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2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

14 Ranked Colleges
305 Degrees Awarded
$23,300 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

Liberal Arts General Studies is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 1st of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 559,661 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2017-2018, liberal arts general studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $26,786 and had an average of $16,538 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 65,409 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,947 and $17,710 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 305 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,039 and $42,488 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered a degree in liberal arts general studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great liberal arts general studies programs and cost less that 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 liberal arts general studies program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. 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 Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

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

Top 14 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 147 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Chicago are $61,548.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at UChicago

#12 in overall quality

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Northwest landed the #2 spot on the list. IU Northwest is a small school located in Gary, Indiana that handed out 3 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

IU Northwest did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Indiana University - Northwest are $18,275, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at IU Northwest

#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Ohio State University - Main Campus is located in Columbus, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 masters’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

Ohio State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Ohio State University - Main Campus are $37,141, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Ohio State

#4

Indiana University - South Bend

South Bend, Indiana
#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University - South Bend. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. This small school is located in South Bend, Indiana, and it awarded 12 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Indiana University - South Bend also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #8. Average graduate tuition and fees at Indiana University - South Bend are $18,275, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Indiana University - South Bend Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#5

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan
#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Oakland University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Rochester Hills, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s liberal arts degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

Oakland did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Oakland University are $24,648.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Oakland University

#6

University of Southern Indiana

Evansville, Indiana
#11 in overall quality

University of Southern Indiana came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. USI is a public institution located in Evansville, Indiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

USI not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Southern Indiana are $20,039, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Southern Indiana Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#7

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Ball State University is a public institution located in Muncie, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Ball State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #0 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Ball State are $26,204, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Ball State University

#6 in overall quality

University of Michigan - Dearborn ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Dearborn, Michigan is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s liberal arts degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UM Dearborn, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UM Dearborn are $25,072.

Full UM Dearborn Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#10 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Springfield came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UIS is located in Springfield, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 masters’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIS, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UIS are $16,757.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at UIS

#10

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 1 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #0 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at WIU are $11,996.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Western Illinois University

#11

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois

North Central College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. This small school is located in Naperville, Illinois, and it awarded 30 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, North Central has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at North Central College are $15,822, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at North Central

#12

Union Institute & University

Cincinnati, Ohio

Union Institute & University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Union Institute & University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Union not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Union Institute & University are $16,868, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Union Institute & University

#13

Tiffin University

Tiffin, Ohio

Tiffin University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. Tiffin University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Tiffin, Ohio. It awarded 35 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Tiffin University also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #5. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Tiffin University are $13,000.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Tiffin University

#14

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s liberal arts degrees to 19 students in 2019-2020.

DePaul also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul University are $19,760, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full DePaul University Liberal Arts General 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.

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