by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
With 205,984 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, social sciences is the 5th most popular major in the United States. In 2019-2020, social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $36,262 and had an average of $23,306 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 22,158 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,460 and $24,793 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 18,309 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,343 and $26,790 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 205 colleges that offered a degree in social sciences. That schools that top this list have a program in social sciences in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major 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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social sciences students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Antioch College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region. This small school is located in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Out of the 205 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Denison University landed the #2 spot on the list. Denison is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Granville, Ohio. It awarded 146 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Out of the 205 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, DePauw University landed the #3 spot on the list. This small school is located in Greencastle, Indiana, and it awarded 134 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Beloit College. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region. Beloit is a small school located in Beloit, Wisconsin that handed out 70 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Wabash College. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region. Wabash College is a small school located in Crawfordsville, Indiana that handed out 41 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Kenyon College landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Kenyon is a private not-for-profit institution located in Gambier, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 78 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #7, The College of Wooster did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region list. The College of Wooster is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wooster, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 94 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Hillsdale College ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Hillsdale, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 74 students in 2020-2021.
Albion College ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Albion, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 70 students in 2020-2021.
Lake Forest College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Lake Forest College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lake Forest, Illinois. It awarded 85 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #11, Knox College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Galesburg, Illinois, and it awarded 53 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Principia College ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Elsah, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #13, Kalamazoo College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and it awarded 81 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #14, Ripon College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Ripon College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ripon, Wisconsin. The school has a small population, and it awarded 31 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Lawrence University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Appleton, Wisconsin, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 53 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Oberlin College ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Oberlin College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Oberlin, Ohio. It awarded 110 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.
Wheaton College Illinois landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Wheaton College Illinois is a small school located in Wheaton, Illinois that handed out 121 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 90%.
With a ranking of #18, Illinois College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Jacksonville, Illinois, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Monmouth College ranked #19 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Monmouth is a small school located in Monmouth, Illinois that handed out 28 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
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 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Notre Dame ranked #20 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Notre Dame, Indiana. It awarded 506 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.
Hanover College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Hanover, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 29 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #22. UChicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 726 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #23, Ohio Wesleyan University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Delaware, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 39 students in 2020-2021.
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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Saint Norbert College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #24. This small school is located in De Pere, Wisconsin, and it awarded 55 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Augustana College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Rock Island, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 84 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
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 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Not only did these schools make the top 31 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
