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2023 Most Focused Colleges for Public Policy in the Great Lakes Region

20 Ranked Colleges
946 Degrees Awarded
$34,500 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region” 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 “Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 20 colleges that offered a degree in public policy. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their public policy program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region” 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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region”.

Top 20 Most Focused Colleges for Public Policy 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 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 411 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. 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%.

Read full report on Public Policy at UChicago

2
Adler crest
Adler University
Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 20 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Adler University landed the #2 spot on the list. Adler University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 15 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Public Policy at Adler University

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 225 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Policy at U-M

4

Out of the 20 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Michigan Technological University landed the #4 spot on the list. Michigan Technological University is a medium-sized school located in Houghton, Michigan that handed out 10 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Michigan Tech Public Policy Report

5
Albion crest
Albion College
Albion, Michigan

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Albion College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Albion College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Albion, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Public Policy at Albion College

6
Xavier crest
Xavier University
Cincinnati, Ohio

Xavier University ranked #6 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Cincinnati, Ohio is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 full report on Public Policy at Xavier University

7
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 45 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

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

8
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region 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.

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

9

University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UIC is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 27 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

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 Policy at UIC

10
Olivet Nazarene crest
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Olivet Nazarene University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bourbonnais, Illinois. It awarded 4 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

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%.

Read more about Public Policy at Olivet Nazarene University

11
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

With a ranking of #11, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Michigan State is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 30 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Public Policy at Michigan State University

12

University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 96 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.

Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Public Policy Report

13
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 8 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Public Policy at Loyola University Chicago

14

Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this large public school awarded 22 degrees to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, 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 Public Policy at Ohio State

15

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis ranked #15 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region list. IUPUI is a public institution located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

16
IU Bloomington crest
Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana

Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 3 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Indiana University - Bloomington Public Policy Report

17
Knox crest
Knox College
Galesburg, Illinois

Knox College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Galesburg, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 0 degrees to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Knox Public Policy Report

17

With a ranking of #17, University of Michigan - Dearborn did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Dearborn, Michigan is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 0 students in 2020-2021.

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 full report on Public Policy at UM Dearborn

17

University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #17. Located in Springfield, Illinois, this small public school awarded 0 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UIS Public Policy Report

17
NLU crest
National Louis University
Chicago, Illinois

National Louis University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. National Louis University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 0 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

Read full report on Public Policy at National Louis University

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