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Best Value Computer Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

69 Colleges
$19,093 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$64,824 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Computer Science School for You

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, computer science was ranked #12 in the country. In fact 59,565 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Computer Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This report analyzed 69 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best value programs for compsci students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Computer Science Colleges.

Top 10 Best Computer Science Schools

#1

Ivy Tech Community College

Indianapolis, IN

Our analysis found Ivy Tech Community College to be the best value school for computer science students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . Ivy Tech Community College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Indianapolis.

Ivy Tech Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $8,927 in tuition and fees each year.

Ivy Tech Community College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Computer Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

Full Computer Science at Ivy Tech Community College Report

#2

Henry Ford College

Dearborn, MI
$7,192 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Henry Ford College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Henry Ford College is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of Dearborn.

Henry Ford College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,192 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Computer Science at Henry Ford College

$11,496 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best computer science schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SIUE are $11,496 a year. After completing their degree, compsci graduates from SIUE carry an average student debtload of $24,429.

Read More…

The excellent programs at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best computer science schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the distant town of Stevens Point, UW - Stevens Point is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - Stevens Point are $17,035 per year.

Full Computer Science at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Report

#5

Franklin University

Columbus, OH
$9,577 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Franklin University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large city of Columbus, Franklin University is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Franklin University are $9,577 a year. On average, compsci graduates from Franklin University take out $54,128 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

#6

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, OH
$9,732 Average Tuition & Fees

Youngstown State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Youngstown State University is a large public school located in the city of Youngstown.

Youngstown State University undergraduate students pay an average of $9,732 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, compsci majors at Youngstown State University accumulate an average of around $22,875 in student debt.

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$11,880 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Akron Main Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Akron Main Campus is a fairly large public school located in the city of Akron.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at University of Akron Main Campus are $11,880 per year.

Full Computer Science at University of Akron Main Campus Report

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value computer science programs. Located in the small city of Oshkosh, UW Oshkosh is a public college with a large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW Oshkosh are $15,306 per year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW Oshkosh also is in the top 20% of our Best Computer Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.

Read full report on Computer Science at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

#9

Baker College

Owosso, MI
$12,420 Average Tuition & Fees

Baker College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value computer science programs. Located in the town of Owosso, Baker College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Baker College undergraduate students pay an average of $12,420 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, compsci majors at Baker College accumulate an average of around $38,668 in student debt.

Read full report on Computer Science at Baker College

#10

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, MI
$13,094 Average Tuition & Fees

Central Michigan University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value computer science programs. Located in the town of Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan is a public school with a large student population.

Central Michigan undergraduate students pay an average of $13,094 in tuition and fees each year. CompSci majors at Central Michigan take out an average of $31,000 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $222.

Full Computer Science at Central Michigan University Report

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Computer Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
11 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
12 Stark State College North Canton, OH
13 DePaul University Chicago, IL

Best Computer Science Colleges by State

Explore the best computer science colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 623
Ohio 1,016
Illinois 3,680
Indiana 1,471
Wisconsin 248

One of 10 majors within the area of study, computer science has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to CompSci

Related Major Annual Graduates
Computer Information Systems 88,434
Information Technology 40,555
Information Science 18,325
Computer Systems Networking 14,700
Computer Software & Applications 14,336

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • 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 the rest 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Negative Space.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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