2023 Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best General Social Sciences School for You
General Social Sciences is the #55 most popular major in the country with 18,997 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This report analyzed 25 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best value programs for social sciences students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
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 10 Best General Social Sciences Schools
Our 2023 rankings named University of Wisconsin - River Falls the best value school in the Great Lakes Region for general social sciences students. Located in the distant town of River Falls, UW - River Falls is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
UW - River Falls undergraduate students pay an average of $15,661 in tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UW - River Falls also did well on our Best General Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Out of the 25 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Stout landed the # 2 spot on the list. UW - Stout is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Menomonie.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - Stout are $17,820 per year. The average amount in student loans that social sciences majors at UW - Stout take out is $25,000.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Stout also is in the top 10% of our Best General Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
Full General Social Sciences at University of Wisconsin - Stout Report
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is a great value for general social sciences students. UW - Whitewater is a large public school located in the distant town of Whitewater.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Whitewater are $16,602 a year.
UW - Whitewater excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best General Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
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The excellent programs at University of Akron Main Campus helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best general social sciences schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the midsize city of Akron, University of Akron Main Campus is a public school with a fairly large student population.
University of Akron Main Campus undergraduate students pay an average of $11,880 in tuition and fees each year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Grand Valley State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large suburb of Allendale, GVSU is a public college with a very large student population.
GVSU undergraduate students pay an average of $19,628 in tuition and fees each year. On average, social sciences graduates from GVSU take out $28,283 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $242.
Full General Social Sciences at Grand Valley State University Report
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Central Michigan University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value general social sciences programs. Central Michigan is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Mount Pleasant.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Central Michigan are $13,094 per year.
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Ohio University - Athens Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the town of Athens, OHIO Athens is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at OHIO Athens are $22,810 a year.
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University of Southern Indiana did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general social sciences students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the midsize suburb of Evansville, USI is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at USI are $21,812 a year.
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Cleveland State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general social sciences students. It came in at #9 on the list. Cleveland State University is a large public school located in the city of Cleveland.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Cleveland State University are $16,654 a year. While working on their degree, social sciences majors at Cleveland State University accumulate an average of around $28,000 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #10, Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general social sciences students. Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Purdue are $28,794 per year.
Purdue also claimed a spot on our Best General Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
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Request InformationBest General Social Sciences Colleges by State
Explore the best general social sciences schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 230 |
| Ohio | 85 |
| Illinois | 196 |
| Indiana | 8 |
| Wisconsin | 42 |
More General Social Sciences Rankings in the Great Lakes Region
Majors Related to Social Sciences
One of 12 majors within the area of study, general social sciences has other similar majors worth exploring.
Majors Similar to Social Sciences
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Political Science & Government | 49,282 |
| Economics | 49,055 |
| Sociology | 38,475 |
| International Relations & National Security | 14,306 |
| Anthropology | 11,415 |
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 Manfred Werner (Tsui).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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