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

21 Ranked Colleges
1,075 Degrees Awarded
$15,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Public Admin 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.

Public Administration is the 47th most popular major in the country with 17,269 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 2,650 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,075 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 21 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public administration. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great public administration programs and cost less that 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 public administration program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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 Public Admin 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 public admin students with aid.

Top 21 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

#1

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 21 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #1 spot on the list. Indiana University - Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 593 bachelors’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at IU Bloomington, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,253 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public admin students with aid per year to attend Indiana University - Bloomington.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration at Indiana University - Bloomington

#18 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Northwest. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Indiana University - Northwest is a small school located in Gary, Indiana that handed out 5 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

IU Northwest also made our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #18. It costs about $7,755 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public admin students with aid per year to attend Indiana University - Northwest.

Read more about Public Administration at Indiana University - Northwest

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. UW - La Crosse is located in La Crosse, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 bachelors’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

UW - La Crosse did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW - La Crosse is $14,580 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%.

Read full report on Public Administration at UW - La Crosse

#6 in overall quality

Out of the 21 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it awarded 90 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

IUPUI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend IUPUI is $11,285 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public admin students with aid.

Read full report on Public Administration at IUPUI

#10 in overall quality

Out of the 21 schools in the Best Value Public Admin 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 - Green Bay landed the #5 spot on the list. UW - Green Bay is a medium-sized school located in Green Bay, Wisconsin that handed out 19 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Green Bay did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Green Bay is $14,395 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public admin students with aid.

Read full report on Public Administration at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

#6

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin
#7 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

UW - Stevens Point not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is $14,465 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public admin students with aid.

Read more about Public Administration at UW - Stevens Point

#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. UW - Whitewater is a fairly large school located in Whitewater, Wisconsin that handed out 16 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Whitewater did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is $15,249 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students with aid.

Read more about Public Administration at UW - Whitewater

#14 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Springfield, Illinois, this small public school awarded 3 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s public admin students in 2019-2020.

UIS also took the #14 spot in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIS is $12,477 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students with aid.

Read full report on Public Administration at University of Illinois at Springfield

#9

Franklin University

Columbus, Ohio
#21 in overall quality

Franklin University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Franklin University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree public admin students with aid list, Franklin University has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $12,895 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public admin students with aid per year to attend Franklin University.

Read more about Public Administration at Franklin University

#10

Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, Indiana
#16 in overall quality

Purdue University Fort Wayne came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Purdue University Fort Wayne is a medium-sized school located in Fort Wayne, Indiana that handed out 45 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

PFW did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Purdue University Fort Wayne is $10,912 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public admin students with aid.

Full PFW Public Administration Report

#2 in overall quality

Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a large school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 93 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

Ohio State also took the #2 spot in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $17,616 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public admin students with aid per year to attend Ohio State.

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

Full Ohio State University - Main Campus Public Administration Report

#12

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, Michigan
#11 in overall quality

Central Michigan University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Central Michigan is a public institution located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Central Michigan also took the #11 spot in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,981 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students with aid per year to attend Central Michigan University.

Read more about Public Administration at Central Michigan University

#13

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, Michigan
#8 in overall quality

Grand Valley State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Allendale, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public admin degrees to 63 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at GVSU, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $17,646 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students with aid per year to attend GVSU.

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%.

Read full report on Public Administration at GVSU

#14

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan
#15 in overall quality

Oakland University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Rochester Hills, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public admin degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

Oakland did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Oakland is $11,802 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public admin students with aid.

Read full report on Public Administration at Oakland

#15

Cleveland State University

Cleveland, Ohio
#13 in overall quality

Cleveland State University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cleveland State University is a fairly large school located in Cleveland, Ohio that handed out 14 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cleveland State University, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cleveland State University is $17,278 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students with aid.

Read full report on Public Administration at Cleveland State University

#16

Saginaw Valley State University

University Center, Michigan
#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, Saginaw Valley State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Saginaw Valley State University is located in University Center, Michigan and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

Saginaw Valley State University also made our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #17. It costs about $14,248 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students with aid per year to attend Saginaw Valley State University.

Read full report on Public Administration at Saginaw Valley State University

#17

Wayne State University

Detroit, Michigan
#19 in overall quality

Wayne State University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Wayne State is located in Detroit, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 bachelors’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree public admin students with aid list, Wayne State has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Wayne State University is $13,965 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public admin students with aid.

Read full report on Public Administration at Wayne State University

#18

Eastern Michigan University

Ypsilanti, Michigan
#20 in overall quality

With a ranking of #18, Eastern Michigan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

Eastern Michigan also took the #20 spot in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Eastern Michigan is $15,924 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students with aid.

Full Eastern Michigan Public Administration Report

#19

Mount Vernon Nazarene University

Mount Vernon, Ohio
#5 in overall quality

Mount Vernon Nazarene University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Mount Vernon, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

MVNU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Mount Vernon Nazarene University is $20,282 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students with aid.

The 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 Public Administration at MVNU

#20

Cedarville University

Cedarville, Ohio
#4 in overall quality

Cedarville University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cedarville is a small school located in Cedarville, Ohio that handed out 1 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cedarville, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cedarville is $21,727 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students with aid.

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

Full Cedarville Public Administration Report

#12 in overall quality

Miami University - Oxford did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. This fairly large school is located in Oxford, Ohio, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

Miami University - Oxford also took the #12 spot in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Miami University - Oxford is $24,323 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students with aid.

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 more about Public Administration at Miami University - Oxford

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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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