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2021 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region for Students from Germany

55 Colleges
$42,382 Avg Tuition & Fees*
58% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

When pursuing a degree in today's world, international students have many different options to choose from. 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 German Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking is part of that endeavor.

We analyzed 55 colleges and universities across the Great Lakes Region to determine which were the best for German students in the Great Lakes Region. Our ranking methodology focuses a number of different objective factors - such as the overall quality of the school, number of total international students at the school, and the percentage of international students on campus - to make this determination.

Get more details on our ranking methodology.

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Top Colleges in the Great Lakes Region for Students from Germany

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1

Our analysis found University of Chicago to be the best school for German students in the Great Lakes Region in this year’s ranking. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 2,163 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 26.6% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at UChicago are China, India, and South Korea.

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

Full University of Chicago Report

2

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for German students in the Great Lakes Region. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the large public school awarded 9,144 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 13.9% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at U-M are China, India, and South Korea.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read full report on University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #3 in this year’s ranking. Located in Evanston, Illinois, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 2,722 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 16.3% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Northwestern are China, India, and South Korea.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Northwestern University

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #4 in this year’s ranking. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 9,305 students in 2020-2021.

Around 19.2% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at UIUC come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.

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…

5

Out of the 55 schools 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 located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9,926 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Around 13.2% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at UW - Madison come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.

Read More…

6

Michigan State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for German Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large public school is located in East Lansing, Michigan, and it awarded 9,450 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 9.1% are international. Students from as far away as China, South Korea, and India come to Michigan State to study.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Michigan State University

7

With a ranking of #7, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students in the Great Lakes Region. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large public school located in Bloomington, Indiana that handed out 7,959 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 10.2% are international. Students studying at IU Bloomington come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.

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

Read full report on Indiana University - Bloomington

8

University of Notre Dame ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges for German Students in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Notre Dame, Indiana, and it awarded 2,848 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 10.6% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Notre Dame to study.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read More…

9

Milwaukee School of Engineering ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges for German Students in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 540 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 3.5% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at MSOE are Saudi Arabia, China, and India.

Full Milwaukee School of Engineering Report

10

Case Western Reserve University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 1,541 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 18.1% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Case Western are China, India, and South Korea.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read More…

11

Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #11. This large public school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 12,018 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 9.1% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Ohio State are China, India, and South Korea.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Ohio State University - Main Campus Report

12

Illinois Institute of Technology ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges for German Students in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 620 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 33.9% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and Spain come to Illinois Tech to study.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Illinois Institute of Technology Report

13

Loyola University Chicago ranked #13 on this year’s Best Colleges for German Students in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 3,353 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 3.8% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Loyola Chicago are China, India, and Saudi Arabia.

Full Loyola University Chicago Report

14

Principia College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for German Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Elsah, Illinois, and it awarded 102 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 20.9% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Principia come from such countries as Kenya, Canada, and Brazil.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Principia College

15

University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #15. UIC is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 5,247 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 10.4% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at UIC are India, China, and Iran.

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Report

16

DePaul University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 3,335 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Around 5.1% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at DePaul are China, India, and Saudi Arabia.

Read full report on DePaul University

17

University of Dayton landed the #17 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students in the Great Lakes Region. Located in Dayton, Ohio, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2,123 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 8.5% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at UDayton are China, Saudi Arabia, and India.

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

Read full report on University of Dayton

18

With a ranking of #18, University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students in the Great Lakes Region. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, the large public school awarded 6,500 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 7.3% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at UC are India, China, and South Korea.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Report

19

Marquette University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #19. Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2,386 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 3.2% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Marquette come from such countries as China, India, and Bangladesh.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Marquette University

20
Knox crest
Knox College
Galesburg, IL

Knox College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for German Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Galesburg, Illinois, and it awarded 318 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 15.8% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, Pakistan, and India come to Knox to study.

Read full report on Knox College

21

School of the Art Institute of Chicago landed the #21 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students in the Great Lakes Region. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 588 students in 2020-2021.

Around 30.8% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, South Korea, and India come to School of the Art Institute of Chicago to study.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on School of the Art Institute of Chicago

22

Illinois State University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for German Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Illinois State is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4,745 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Of the total number of students at the school, 2.6% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Illinois State are India, Panama, and China.

Read full report on Illinois State University

23

Wayne State University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Colleges for German Students in the Great Lakes Region list. Wayne State is a public institution located in Detroit, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4,208 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 4.3% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as India, Canada, and China come to Wayne State to study.

Full Wayne State University Report

24

Grand Valley State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for German Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Allendale, Michigan, the large public school awarded 5,263 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Around 1.3% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at GVSU come from such countries as India, China, and Saudi Arabia.

Full Grand Valley State University Report

25
Lewis crest
Lewis University
Romeoville, IL

Lewis University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for German Students in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Romeoville, Illinois, and it awarded 1,119 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 2.5% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Lewis come from such countries as Saudi Arabia, India, and China.

Read More…

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 25 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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