College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region

11 Ranked Colleges
946 Degrees Awarded
$22,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 6,430 people earned their degree in public policy, making the major the 113th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, public policy graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $49,451 and had an average of $21,866 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 946 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $49,270 and $20,394 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered a degree in public policy. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great public policy 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 policy program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Public Policy Rankings Other Ranking Categories

The public policy 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 Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k”.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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 Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region

1
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 411 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

UChicago also took the #1 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $19,895 for great lakes region public policy students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UChicago.

With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.

Full University of Chicago Public Policy Report

2
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #2 spot on the list. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 45 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $15,686 for great lakes region public policy students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Northwestern University.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Read full report on Public Policy at Northwestern

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k. U-M is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 225 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region public policy students whose families make $75-$110k list, U-M has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $17,207 for Great Lakes Region Public Policy students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 more about Public Policy at U-M

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. UW - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 96 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - Madison also took the #4 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $22,377 for Great Lakes Region Public Policy students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UW - Madison.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Public Policy at University of Wisconsin - Madison

5

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis landed the #5 spot on the list. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is a large school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 5 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

IUPUI also took the #8 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend IUPUI is $17,844 for great lakes region public policy students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 Policy at IUPUI

6

With a ranking of #6, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Ohio State University - Main Campus is located in Columbus, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 22 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region public policy students whose families make $75-$110k list, Ohio State has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus is $21,575 for Great Lakes Region Public Policy students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 Public Policy at Ohio State University - Main Campus

7

With a ranking of #7, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. UIC is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 27 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region public policy students whose families make $75-$110k list, UIC has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $19,839 for Great Lakes Region Public Policy students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 University of Illinois at Chicago Public Policy Report

8
Olivet Nazarene crest
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #8. Olivet Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bourbonnais, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Olivet Nazarene, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $21,860 for Great Lakes Region Public Policy students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Olivet Nazarene University.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Olivet Nazarene Public Policy Report

9
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in East Lansing, Michigan, this large public school awarded 30 degrees to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.

Michigan State also made our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State University is $25,297 for Great Lakes Region Public Policy students whose families make $75-$110k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, 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 Policy at Michigan State

10
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. DePaul University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 26 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

DePaul also made our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend DePaul University is $32,328 for great lakes region public policy students whose families make $75-$110k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full DePaul University Public Policy Report

11
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #11, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Loyola Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loyola Chicago, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola Chicago is $36,291 for great lakes region public policy students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read more about Public Policy at Loyola Chicago

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options