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Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region

2023 Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region

15 Colleges
$49,270 Avg Salary
$20,394 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Public Policy School for You

Public Policy is the #113 most popular major in the country with 6,430 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This report analyzed 15 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Check out the public policy programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Public Policy Schools

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

Our 2023 rankings named University of Chicago the best school in the Great Lakes Region for public policy students. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

Public Policy majors at UChicago take out an average of $16,683 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#2

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Public Policy majors at Northwestern take out an average of $17,059 in student loans while working on their egree.

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Out of the 15 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, public policy majors at U-M accumulate an average of around $20,375 in student debt.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public school with a very large student population.

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#5

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, IL

Out of the 15 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Olivet Nazarene University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Bourbonnais, Olivet Nazarene is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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Ohio University - Athens Campus landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public policy programs. Located in the town of Athens, OHIO Athens is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public policy programs. Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public college with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, public policy graduates from Ohio State carry an average student debtload of $14,246.

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With a ranking of #8, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on this year’s best schools for public policy students. IU Bloomington is a fairly large public school located in the city of Bloomington.

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University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UIC is a very large public school located in the large city of Chicago.

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Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the city of Indianapolis, IUPUI is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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Best Public Policy Colleges by State

Explore the best public policy schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 267
Ohio 37
Illinois 536
Indiana 8
Wisconsin 29

One of 5 majors within the area of study, public policy has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Public Policy

Related Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 58,326
Public Administration 16,905
Human Services 13,238
Community Organization & Advocacy 3,096
Other Public Administration 588

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 15 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to The Official CTBTO Photostream.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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