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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Legal Professions (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

20 Ranked Colleges
642 Degrees Awarded
$13,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 61,993 people earned their degree in legal professions, making the major the 17th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, legal professions graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $43,199 and had an average of $58,026 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 8,513 legal professions graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,584 and $54,966 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 642 legal professions graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 20 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in legal professions. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality legal professions 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 professions program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s legal professions degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.

Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $1,866 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Northwestern Legal Professions Report

#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 97 bachelors’s legal professions degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $4,367 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - Madison.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.

Read full report on Legal Professions at UW - Madison

#3

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Michigan State University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Michigan State is a public institution located in East Lansing, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 84 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan State also made our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $6,686 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Michigan State University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 Legal Professions at Michigan State

#4

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, Michigan
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Grand Valley State University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Allendale, Michigan, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s legal professions degrees in 2019-2020.

GVSU also took the #4 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $11,578 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend GVSU.

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

Read more about Legal Professions at Grand Valley State University

#5

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana
#12 in overall quality

Out of the 20 schools in the Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Ball State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Muncie, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s legal professions degrees to 28 students in 2019-2020.

Ball State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $8,403 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Ball State University.

Read more about Legal Professions at Ball State University

#17 in overall quality

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is located in Indianapolis, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s legal professions degrees to qualified students.

IUPUI also made our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #17. It costs about $5,052 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend IUPUI.

Read more about Legal Professions at Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

#7

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan
#15 in overall quality

Oakland University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Oakland University is a fairly large school located in Rochester Hills, Michigan that handed out 3 bachelors’s legal professions degrees in 2019-2020.

Oakland also made our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend Oakland University is $7,490 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Oakland University Legal Professions Report

#16 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. UIS is a small school located in Springfield, Illinois that handed out 7 bachelors’s legal professions degrees in 2019-2020.

UIS did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $9,771 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Illinois at Springfield.

Read full report on Legal Professions at UIS

#5 in overall quality

University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Cincinnati, Ohio. It awarded 14 bachelors’s legal professions degrees in 2019-2020.

UC also took the #5 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC is $15,078 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Legal Professions at UC

#14 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 10 bachelors’s legal professions degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC also took the #14 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SIUC is $13,658 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full SIUC Legal Professions Report

#9 in overall quality

Kent State University at Kent came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Kent State is a public institution located in Kent, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Kent State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Kent State University at Kent is $13,915 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Kent State Legal Professions Report

#12

University of Toledo

Toledo, Ohio
#11 in overall quality

University of Toledo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. Toledo, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s legal professions degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Toledo, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $14,516 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Toledo.

Read full report on Legal Professions at University of Toledo

#13

Baker College

Owosso, Michigan
#18 in overall quality

Baker College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Owosso, Michigan, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s legal professions degrees in 2019-2020.

Baker College also took the #18 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Baker College is $13,376 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Baker College Legal Professions Report

#14

Madonna University

Livonia, Michigan
#13 in overall quality

Madonna University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. This small school is located in Livonia, Michigan, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s legal professions degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Madonna, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,455 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Madonna.

Read more about Legal Professions at Madonna

#15

Davenport University

Grand Rapids, Michigan
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, Davenport University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Davenport University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k list, Davenport University has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Davenport University is $15,751 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Legal Professions at Davenport University

#16

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

Roosevelt University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Roosevelt University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s legal professions degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Roosevelt, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Roosevelt is $20,398 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Legal Professions at Roosevelt

#17

Indiana Institute of Technology

Fort Wayne, Indiana
#21 in overall quality

Indiana Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. Indiana Institute of Technology is located in Fort Wayne, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s legal professions degrees to qualified students.

Indiana Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Indiana Tech is $19,286 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Legal Professions at Indiana Tech

#18

Herzing University - Madison

Madison, Wisconsin
#19 in overall quality

Herzing University - Madison ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s legal professions degrees in 2019-2020.

Herzing University - Madison also made our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #19. The estimated yearly cost for Herzing University - Madison is $24,474 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Legal Professions at Herzing University - Madison

#20 in overall quality

Herzing University - Akron ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Akron, Ohio, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s legal professions degrees in 2019-2020.

Herzing Akron also made our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #20. The estimated yearly cost for Herzing University - Akron is $22,440 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Herzing University - Akron Legal Professions Report

#20

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

Loyola University Chicago came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loyola Chicago, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Loyola University Chicago is $29,440 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, 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 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Loyola University Chicago Legal Professions 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

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