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

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

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 17,269 people earned their degree in public administration, making the major the 47th most popular in the United States.

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” ranking analyzed 21 colleges that offered a degree 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the public administration program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Public Administration Schools

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 Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public admin students.

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

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - La Crosse is a fairly large school located in La Crosse, Wisconsin that handed out 24 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree public admin students list, UW - La Crosse has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW - La Crosse is $14,580 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public admin 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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Administration at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

#2

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin
#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Stevens Point is a medium-sized public school situated in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. It awarded 1 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Stevens Point also made our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $14,465 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public admin students per year to attend UW - Stevens Point.

Read full report on Public Administration at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

#9 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. UW - Whitewater is located in Whitewater, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree public admin students list, UW - Whitewater has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is $15,249 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students.

Read more about Public Administration at UW - Whitewater

#10 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Green Bay. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. UW - Green Bay is located in Green Bay, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 bachelors’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

UW - Green Bay also took the #10 spot in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $14,395 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Green Bay.

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

#5

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, Michigan
#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Grand Valley State University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Grand Valley State University is located in Allendale, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 63 bachelors’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

GVSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Grand Valley State University is $17,646 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public admin students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 Public Administration at Grand Valley State University

#5 in overall quality

Mount Vernon Nazarene University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Mount Vernon, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s public admin degrees to 3 students 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 MVNU is $20,282 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public admin students.

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

#14 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Springfield came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UIS is a public institution located in Springfield, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIS, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $12,477 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students per year to attend University of Illinois at Springfield.

Full UIS Public Administration Report

#8

Cleveland State University

Cleveland, Ohio
#13 in overall quality

Cleveland State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Cleveland State University is a public institution located in Cleveland, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Cleveland State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $17,278 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students per year to attend Cleveland State University.

Read more about Public Administration at Cleveland State University

#9

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, Michigan
#11 in overall quality

Central Michigan University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Central Michigan University is a fairly large public school situated in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. It awarded 20 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

Central Michigan did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Central Michigan is $15,981 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students.

Read more about Public Administration at Central Michigan University

#10

Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, Indiana
#16 in overall quality

Purdue University Fort Wayne ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. PFW is a medium-sized public school situated in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It awarded 45 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

PFW also made our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #16. The estimated yearly cost for PFW is $10,912 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students.

Read full report on Public Administration at Purdue University Fort Wayne

#11

Eastern Michigan University

Ypsilanti, Michigan
#20 in overall quality

Eastern Michigan University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin 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 16 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree public admin students list, Eastern Michigan has also earned the #20 rank 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.

Read more about Public Administration at Eastern Michigan

#18 in overall quality

Indiana University - Northwest landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. IU Northwest is a small public school situated in Gary, Indiana. It awarded 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. The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Northwest is $7,755 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public admin students.

Read more about Public Administration at IU Northwest

#13

Franklin University

Columbus, Ohio
#21 in overall quality

Franklin University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s public admin degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree public admin students list, Franklin University has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Franklin University is $12,895 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students.

Read more about Public Administration at Franklin University

#14

Cedarville University

Cedarville, Ohio
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, Cedarville University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Cedarville, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s public admin degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree public admin students list, Cedarville has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cedarville University is $21,727 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public admin students.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read more about Public Administration at Cedarville

#15

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan
#15 in overall quality

Oakland University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Oakland University is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

Oakland not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #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.

Read more about Public Administration at Oakland

#6 in overall quality

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is located in Indianapolis, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 90 bachelors’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

IUPUI also took the #6 spot in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $11,285 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students per year to attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis.

Read more about Public Administration at Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

#17

Saginaw Valley State University

University Center, Michigan
#17 in overall quality

Saginaw Valley State University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in University Center, Michigan, this medium-sized public school handed out 2 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public admin students in 2019-2020.

Saginaw Valley State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Saginaw Valley State University is $14,248 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public admin students.

Read full report on Public Administration at Saginaw Valley State University

#18

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#1 in overall quality

Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Indiana University - Bloomington is a public institution located in Bloomington, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 593 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

IU Bloomington not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend IU Bloomington is $13,253 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree public admin students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read full report on Public Administration at IU Bloomington

#2 in overall quality

Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #19. Ohio State is located in Columbus, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 93 bachelors’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ohio State, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State is $17,616 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full Ohio State Public Administration Report

#20

Wayne State University

Detroit, Michigan
#19 in overall quality

Wayne State 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 ranking. Wayne State is a public institution located in Detroit, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Wayne State also made our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #19. The estimated yearly cost for Wayne State is $13,965 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students.

Read more about Public Administration at Wayne State University

#12 in overall quality

Miami University - Oxford came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Miami University - Oxford is located in Oxford, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 22 bachelors’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

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.

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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