal research students per year to attend Case Western.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.

Read full report on Legal Research at Case Western

14
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 106 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $23,279 for great lakes region legal research students.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Full Northwestern Legal Research Report

15
Notre Dame crest
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana

University of Notre Dame ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Notre Dame, Indiana, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 7 diplomas to qualified ’s legal research students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region legal research students list, Notre Dame has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $31,101 for Great Lakes Region Legal Research students per year to attend Notre Dame.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Full Notre Dame Legal Research Report

16
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 29 ’s legal research degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region legal research students list, UChicago has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UChicago is $28,517 for Great Lakes Region Legal Research students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UChicago Legal Research Report

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Notes and References

References

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