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2023 Best Value Colleges for Sociology (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region

79 Ranked Colleges
3,143 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Sociology is the 20th most popular major in the country with 38,394 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 3,143 sociology graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 79 colleges that offered a degree in sociology. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality sociology programs that also have a lower cost than 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 sociology program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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The sociology school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Sociology (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region

1
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 44 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region sociology students whose families make $48-$75k list, Northwestern has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $5,849 for great lakes region sociology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Northwestern.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 0.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read more about Sociology at Northwestern

2
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k. UChicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 68 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UChicago is $8,375 for Great Lakes Region Sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. 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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Sociology at UChicago

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 155 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $10,481 for Great Lakes Region Sociology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read full report on Sociology at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

4
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

Out of the 79 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. Purdue University - Main Campus is a public institution located in West Lafayette, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 119 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region sociology students whose families make $48-$75k list, Purdue has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue University - Main Campus is $8,450 for great lakes region sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Read more about Sociology at Purdue University - Main Campus

5

Out of the 79 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #5 spot on the list. UW - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 129 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - Madison also took the #4 spot in our “Best Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW - Madison is $10,364 for great lakes region sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UW - Madison Sociology Report

6
IU Bloomington crest
Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana

With a ranking of #6, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Bloomington, Indiana, this large public school handed out 66 diplomas to qualified ’s sociology students in 2020-2021.

IU Bloomington did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend IU Bloomington is $12,369 for great lakes region sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Sociology at Indiana University - Bloomington

7
Notre Dame crest
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana

University of Notre Dame came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Notre Dame, Indiana. It awarded 54 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

Notre Dame also took the #3 spot in our “Best Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Notre Dame is $14,020 for Great Lakes Region Sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 Notre Dame

8

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 75 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region sociology students whose families make $48-$75k list, UIUC has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $11,505 for great lakes region sociology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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%. 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 more about Sociology at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

9

Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Ohio State is a large school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 107 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ohio State, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State University - Main Campus is $13,273 for Great Lakes Region Sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Ohio State University - Main Campus Sociology Report

10
Kenyon crest
Kenyon College
Gambier, Ohio

Kenyon College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Kenyon is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Gambier, Ohio. It awarded 16 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region sociology students whose families make $48-$75k list, Kenyon has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $20,727 for Great Lakes Region Sociology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Kenyon College.

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 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Kenyon College Sociology Report

11
Beloit crest
Beloit College
Beloit, Wisconsin

Beloit College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Beloit, Wisconsin is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s sociology degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Beloit, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Beloit College is $10,850 for great lakes region sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. 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.

Read more about Sociology at Beloit College

12

With a ranking of #12, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 81 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $14,105 for great lakes region sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Read more about Sociology at University of Illinois at Chicago

13
Oakland crest
Oakland University
Rochester Hills, Michigan

Oakland University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Rochester Hills, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s sociology degrees to 36 students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $12,008 for Great Lakes Region Sociology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Oakland.

The undergrad 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 more about Sociology at Oakland University

14

University of Wisconsin - River Falls landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in River Falls, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school handed out 21 degrees to qualified ’s sociology students in 2020-2021.

UW - River Falls did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - River Falls is $14,528 for great lakes region sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.0% 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%.

Read more about Sociology at University of Wisconsin - River Falls

15

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #15. University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is a public institution located in Whitewater, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 55 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - Whitewater not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is $14,226 for great lakes region sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full UW - Whitewater Sociology Report

16
DePauw crest
DePauw University
Greencastle, Indiana

With a ranking of #16, DePauw University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. DePauw University is a small school located in Greencastle, Indiana that handed out 15 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region sociology students whose families make $48-$75k list, DePauw has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $22,316 for Great Lakes Region Sociology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend DePauw.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.

Read more about Sociology at DePauw University

17

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UW - La Crosse is a public institution located in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 43 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is $13,198 for Great Lakes Region Sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Sociology at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

18
Wayne State crest
Wayne State University
Detroit, Michigan

Wayne State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #18. This large school is located in Detroit, Michigan, and it awarded 49 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Wayne State is $13,612 for great lakes region sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Sociology at Wayne State

19

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and it awarded 90 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for UW - Stevens Point is $13,560 for great lakes region sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Sociology Report

20

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is a public institution located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 31 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is $13,306 for Great Lakes Region Sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Sociology Report

21

With a ranking of #21, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is located in Edwardsville, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 ’s sociology degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for SIUE is $12,950 for Great Lakes Region Sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full SIUE Sociology Report

22

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and it awarded 39 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend UW - Eau Claire is $14,737 for great lakes region sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Sociology Report

23

University of Wisconsin - Parkside landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Wisconsin - Parkside is a small public school situated in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It awarded 29 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Parkside is $12,061 for Great Lakes Region Sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Sociology at University of Wisconsin - Parkside

24
EIU crest
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Eastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Charleston, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 26 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for EIU is $12,675 for great lakes region sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full EIU Sociology Report

25

Purdue University Northwest landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Hammond, Indiana is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s sociology degrees to 31 students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Purdue University Northwest is $12,829 for Great Lakes Region Sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Purdue Northwest Sociology Report

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