2023 Best Value Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Education School for You
With 327,871 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, education is the #4 most popular major in the United States.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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.
The Best Value Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 155 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which programs offered the best value experiences for education students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 15% Best Education Schools
Our analysis found Northeast Wisconsin Technical College to be the best value school for education students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the midsize city of Green Bay, NWTC is a public college with a large student population.
NWTC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,849 in tuition and fees each year. On average, education graduates from NWTC take out $14,150 in student loans while working on their degree.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Fox Valley Technical College is a great value for education students. Located in the suburb of Appleton, FVTC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at FVTC are $6,861 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, FVTC is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
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The excellent programs at Northcentral Technical College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best education schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the small city of Wausau, North Central Technical College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at North Central Technical College are $5,415 per year. The average amount in student loans that education majors at North Central Technical College take out is $9,750.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Waukesha County Technical College is a great value for education students. WCTC is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Pewaukee.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at WCTC are $6,603 a year. The average amount in student loans that education majors at WCTC take out is $21,626.
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The excellent programs at Sinclair Community College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best education schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the city of Dayton, Sinclair Community College is a public school with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Sinclair Community College are $8,076 per year. After completing their degree, education graduates from Sinclair Community College carry an average student debtload of $12,064.
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Ivy Tech Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the city of Indianapolis, Ivy Tech Community College is a public school with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Ivy Tech Community College are $8,927 a year. The average amount in student loans that education majors at Ivy Tech Community College take out is $12,704.
Ivy Tech Community College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
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Viterbo University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the city of La Crosse, Viterbo is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Viterbo undergraduate students pay an average of $29,920 in tuition and fees each year.
Viterbo excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
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Concordia University, Chicago came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Concordia University, Chicago is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of River Forest.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Concordia University, Chicago are $34,310 per year. On average, education graduates from Concordia University, Chicago take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Stark State College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for education students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the suburb of North Canton, Stark State College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Stark State College are $7,406 a year. On average, education graduates from Stark State College take out $17,747 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Wisconsin Lutheran College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the large city of Milwaukee, WLC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WLC are $32,766 per year. Education majors at WLC take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
WLC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
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Ashland University landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value education programs. Located in the town of Ashland, Ashland is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Ashland are $23,090 a year. After completing their degree, education graduates from Ashland carry an average student debtload of $26,833.
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Ferris State University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value education programs. Ferris is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Big Rapids.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Ferris are $13,188 a year. The average amount in student loans that education majors at Ferris take out is $29,926.
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Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for education students. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the rural area of Marion, IWU is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at IWU are $9,239 per year. Education majors at IWU take out an average of $25,271 in student loans while working on their egree.
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University of St Francis landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value education programs. University of Saint Francis is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Joliet.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at University of Saint Francis are $35,000 a year. While working on their degree, education majors at University of Saint Francis accumulate an average of around $23,878 in student debt.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, University of Saint Francis also did well on our Best Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for education students. It came in at #15 on the list. Located in the suburb of Bourbonnais, Olivet Nazarene is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Olivet Nazarene are $37,440 a year. While working on their degree, education majors at Olivet Nazarene accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
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Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value education programs. SIUC is a large public school located in the city of Carbondale.
SIUC undergraduate students pay an average of $15,240 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, education majors at SIUC accumulate an average of around $19,901 in student debt.
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Northern Illinois University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Dekalb.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NIU are $14,738 per year. On average, education graduates from NIU take out $23,882 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $235, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Youngstown State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the small city of Youngstown, Youngstown State University is a public school with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Youngstown State University are $9,732 per year. While working on their degree, education majors at Youngstown State University accumulate an average of around $29,290 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $193, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Alverno College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Milwaukee, Alverno is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Alverno are $31,258 per year. Education majors at Alverno take out an average of $32,750 in student loans while working on their egree.
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University of Cincinnati - Clermont College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for education students. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Batavia, UC Clermont College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UC Clermont College are $13,198 per year. Education majors at UC Clermont College take out an average of $15,175 in student loans while working on their egree.
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National Louis University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. NLU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.
NLU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,169 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, education graduates from NLU carry an average student debtload of $41,606.
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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value education programs. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SIUE are $11,496 a year. Education majors at SIUE take out an average of $22,125 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 $184.
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Muskingum University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for education students. It came in at #23 on the list. Muskingum is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of New Concord.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Muskingum are $30,090 a year. On average, education graduates from Muskingum take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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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 Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | McKendree University | Lebanon, IL |
| 25 | Western Illinois University | Macomb, IL |
| 25 | Central Michigan University | Mount Pleasant, MI |
| 27 | University of Wisconsin - River Falls | River Falls, WI |
| 28 | Concordia University, Wisconsin | Mequon, WI |
| 29 | University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire | Eau Claire, WI |
| 30 | Spring Arbor University | Spring Arbor, MI |
| 31 | Cardinal Stritch University | Milwaukee, WI |
Best Education Colleges by State
Explore the best education schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Indiana | 11,570 |
| Michigan | 5,939 |
| Ohio | 9,238 |
| Illinois | 10,567 |
| Wisconsin | 5,792 |
More Education Rankings in the Great Lakes Region
Education Related Majors for Education
Education Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 110,226 |
| Educational Administration | 46,469 |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 43,297 |
| Special Education | 36,792 |
| General Education | 29,810 |
| Curriculum & Instruction | 19,832 |
| Student Counseling | 13,858 |
| Instructional Media Design | 8,695 |
| Teaching English or French | 5,791 |
| Other Education | 4,858 |
| Teaching Assistants | 2,751 |
| Educational Assessment | 2,552 |
| Multilingual Education | 1,910 |
| Education Philosophy | 737 |
| International Education | 293 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Social Sciences | 205,984 |
| Psychology | 195,678 |
| Communication & Journalism | 120,571 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 55,820 |
| History | 32,731 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 26 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 Horadrim.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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