by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Anthropology is the 77th most popular major in the country with 11,415 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, anthropology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $26,616 and had an average of $23,038 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 1,189 anthropology graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,803 and $24,729 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking looked at 48 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in anthropology. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent anthropology 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 anthropology program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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 Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school awarded 21 diplomas to qualified ’s anthropology students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend UW Oshkosh is $14,687 for great lakes region anthropology students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 24 ’s anthropology degrees in 2020-2021.
Illinois State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State University is $20,830 for great lakes region anthropology students.
The low undergrad 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region. SIUC is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 11 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
SIUC also took the #25 spot in our “Best Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SIUC is $16,285 for Great Lakes Region Anthropology students.
Out of the 48 schools in the Best Value Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #4 spot on the list. NIU is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 ’s anthropology degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for NIU is $13,956 for Great Lakes Region Anthropology students.
Read full report on Anthropology at Northern Illinois University
Out of the 48 schools in the Best Value Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Michigan University landed the #5 spot on the list. Ypsilanti, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s anthropology degrees to 15 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Eastern Michigan University is $15,127 for Great Lakes Region Anthropology students.
With a ranking of #6, Western Michigan University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Western Michigan University is a fairly large school located in Kalamazoo, Michigan that handed out 11 ’s anthropology degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $20,371 for great lakes region anthropology students per year to attend Western Michigan University.
Central Michigan University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #7. Central Michigan is located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s anthropology degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Central Michigan is $16,007 for Great Lakes Region Anthropology students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%.
With a ranking of #8, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 25 ’s anthropology degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is $17,486 for Great Lakes Region Anthropology students.
Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Purdue is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 37 ’s anthropology degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Purdue, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,377 for great lakes region anthropology students per year to attend Purdue University - Main Campus.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #10. WIU is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 10 ’s anthropology degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for WIU is $15,305 for great lakes region anthropology students.
Kent State University at Kent did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #11. Kent State is a public institution located in Kent, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 33 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Kent State is $19,117 for great lakes region anthropology students.
Grand Valley State University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. GVSU is located in Allendale, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 18 ’s anthropology degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $17,356 for great lakes region anthropology students per year to attend GVSU.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Ball State University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large school is located in Muncie, Indiana, and it awarded 28 ’s anthropology degrees in 2020-2021.
Ball State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Ball State is $14,765 for Great Lakes Region Anthropology 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%.
University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 48 ’s anthropology degrees in 2020-2021.
UW - Madison not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UW - Madison is $17,234 for Great Lakes Region Anthropology students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Anthropology at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Ohio University - Athens Campus came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. OHIO Athens is located in Athens, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 21 ’s anthropology degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend OHIO Athens is $23,831 for Great Lakes Region Anthropology students.
Cleveland State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. Cleveland State University is located in Cleveland, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 ’s anthropology degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Cleveland State University is $16,943 for Great Lakes Region Anthropology students.
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Value Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Cincinnati, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s anthropology degrees to 30 students in 2020-2021.
UC also took the #22 spot in our “Best Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $22,415 for Great Lakes Region Anthropology students per year to attend UC.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Anthropology at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
With a ranking of #18, Youngstown State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large school is located in Youngstown, Ohio, and it awarded 7 ’s anthropology degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Youngstown State University is $12,225 for Great Lakes Region Anthropology students.
Read full report on Anthropology at Youngstown State University
Northern Michigan University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #19. Northern Michigan University is a public institution located in Marquette, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 11 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Northern Michigan University is $15,214 for great lakes region anthropology students.
University of Southern Indiana did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #20. USI is a medium-sized public school situated in Evansville, Indiana. It awarded 7 ’s anthropology degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for USI is $13,481 for great lakes region anthropology students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Anthropology at University of Southern Indiana
With a ranking of #21, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 39 ’s anthropology degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region anthropology students list, UIC has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Chicago is $13,214 for great lakes region anthropology students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #22, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Ohio State is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 79 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Ohio State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State University - Main Campus is $16,845 for Great Lakes Region Anthropology students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, 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 94%.
Read more about Anthropology at Ohio State University - Main Campus
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 33 ’s anthropology degrees in 2020-2021.
UIUC also made our “Best Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $14,321 for great lakes region anthropology 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Anthropology at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
With a ranking of #24, University of Toledo did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large school is located in Toledo, Ohio, and it awarded 8 ’s anthropology degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $17,312 for great lakes region anthropology students per year to attend University of Toledo.
Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. IU Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 46 ’s anthropology degrees to qualified students.
IU Bloomington also took the #9 spot in our “Best Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Bloomington is $14,619 for Great Lakes Region Anthropology students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
