2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Sociology 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 Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Sociology is the 24th most popular major in the country with 37,807 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, sociology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,727 and had an average of $23,622 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 3,239 sociology graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,473 and $25,310 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,838 sociology graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 103 colleges that offer a degree in sociology. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent sociology programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the sociology program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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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 Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Sociology in the Great Lakes Region
Out of the 103 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse landed the #1 spot on the list. La Crosse, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 52 students in 2019-2020.
UW - La Crosse not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is $14,580 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree sociology students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Out of the 103 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - River Falls landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Wisconsin - River Falls is located in River Falls, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s sociology degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $13,748 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree sociology students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls.
The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.
Read more about Sociology at University of Wisconsin - River Falls
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. This medium-sized school is located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and it awarded 97 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Stevens Point also took the #24 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is $14,465 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.
Read more about Sociology at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Whitewater, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 22 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UW - Whitewater is $15,249 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree sociology students.
Read more about Sociology at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater
Out of the 103 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University Northwest landed the #5 spot on the list. Purdue University Northwest is located in Hammond, Indiana and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 43 bachelors’s sociology degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Purdue University Northwest is $11,250 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.
Read full report on Sociology at Purdue University Northwest
Northern Illinois University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 72 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $18,259 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students per year to attend NIU.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. SIUE is located in Edwardsville, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 35 bachelors’s sociology degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for SIUE is $14,423 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.
Read more about Sociology at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
University of Wisconsin - Parkside landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Kenosha, Wisconsin, this small public school handed out 22 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend UW - Parkside is $11,327 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UW - Eau Claire is $16,020 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.
Eastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #10. Eastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Charleston, Illinois. It awarded 28 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend EIU is $14,607 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.
Read full report on Sociology at Eastern Illinois University
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #11. UW Oshkosh is located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 bachelors’s sociology degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is $15,463 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree sociology students.
Illinois State University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Illinois State University is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 76 bachelors’s sociology degrees to qualified students.
Illinois State also took the #21 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $20,895 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree sociology students per year to attend Illinois State University.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 15 degrees to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for WIU is $16,210 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.
With a ranking of #14, Western Michigan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Western Michigan University is a public institution located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 34 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Western Michigan University is $19,433 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.
Grand Valley State University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Allendale, Michigan, this large public school awarded 27 degrees to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $17,646 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree sociology students per year to attend Grand Valley State University.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 4 degrees to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $16,945 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.
With a ranking of #17, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this large public school handed out 69 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $17,876 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students per year to attend UWM.
Indiana University - East came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Indiana University - East is located in Richmond, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s sociology degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend IU East is $7,722 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.
With a ranking of #19, University of Southern Indiana did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Evansville, Indiana, this fairly large public school awarded 11 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern Indiana is $13,437 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree sociology students.
The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.
Youngstown State University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Youngstown State University is a fairly large public school situated in Youngstown, Ohio. It awarded 7 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Youngstown State University is $11,947 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.
Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Purdue University - Main Campus is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 95 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Purdue, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,986 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students per year to attend Purdue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 #22, Bowling Green State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large school is located in Bowling Green, Ohio, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend BGSU is $18,394 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.
With a ranking of #23, Chicago State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. CSU is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend CSU is $11,733 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree sociology students.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Eastern Michigan University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Eastern Michigan University is a fairly large school located in Ypsilanti, Michigan that handed out 15 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Eastern Michigan is $15,924 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.
Cleveland State University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Cleveland, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 29 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Cleveland State University is $17,278 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.
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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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