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2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

122 Ranked Colleges
18,538 Degrees Awarded
$13,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 205,726 social sciences students received their degree, making the major the 5th most popular in the country. In 2017-2018, social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $34,801 and had an average of $23,466 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 22,091 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,186 and $24,310 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 18,538 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 122 colleges that offer a degree in social sciences. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality social sciences programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the social sciences program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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 Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Sciences in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

#7 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 867 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #7 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its 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%.

Read more about Social Sciences at UIUC

#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 1,093 students in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison also made our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $17,708 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Social Sciences Report

#4 in overall quality

Out of the 122 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #3 spot on the list. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 1,124 students in 2019-2020.

U-M also took the #4 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $15,336 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Social Sciences Report

#4

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#14 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Purdue University - Main Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, and it awarded 290 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue also took the #14 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue is $13,986 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, 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.

Read more about Social Sciences at Purdue University - Main Campus

#20 in overall quality

Out of the 122 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse landed the #5 spot on the list. University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is located in La Crosse, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 189 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid list, UW - La Crosse has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW - La Crosse is $14,580 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Sciences at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

#6

Indiana University - East

Richmond, Indiana

Indiana University - East did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. Richmond, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - East is $7,722 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.

Read more about Social Sciences at Indiana University - East

#7

Purdue University Northwest

Hammond, Indiana

Purdue University Northwest did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Purdue Northwest is located in Hammond, Indiana and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 55 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Purdue University Northwest is $11,250 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.

Read more about Social Sciences at Purdue Northwest

#8

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#21 in overall quality

Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. IU Bloomington is a large school located in Bloomington, Indiana that handed out 394 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

IU Bloomington did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Bloomington is $13,253 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.

Full Indiana University - Bloomington Social Sciences Report

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is a medium-sized school located in Green Bay, Wisconsin that handed out 61 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,395 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Green Bay.

Full University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Social Sciences Report

#10

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Whitewater, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is a public institution located in Whitewater, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 179 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,249 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid per year to attend UW - Whitewater.

Full UW - Whitewater Social Sciences Report

#11

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin
Top 25% in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - River Falls ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in River Falls, Wisconsin, and it awarded 88 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,748 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Sciences at University of Wisconsin - River Falls

University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. University of Illinois at Chicago is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 290 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UIC is $13,312 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.

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%.

Read more about Social Sciences at University of Illinois at Chicago

#13

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school handed out 134 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,465 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid per year to attend UW - Stevens Point.

Full University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Social Sciences Report

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is a fairly large school located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin that handed out 131 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is $15,463 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.

Full University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Social Sciences Report

University of Wisconsin - Parkside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. UW - Parkside is a small public school situated in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It awarded 48 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UW - Parkside is $11,327 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.

Read full report on Social Sciences at UW - Parkside

Wright State University - Lake Campus landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Celina, Ohio, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,099 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid per year to attend Wright State University - Lake Campus.

Full Wright State University - Lake Campus Social Sciences Report

#17

University of Wisconsin - Stout

Menomonie, Wisconsin
#25 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Stout came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Wisconsin - Stout is a medium-sized public school situated in Menomonie, Wisconsin. It awarded 35 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Stout did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Stout is $15,839 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.8% 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 more about Social Sciences at University of Wisconsin - Stout

#18

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#16 in overall quality

Michigan State University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in East Lansing, Michigan, this large public school awarded 831 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

Michigan State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $19,173 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid per year to attend Michigan State University.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Michigan State

#19

University of Illinois at Springfield

Springfield, Illinois

University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UIS is a public institution located in Springfield, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Springfield is $12,477 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.

Read full report on Social Sciences at UIS

#20

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Eau Claire, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is a fairly large school located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin that handed out 130 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $16,020 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid per year to attend UW - Eau Claire.

Read more about Social Sciences at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. IUPUI is a large school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 140 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is $11,285 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.

Read more about Social Sciences at IUPUI

#22

Indiana University - South Bend

South Bend, Indiana

Indiana University - South Bend ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Indiana University - South Bend is a public institution located in South Bend, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - South Bend is $8,717 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.

Read more about Social Sciences at Indiana University - South Bend

#22

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Platteville, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Platteville ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Platteville, Wisconsin, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UW - Platteville is $15,718 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.

Read more about Social Sciences at University of Wisconsin - Platteville

#24

Indiana University - Southeast

New Albany, Indiana

Indiana University - Southeast ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. New Albany, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 41 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Southeast is $10,657 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.

Read more about Social Sciences at Indiana University - Southeast

#25

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois

Saint Xavier University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 24 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,528 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid per year to attend SXU.

Full Saint Xavier University Social Sciences Report

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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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