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2022 Best Value Geographic Information Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region

13 Ranked Colleges
128 Degrees Awarded
$17,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Geographic Information Science Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Geographic Information Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 3,098 people earned their degree in geographic information science, making the major the 357th most popular in the United States.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 410 geographic information science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 128 geographic information science graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Geographic Information Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 13 colleges that offered a degree in geographic information science. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality geographic information science programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the geographic information science program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. 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 Geographic Information Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Geographic Information Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Geographic Information Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region.

Top 13 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geographic Information Science in the Great Lakes Region

#5 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Geographic Information Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 bachelors’s geographic information science degrees to qualified students.

UW - Eau Claire also took the #5 spot in our “Best Geographic Information Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $16,020 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree geographic information science students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire.

Read more about Geographic Information Science at UW - Eau Claire

#2

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Illinois University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Geographic Information Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Macomb, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geographic information science degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree geographic information science students list, WIU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Geographic Information Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend WIU is $16,210 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree geographic information science students.

Read full report on Geographic Information Science at Western Illinois University

#3

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, Michigan
#8 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Geographic Information Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Michigan University landed the #3 spot on the list. WMU is a public institution located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

WMU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Geographic Information Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Western Michigan University is $19,433 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Geographic Information Science students.

Read full report on Geographic Information Science at WMU

#4

Eastern Michigan University

Ypsilanti, Michigan
#11 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern Michigan University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Geographic Information Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Eastern Michigan University is a public institution located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Eastern Michigan not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Geographic Information Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Eastern Michigan is $15,924 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree geographic information science students.

Read more about Geographic Information Science at Eastern Michigan

#5

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, Michigan
#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central Michigan University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Geographic Information Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Central Michigan University is a public institution located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Central Michigan, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Geographic Information Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Central Michigan is $15,981 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree geographic information science students.

Full Central Michigan University Geographic Information Science Report

#6

Northern Michigan University

Marquette, Michigan
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Northern Michigan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geographic Information Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Marquette, Michigan, this medium-sized public school handed out 5 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geographic information science students in 2019-2020.

Northern Michigan University also took the #12 spot in our “Best Geographic Information Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Michigan University is $15,453 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree geographic information science students.

Read full report on Geographic Information Science at Northern Michigan University

#9 in overall quality

Ohio University - Athens Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Geographic Information Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. OHIO Athens is located in Athens, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s geographic information science degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree geographic information science students list, OHIO Athens has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Geographic Information Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $22,906 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Geographic Information Science students per year to attend OHIO Athens.

Full OHIO Athens Geographic Information Science Report

#3 in overall quality

Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Geographic Information Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this large public school handed out 40 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geographic information science students in 2019-2020.

Ohio State also took the #3 spot in our “Best Geographic Information Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State is $17,616 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Geographic Information Science 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 low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.

Read more about Geographic Information Science at Ohio State

#6 in overall quality

University of Cincinnati - Main Campus ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Geographic Information Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in Cincinnati, Ohio, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s geographic information science degrees in 2019-2020.

UC also made our “Best Geographic Information Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $21,843 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Geographic Information Science students per year to attend UC.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Geographic Information Science at UC

#13 in overall quality

University of Akron Main Campus came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geographic Information Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Akron, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geographic information science degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree geographic information science students list, University of Akron Main Campus has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Geographic Information Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Akron Main Campus is $17,792 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree geographic information science students.

Read more about Geographic Information Science at University of Akron Main Campus

#1 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Geographic Information Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 21 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s geographic information science students in 2019-2020.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Geographic Information Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Geographic Information Science students.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Geographic Information Science Report

#2 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geographic Information Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geographic information science degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree geographic information science students list, UW - Madison has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Geographic Information Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $17,708 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree geographic information science students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UW - Madison Geographic Information Science Report

#13

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#4 in overall quality

Michigan State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geographic Information Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Michigan State is a public institution located in East Lansing, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan State also took the #4 spot in our “Best Geographic Information Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Michigan State is $19,173 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree geographic information science students.

The school has an impressive 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 91%.

Read full report on Geographic Information Science at Michigan State

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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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Couleur.

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