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2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region

43 Ranked Colleges
2,575 Degrees Awarded
$15,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Public Administration is the 60th most popular major in the country with 16,905 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, public administration graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $51,352 and had an average of $29,054 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 2,575 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $48,400 and $26,828 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 43 colleges that offer a degree in public administration. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent public administration 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 public administration program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Public Administration in the Great Lakes Region

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region. This fairly large school is located in Marion, Indiana, and it awarded 30 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

IWU also took the #4 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global is $18,904 for great lakes region public admin students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration at Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global

2
Central Michigan crest
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, Michigan

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Central Michigan University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region. This fairly large school is located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and it awarded 95 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Central Michigan also made our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Central Michigan University is $16,007 for great lakes region public admin students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%.

Full Central Michigan University Public Administration Report

3

Out of the 43 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Springfield, Illinois, this small public school handed out 71 degrees to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

UIS did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Springfield is $12,034 for Great Lakes Region Public Admin students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 UIS

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Grand Valley State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region. This large school is located in Allendale, Michigan, and it awarded 96 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

GVSU also made our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $17,356 for great lakes region public admin students per year to attend Grand Valley State University.

The low undergrad 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%.

Full GVSU Public Administration Report

5

Out of the 43 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school handed out 13 degrees to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

UW - La Crosse did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $14,654 for Great Lakes Region Public Admin students per year to attend UW - La Crosse.

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

6

Indiana University - South Bend landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in South Bend, Indiana, this small public school handed out 15 diplomas to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

Indiana University - South Bend not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - South Bend is $9,646 for Great Lakes Region Public Admin students.

Read full report on Public Administration at Indiana University - South Bend

7

With a ranking of #7, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 37 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend SIUE is $14,462 for Great Lakes Region Public Admin students.

Read full report on Public Administration at SIUE

8

University of Akron Main Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Akron, Ohio, and it awarded 8 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $17,945 for great lakes region public admin students per year to attend University of Akron Main Campus.

Full University of Akron Main Campus Public Administration Report

9
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, Illinois

With a ranking of #9, Aurora University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Aurora is a medium-sized school located in Aurora, Illinois that handed out 29 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Aurora not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Aurora University is $16,994 for Great Lakes Region Public Admin students.

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%.

Read more about Public Administration at Aurora University

10

Northern Illinois University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 35 degrees to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend NIU is $13,956 for Great Lakes Region Public Admin students.

Read more about Public Administration at Northern Illinois University

11

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Green Bay is a medium-sized school located in Green Bay, Wisconsin that handed out 16 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend UW - Green Bay is $13,092 for great lakes region public admin students.

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

12
Purdue University Global crest
Purdue University Global
Indianapolis, Indiana

Purdue University Global came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Indianapolis, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 52 students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Public Administration at Purdue University Global

13
Indiana State crest
Indiana State University
Terre Haute, Indiana

Indiana State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Terre Haute, Indiana, and it awarded 16 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $14,270 for great lakes region public admin students per year to attend Indiana State University.

Read more about Public Administration at Indiana State University

14

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Whitewater, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school awarded 11 degrees to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is $14,417 for great lakes region public admin students.

Read more about Public Administration at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

15

Indiana University - Northwest landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Indiana University - Northwest is a small public school situated in Gary, Indiana. It awarded 21 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

IU Northwest also made our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #22. The yearly cost to attend IU Northwest is $6,363 for Great Lakes Region Public Admin students.

Read full report on Public Administration at Indiana University - Northwest

16

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is a fairly large school located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin that handed out 32 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region public admin students list, UW Oshkosh has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW Oshkosh is $14,687 for Great Lakes Region Public Admin students.

Read more about Public Administration at UW Oshkosh

17
Eastern Michigan crest
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, Michigan

Eastern Michigan University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Eastern Michigan University is located in Ypsilanti, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 25 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Eastern Michigan, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,127 for Great Lakes Region Public Admin students per year to attend Eastern Michigan.

Read more about Public Administration at Eastern Michigan

18

Ohio University - Athens Campus came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Athens, Ohio, this large public school handed out 63 degrees to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at OHIO Athens, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $23,831 for great lakes region public admin students per year to attend Ohio University - Athens Campus.

Read full report on Public Administration at OHIO Athens

19

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, this large public school awarded 190 degrees to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

IUPUI also made our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is $12,416 for Great Lakes Region Public Admin students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.

Read full report on Public Administration at IUPUI

20
Northern Michigan University crest
Northern Michigan University
Marquette, Michigan

Northern Michigan University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #20. This medium-sized school is located in Marquette, Michigan, and it awarded 10 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Northern Michigan University is $15,214 for Great Lakes Region Public Admin students.

Full Northern Michigan University Public Administration Report

21
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. DePaul University is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 50 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

DePaul did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul University is $31,174 for great lakes region public admin students.

The low undergrad 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 DePaul

22
Franklin University crest
Franklin University
Columbus, Ohio

Franklin University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Franklin University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 41 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Franklin University, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $7,201 for great lakes region public admin students per year to attend Franklin University.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Franklin University Public Administration Report

23
Oakland crest
Oakland University
Rochester Hills, Michigan

Oakland University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, this fairly large public school handed out 24 degrees to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

Oakland also made our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for Oakland is $13,449 for great lakes region public admin students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 Oakland University

24

Cleveland State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, this fairly large public school awarded 31 degrees to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

Cleveland State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $16,943 for great lakes region public admin students per year to attend Cleveland State University.

Read more about Public Administration at Cleveland State University

25

University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school handed out 55 degrees to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

UIC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Chicago is $13,214 for great lakes region public admin students.

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%.

Read more about Public Administration at University of Illinois at Chicago

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