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

20 Ranked Colleges
946 Degrees Awarded
$34,500 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Public Policy is the 113th most popular major in the country with 6,430 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 “Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking looked at 20 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public policy. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular public policy programs in the United States.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 “Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region” list to help you make the college decision.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region public policy students.

1
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 20 schools in the Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #1 spot on the list. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 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%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. 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.

Read more about Public Policy at University of Chicago

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region. U-M is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 225 ’s public policy 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%.

Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Public Policy Report

3
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 20 schools in the Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #3 spot on the list. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 45 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Northwestern Public Policy Report

4
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

Out of the 20 schools in the Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Michigan State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Michigan State University is a large public school situated in East Lansing, Michigan. It awarded 30 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%.

Read full report on Public Policy at Michigan State

5

Out of the 20 schools in the Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #5 spot on the list. UW - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 96 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, 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 95%.

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

6

University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #6. UIC is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

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

7
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 26 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Policy at DePaul University

8

Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ohio State is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 22 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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%.

Full Ohio State Public Policy Report

9
Adler crest
Adler University
Chicago, Illinois

Adler University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Adler 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.

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. 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%.

Read more about Public Policy at Adler University

10
Xavier crest
Xavier University
Cincinnati, Ohio

Xavier University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Xavier University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Cincinnati, Ohio. It awarded 11 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read more about Public Policy at Xavier University

11

With a ranking of #11, Michigan Technological University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Houghton, Michigan is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Policy at Michigan Technological University

12
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. 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.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Loyola Chicago Public Policy Report

13
Olivet Nazarene crest
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Olivet Nazarene University is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

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%.

Read more about Public Policy at Olivet Nazarene University

13

With a ranking of #13, Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended 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 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 Policy at IUPUI

15

Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region list. 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.

Read full report on Public Policy at Indiana University - Bloomington

16
Albion crest
Albion College
Albion, Michigan

Albion College ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Albion, Michigan, and it awarded 2 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Public Policy at Albion

17

University of Michigan - Dearborn landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. 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 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 UM Dearborn Public Policy Report

17
Knox crest
Knox College
Galesburg, Illinois

Knox College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #17. Galesburg, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 0 students in 2020-2021.

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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Public Policy at Knox

17
NLU crest
National Louis University
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #17, National Louis University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 0 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Public Policy at National Louis University

17

University of Illinois at Springfield ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Springfield, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 0 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%.

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

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