by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Chemistry is the 51st most popular major in the country with 21,239 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, chemistry graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $40,656 and had an average of $22,680 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 3,288 chemistry graduates with average earnings and debt of $44,907 and $23,656 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 42 colleges that offered a degree in chemistry. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent chemistry programs, but they also 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 chemistry program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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 Chemistry 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. 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.
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region.
Out of the 42 schools in the Best Value Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Edwardsville, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 41 degrees to qualified ’s chemistry students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $14,462 for Great Lakes Region Chemistry students per year to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large school is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and it awarded 26 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Eau Claire, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is $16,051 for great lakes region chemistry students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. La Crosse, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chemistry degrees to 23 students in 2020-2021.
UW - La Crosse not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is $14,654 for Great Lakes Region Chemistry students.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read more about Chemistry at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
Out of the 42 schools in the Best Value Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Illinois University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 33 diplomas to qualified ’s chemistry students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend WIU is $15,305 for Great Lakes Region Chemistry students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Akron Main Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region. This fairly large school is located in Akron, Ohio, and it awarded 86 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Akron Main Campus is $17,945 for Great Lakes Region Chemistry students.
Read more about Chemistry at University of Akron Main Campus
With a ranking of #6, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 29 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois State, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State is $20,830 for great lakes region chemistry 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%.
University of Wisconsin - Platteville came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UW - Platteville is located in Platteville, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 ’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend UW - Platteville is $14,565 for great lakes region chemistry students.
Read full report on Chemistry at University of Wisconsin - Platteville
With a ranking of #8, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. NIU is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 44 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $13,956 for Great Lakes Region Chemistry students per year to attend Northern Illinois University.
With a ranking of #9, Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. OHIO Athens is located in Athens, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 111 ’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at OHIO Athens, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend OHIO Athens is $23,831 for Great Lakes Region Chemistry students.
Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #10. Purdue University - Main Campus is a large school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 153 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.
Purdue not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $13,377 for Great Lakes Region Chemistry students per year to attend Purdue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Chemistry at Purdue University - Main Campus
Kent State University at Kent came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Kent, Ohio, this large public school awarded 57 degrees to qualified ’s chemistry students in 2020-2021.
Kent State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Kent State is $19,117 for great lakes region chemistry students.
With a ranking of #12, Bowling Green State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Bowling Green, Ohio. It awarded 45 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.
BGSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is $18,558 for great lakes region chemistry students.
University of Wisconsin - Whitewater came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UW - Whitewater is located in Whitewater, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 20 ’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $14,417 for great lakes region chemistry students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater.
With a ranking of #14, Western Michigan University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. WMU is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 21 ’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for WMU is $20,371 for great lakes region chemistry students.
Read full report on Chemistry at Western Michigan University
University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school awarded 155 diplomas to qualified ’s chemistry students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region chemistry students list, UW - Madison has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Madison is $17,234 for great lakes region chemistry students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 ’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for UW - Stevens Point is $13,346 for Great Lakes Region Chemistry students.
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #17. This large school is located in Cincinnati, Ohio, and it awarded 56 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.
UC also took the #12 spot in our “Best Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is $22,415 for Great Lakes Region Chemistry students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, 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 88%.
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is a large school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that handed out 24 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $17,486 for Great Lakes Region Chemistry students per year to attend UWM.
Read more about Chemistry at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Cleveland State University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, this fairly large public school handed out 24 diplomas to qualified ’s chemistry students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $16,943 for Great Lakes Region Chemistry students per year to attend Cleveland State University.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 194 degrees to qualified ’s chemistry students in 2020-2021.
UIUC also made our “Best Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $14,321 for great lakes region chemistry students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, 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%.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Chemistry Report
Eastern Michigan University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and it awarded 24 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Eastern Michigan University is $15,127 for great lakes region chemistry students.
Ball State University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in Muncie, Indiana, and it awarded 28 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $14,765 for great lakes region chemistry students per year to attend Ball State.
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%.
University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #23. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chemistry degrees to 54 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIC, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $13,214 for great lakes region chemistry students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Wright State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #24. Wright State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Dayton, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 19 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $15,962 for Great Lakes Region Chemistry students per year to attend Wright State University - Main Campus.
Read full report on Chemistry at Wright State University - Main Campus
Indiana State University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Chemistry Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Indiana State is a medium-sized school located in Terre Haute, Indiana that handed out 10 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $14,270 for Great Lakes Region Chemistry students per year to attend Indiana State.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
