2023 Best Schools for the Money (No Aid) in the Great Lakes Region
417Colleges
$11,457Avg Undergrad Tuition & Fees*
$8,039Avg Room & Board*
It's not easy to decide which school to attend when you have so many options available. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Colleges for the Money in the Great Lakes Region ranking is part of that endeavor.
After analyzing 417 schools in the Great Lakes Region , we came up with our list of those that offered the best value programs. To come up with this ranking of the best value schools, we look at factors that are all objective measurements. In the next few paragraphs, we'll talk a little about what we use in our analysis and why.
Our Methodology
To determine the value of a school in our Best Colleges for the Money in the Great Lakes Region ranking, we first add average tuition, fees, and room and board costs (without aid) together.
But, a school that excels in providing value for your money must also be a great school overall as well.
To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Want to see the list of best value schools for families with specific income levels or whether or not aid is being applied? Click on one of the tiles above. If you'd rather work on your degree in a specific area of the country, you might be interested in our rankings by place. Also, you may want to check out our other college rankings.
If you know what major you want to study, check out our list of the best value schools by major. If you're interested in other degree levels, you can view one of the lists below.
Eastern Gateway Community College tops this year’s ranking as the best value (no aid) school in the Great Lakes Region for overall quality. Eastern Gateway Community College is a large public school situated in Steubenville, Ohio.
Not only is Eastern Gateway Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #15 in Ohio for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $11,622 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $3,600 per year for graduate students.
The quality degree programs at Moody Bible Institute helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of Best Colleges for the Money in the Great Lakes Region. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
The average cost without aid for the school is $26,435 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $21,370 per year for graduate students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northcentral Technical College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Colleges for the Money in the Great Lakes Region list. Northcentral Technical College is a medium-sized public school located in Wausau, Wisconsin.
Northcentral Technical College has the honor of being ranked #20 in Wisconsin for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $11,855 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $6,440 per year for graduate students.
A rank of #4 on our Best Colleges for the Money in the Great Lakes Region list means Western Technical College is a great place for students working on their degree. This small public school is located in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Not only is Western Technical College a great value, but it is also ranked #17 in Wisconsin for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $13,659 a year for undergraduates. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $6,972 a year.
The quality degree programs at Gateway Technical College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of Best Colleges for the Money in the Great Lakes Region. Gateway Technical College is a public institution located in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Gateway Technical College has the honor of being ranked #11 in Wisconsin for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $14,647 a year. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $7,844 a year.
Ivy Tech Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the Great Lakes Region list. This large public school is located in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Ivy Tech Community College has the honor of being ranked #9 in Indiana for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $16,735 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $7,808 per year for graduate students.
University of Northwestern Ohio did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for the Money in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #7. Lima, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Northwestern Ohio is ranked #11 for quality in the state of Ohio. The average cost without aid for the school is $18,519 a year for undergraduates. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $17,878 a year.
Lincoln Christian University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Lincoln Christian College and Seminary is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lincoln, Illinois.
The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $22,310 a year. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $16,602 a year.
Fox College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the Great Lakes Region list. Fox College is a small private for-profit school situated in Bedford Park, Illinois.
The average cost without aid for the school is $21,640 a year for undergraduates. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $6,200 a year.
Cincinnati State Technical and Community College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for the Money in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Cincinnati, Ohio is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Cincinnati State Technical and Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #21 in Ohio for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $14,220 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $5,130 per year for graduate students.
Fox Valley Technical College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Appleton, Wisconsin, the school is a fairly large public institution.
Not only is Fox Valley Technical College a great value, but it is also ranked #22 in Wisconsin for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $14,705 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $7,844 per year for graduate students.
Chippewa Valley Technical College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the Great Lakes Region list. Eau Claire, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Chippewa Valley Technical College has the honor of being ranked #25 in Wisconsin for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $14,527 a year for undergraduates. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $7,844 a year.
Macomb Community College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for the Money in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #13. Macomb Community College is a public institution located in Warren, Michigan.
Macomb Community College has the honor of being ranked #18 in Michigan for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $15,850 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $8,170 per year for graduate students.
Concordia University, Chicago landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for the Money in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Concordia University, Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in River Forest, Illinois.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Concordia University, Chicago is ranked #9 for quality in the state of Illinois. The average cost without aid for the school is $44,740 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $19,808 per year for graduate students.
Purdue University Global did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for the Money in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, the school is a large public institution.
Purdue University Global has the honor of being ranked #12 in Indiana for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $19,566 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $15,712 per year for graduate students.
With a ranking of #16, Elgin Community College did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for the Money in the Great Lakes Region list. This medium-sized public school is located in Elgin, Illinois.
Not only is Elgin Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #37 in Illinois for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $15,141 a year. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $5,625 a year.
Rasmussen University - Illinois landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for the Money in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Rockford, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a private for-profit school.
Rasmussen University - Illinois has the honor of being ranked #12 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $22,604 a year. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $14,336 a year.
University of Wisconsin - La Crosse landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for the Money in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, the school is a fairly large public institution.
University of Wisconsin - La Crosse has the honor of being ranked #3 in Wisconsin for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $24,784 a year for undergraduates. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $26,843 a year.
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the school is a fairly large public institution.
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College has the honor of being ranked #30 in Wisconsin for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $14,649 a year. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $7,800 a year.
With a ranking of #20, Chamberlain University - Illinois did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for the Money in the Great Lakes Region list. Chamberlain - Illinois is a private for-profit institution located in Addison, Illinois.
The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $33,258 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $27,098 per year for graduate students.
With a ranking of #21, Oakland Community College did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for the Money in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, the school is a fairly large public institution.
Oakland Community College has the honor of being ranked #26 in Michigan for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $13,160 a year for undergraduates. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $7,960 a year.
Sinclair Community College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Sinclair Community College is a public institution located in Dayton, Ohio.
Sinclair Community College has the honor of being ranked #35 in Ohio for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $13,440 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $5,364 per year for graduate students.
University of Wisconsin - River Falls ranked #23 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in River Falls, Wisconsin, the school is a medium-sized public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Wisconsin - River Falls is ranked #5 for quality in the state of Wisconsin. The average cost without aid for the school is $22,769 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $25,363 per year for graduate students.
Southwest Wisconsin Technical College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Southwest Wisconsin Technical College is a small public school located in Fennimore, Wisconsin.
Southwest Wisconsin Technical College has the honor of being ranked #32 in Wisconsin for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $14,527 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $7,844 per year for graduate students.
McCormick Theological Seminary landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for the Money in the Great Lakes Region ranking. McCormick Theological Seminary is a small private not-for-profit school located in Chicago, Illinois.
The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $11,000 a year. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $20,410 a year.
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%.
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