2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Philosophy in the Great Lakes Region
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Philosophy is the 81st most popular major in the country with 10,015 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, philosophy graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,067 and had an average of $22,199 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 1,345 philosophy graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,833 and $23,925 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,116 philosophy graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 25 colleges that offered a degree in philosophy. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great philosophy programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the philosophy program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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Best Value Philosophy 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 philosophy students.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Philosophy in the Great Lakes Region
Out of the 25 schools in the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point landed the #1 spot on the list. Stevens Point, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s philosophy degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.
UW - Stevens Point did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is $14,465 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree philosophy students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Grand Valley State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Allendale, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s philosophy degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.
GVSU also took the #12 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $17,646 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students per year to attend GVSU.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Philosophy at Grand Valley State University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Illinois State is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Illinois State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State is $20,895 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree philosophy 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Kent State University at Kent. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Kent, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s philosophy degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree philosophy students list, Kent State has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $18,885 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students per year to attend Kent State.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Cincinnati - Main Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree philosophy students list, UC has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is $21,843 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Philosophy at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 bachelors’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
UWM also took the #21 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $17,876 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students per year to attend UWM.
Western Michigan University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.
WMU also took the #22 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $19,433 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students per year to attend Western Michigan University.
Franciscan University of Steubenville did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #8. This small school is located in Steubenville, Ohio, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.
Franciscan U also took the #13 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Franciscan University of Steubenville is $24,918 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #9, Eastern Michigan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Eastern Michigan is located in Ypsilanti, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 bachelors’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Eastern Michigan, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Eastern Michigan University is $15,924 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students.
Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #10. Ohio State is a large public school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 30 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ohio State, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $17,616 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree philosophy students per year to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.
With a ranking of #11, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school handed out 54 degrees to qualified bachelors’s philosophy students in 2019-2020.
UW - Madison also made our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend UW - Madison is $17,708 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree philosophy students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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%.
Read full report on Philosophy at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Central Michigan University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Central Michigan University is a fairly large public school situated in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. It awarded 6 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.
Central Michigan also took the #24 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Central Michigan University is $15,981 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree philosophy students.
Wheaton College Illinois landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Wheaton College Illinois is a small school located in Wheaton, Illinois that handed out 17 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.
Wheaton College Illinois did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $25,358 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students per year to attend Wheaton College Illinois.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 29 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree philosophy students list, UIUC has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $15,880 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree philosophy 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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #15. IU Bloomington is a large school located in Bloomington, Indiana that handed out 12 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree philosophy students list, IU Bloomington has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,253 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students per year to attend Indiana University - Bloomington.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Philosophy at Indiana University - Bloomington
With a ranking of #16, Hanover College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Hanover College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Hanover, Indiana. It awarded 5 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.
Hanover also took the #14 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Hanover College is $20,952 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree philosophy students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Elmhurst University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Elmhurst is a small school located in Elmhurst, Illinois that handed out 3 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree philosophy students list, Elmhurst has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Elmhurst University is $21,485 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #18, Marquette University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 16 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s philosophy students in 2019-2020.
Marquette also took the #10 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Marquette University is $29,756 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
DePaul University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #19. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree philosophy students list, DePaul has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $30,090 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree philosophy students per year to attend DePaul University.
The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.
Loyola University Chicago landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 18 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.
Loyola Chicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Loyola University Chicago is $35,407 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #21. U-M is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 36 bachelors’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree philosophy students list, U-M has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,336 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Lake Forest College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Lake Forest, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 9 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s philosophy students in 2019-2020.
Lake Forest also took the #20 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lake Forest is $26,426 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Notre Dame did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #23. Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit institution located in Notre Dame, Indiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 30 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Notre Dame also took the #4 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Notre Dame is $33,025 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree philosophy students.
The 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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Chicago ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 70 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.
UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UChicago is $27,315 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree philosophy students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Northwestern University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 21 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.
Northwestern also took the #2 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $24,664 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 impressive 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.
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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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