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Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

71 Colleges
$32,881 Avg Salary
$27,591 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 556,813 degrees and certificates were awarded to liberal arts general studies students, making the major the most popular in the country.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 71 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for liberal arts majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.

Top 10 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Our analysis found Northwestern University to be the best school for liberal arts general studies students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

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#2

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN

Out of the 71 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Notre Dame landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Notre Dame Report

#3

DePaul University

Chicago, IL

Out of the 71 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, DePaul University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at DePaul take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $38,833.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at DePaul University Report

#4

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Chicago

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW Oshkosh is a fairly large public school located in the city of Oshkosh.

Liberal Arts majors at UW Oshkosh take out an average of $33,045 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

Western Illinois University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, liberal arts graduates from WIU carry an average student debtload of $30,879. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $216, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#7

Xavier University

Cincinnati, OH

Xavier University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree liberal arts general studies programs. Xavier is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Cincinnati.

The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Xavier take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $30,202.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Xavier University

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree liberal arts general studies programs. UW - Green Bay is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Green Bay.

Liberal Arts majors at UW - Green Bay take out an average of $28,608 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Report

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree liberal arts general studies programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at U-M take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $19,606.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

#10

Ball State University

Muncie, IN

Ball State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the small city of Muncie, Ball State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, liberal arts majors at Ball State accumulate an average of around $27,750 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $151.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Ball State University Report

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Liberal Arts General Studies students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
11 Baker College Owosso, MI
12 University of Southern Indiana Evansville, IN
13 Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI
14 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI

Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best liberal arts general studies schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 9,711
Ohio 11,432
Illinois 18,292
Indiana 3,815
Wisconsin 2,376

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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