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2023 Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region

26 Ranked Colleges
2,522 Degrees Awarded
$20,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Child Development & Psychology is the 57th most popular major in the country with 17,542 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, child development and psychology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,186 and had an average of $22,623 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 2,522 child development and psychology graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,180 and $21,143 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 26 colleges that offer a degree in child development and psychology. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent child development and psychology programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the child development and psychology program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Child Development & Psychology in the Great Lakes Region

1
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 26 schools in the Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Loyola University Chicago landed the #1 spot on the list. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 6 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loyola Chicago, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Loyola Chicago is $36,434 for great lakes region child development students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Loyola Chicago

2

Out of the 26 schools in the Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 11 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - Madison not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $17,234 for Great Lakes Region Child Development students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison.

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%. 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 more about Child Development & Psychology at University of Wisconsin - Madison

3
Central Michigan crest
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Out of the 26 schools in the Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Central Michigan University landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, this fairly large public school handed out 5 degrees to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.

Central Michigan did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $16,007 for Great Lakes Region Child Development students per year to attend Central Michigan.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Central Michigan Child Development & Psychology Report

4
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Purdue is a large school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 272 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region child development students list, Purdue has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $13,377 for Great Lakes Region Child Development students.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Purdue University - Main Campus

5
WMU crest
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Out of the 26 schools in the Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Michigan University landed the #5 spot on the list. WMU is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

WMU also made our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #17. The estimated yearly cost for Western Michigan University is $20,371 for Great Lakes Region Child Development students.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at WMU

6
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 7 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at DePaul, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $31,174 for Great Lakes Region Child Development students per year to attend DePaul.

The undergrad 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 more about Child Development & Psychology at DePaul University

7
Ball State crest
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #7. Muncie, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s child development degrees to 24 students in 2020-2021.

Ball State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Ball State is $14,765 for Great Lakes Region Child Development students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at Ball State University

8

Ohio University - Athens Campus landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Athens, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s child development degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.

OHIO Athens not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Ohio University - Athens Campus is $23,831 for great lakes region child development students.

Full Ohio University - Athens Campus Child Development & Psychology Report

9

University of Dayton came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UDayton is located in Dayton, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

UDayton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $29,928 for great lakes region child development students per year to attend UDayton.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Dayton Child Development & Psychology Report

10

Kent State University at Kent landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Kent State is a large school located in Kent, Ohio that handed out 15 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Kent State, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Kent State is $19,117 for Great Lakes Region Child Development students.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at Kent State

11

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #11. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 622 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $14,321 for Great Lakes Region Child Development 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at UIUC

12

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #12. IUPUI is a large school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 1 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at IUPUI, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend IUPUI is $12,416 for Great Lakes Region Child Development 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%.

Full IUPUI Child Development & Psychology Report

13

University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, this large public school awarded 1 diplomas to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is $22,415 for great lakes region child development students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% 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 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UC Child Development & Psychology Report

14

University of Detroit Mercy ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Detroit Mercy is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Detroit, Michigan. It awarded 1 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

Detroit Mercy not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Detroit Mercy is $17,058 for great lakes region child development students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, 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 86%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Detroit Mercy

15

Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 49 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

Ohio State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State University - Main Campus is $16,845 for great lakes region child development 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Ohio State University - Main Campus

16
Cornerstone crest
Cornerstone University
Grand Rapids, Michigan

Cornerstone University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Cornerstone is a private not-for-profit institution located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Cornerstone not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Cornerstone is $20,397 for Great Lakes Region Child Development students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Cornerstone

17

University of Michigan - Flint did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #17. This medium-sized school is located in Flint, Michigan, and it awarded 2 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for UM Flint is $12,689 for Great Lakes Region Child Development students.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at UM Flint

18

Illinois Institute of Technology came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 13 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

Illinois Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Institute of Technology is $23,772 for Great Lakes Region Child Development students.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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 Child Development & Psychology at Illinois Institute of Technology

19
Lake Forest crest
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, Illinois

Lake Forest College landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Lake Forest is a small school located in Lake Forest, Illinois that handed out 46 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

Lake Forest also made our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for Lake Forest College is $23,991 for great lakes region child development students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Lake Forest Child Development & Psychology Report

20

With a ranking of #20, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. U-M is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 749 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

U-M also took the #3 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $14,878 for Great Lakes Region Child Development students.

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 more about Child Development & Psychology at U-M

21
Knox crest
Knox College
Galesburg, Illinois

Knox College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Knox is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Galesburg, Illinois. It awarded 19 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region child development students list, Knox has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Knox College is $20,548 for Great Lakes Region Child Development 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Knox College

22
Albion crest
Albion College
Albion, Michigan

Albion College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Albion College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Albion, Michigan. It awarded 26 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

Albion also took the #20 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Albion College is $16,862 for great lakes region child development students.

Full Albion College Child Development & Psychology Report

23
Denison crest
Denison University
Granville, Ohio

Denison University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #23. Denison University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Granville, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 34 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Denison also made our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $29,597 for great lakes region child development students per year to attend Denison.

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. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad 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%.

Full Denison Child Development & Psychology Report

24
Notre Dame crest
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana

University of Notre Dame landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Notre Dame, Indiana, and it awarded 23 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

Notre Dame also made our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $31,101 for Great Lakes Region Child Development students per year to attend University of Notre Dame.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Notre Dame Child Development & Psychology Report

25
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 22 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $23,279 for Great Lakes Region Child Development students.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Northwestern University Child Development & Psychology Report

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