2024 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
417
Colleges
$68,251
Avg Salary*
68%
Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*
With all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our Top Great Lakes Region Colleges ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
We analyzed 417 colleges and universities across the Great Lakes Region to determine which were the best in terms of overall quality. To come up with this ranking, we look at more than 20 factors that are all objective measurements. These factors include freshman retention, graduation rate, student-to-faculty ratio, and post graduate earnings, among other things.
Find out more about our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
We've developed a number of other tools and rankings to help you make your college decision. Start by filtering this list by location or field of study and then explore our other rankings that feature schools great for different groups of students such as veterans or returnings adults.
We've created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you're torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another!
Top Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
University of Chicago tops this year’s ranking as the best school in the Great Lakes Region for overall quality. UChicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6,805 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from UChicago go into careers with an average salary of $76,730 during the early years of their career.
Full University of Chicago Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 9,290 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 6 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern go into careers with an average salary of $80,033 during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Northwestern University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Notre Dame. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Notre Dame, Indiana, and it awarded 4,431 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame make an average of $88,962 per year during the early years of their career.
Read full report on University of Notre Dame
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Chicago. It ranked #4 on our 2024 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list. The Chicago School Chicago Campus is located in Chicago, Illinois and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 393 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $52,835 during the early years of their career..
Read full report on The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Chicago
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #5 on our 2024 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large public school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 15,915 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The 4-year grad rate at the school is 80%. That’s impressive when you compare it to the national rate of 33%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from U-M go into careers with an average salary of $75,842 during the early years of their career.
Read full report on University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #6 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 17,417 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UW - Madison is $65,213 during the early years of their career.
Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Report
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 15,117 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UIUC is $71,539 during the early years of their career.
Read full report on University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Illinois College of Optometry ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list. Illinois College of Optometry is a small private not-for-profit school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 126 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Illinois College of Optometry
Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list. Purdue is a public institution located in West Lafayette, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12,568 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $65,257 during the early years of their career..
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Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #10 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking. IU Bloomington is a public institution located in Bloomington, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11,649 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from IU Bloomington make an average of $58,814 per year during the early years of their career.
Full Indiana University - Bloomington Report
Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology is a small private not-for-profit school located in Terre Haute, Indiana that handed out 502 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology go into careers with an average salary of $94,131 during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology
Moody Bible Institute landed the #12 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 716 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%
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With a ranking of #13, Adler University did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 500 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%
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Case Western Reserve University landed the #14 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking.Cleveland, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 3,885 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Case Western make an average of $78,330 per year during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Case Western Reserve University
Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #15. Ohio State is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 16,838 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Ohio State is $55,332 during the early years of their career.
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With a ranking of #16, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in East Lansing, Michigan, the large public school awarded 13,487 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $61,101 during the early years of their career..
Read full report on Michigan State University
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science ranked #17 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list. Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science is a small private not-for-profit school located in North Chicago, Illinois that handed out 632 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%
Read full report on Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
Rush University landed the #18 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 815 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive student-to-faculty rate of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $73,727 during the early years of their career..
Full Rush University Report
Midwestern University - Downers Grove came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking.Downers Grove, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 910 students in 2020-2021.
Full Midwestern University - Downers Grove Report
With a ranking of #20, Michigan Technological University did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list.Houghton, Michigan is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,820 students in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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% During the early years of their career, graduates from Michigan Tech make an average of $73,541 a year.
Full Michigan Technological University Report
Fox College landed the #21 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Fox College is located in Tinley Park, Illinois and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 297 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Fox College go into careers with an average salary of $36,715 during the early years of their career.
Full Fox College Report
Miami University - Oxford ranked #22 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Oxford, Ohio, the fairly large public school awarded 5,964 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $54,650 during the early years of their career..
Read More…
With a ranking of #23, Marquette University did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region list. Marquette is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3,619 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Marquette make an average of $72,489 a year.
Read full report on Marquette University
Loyola University Chicago landed the #24 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 5,599 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Loyola Chicago is $63,232 during the early years of their career.
Full Loyola University Chicago Report
Butler University did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #25. Butler University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 1,561 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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% Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Butler go into careers with an average salary of $66,540 during the early years of their career.
Full Butler University Report
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