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Best Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region

85 Colleges
$35,460 Avg Salary
$24,793 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Social Sciences School for You

With 205,984 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, social sciences is the #6 most popular major in the United States.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. 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 Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 85 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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

Top 15% Best Social Sciences Schools

#1

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN

Our 2023 rankings named University of Notre Dame the best school in the Great Lakes Region for social sciences students. Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

While working on their degree, social sciences majors at Notre Dame accumulate an average of around $19,814 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $485, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Social Sciences at University of Notre Dame

#2

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Northwestern University is a great place for social sciences students. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, social sciences graduates from Northwestern carry an average student debtload of $15,919. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $456, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#3

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

The excellent programs at University of Chicago helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best social sciences schools in the Great Lakes Region . UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

The average amount in student loans that social sciences majors at UChicago take out is $14,944. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $708.

Full Social Sciences at University of Chicago Report

#4

DePauw University

Greencastle, IN

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend DePauw University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the town of Greencastle, DePauw is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

While working on their degree, social sciences majors at DePauw accumulate an average of around $26,907 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $789, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#5

Denison University

Granville, OH

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Denison University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Denison is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Granville.

After completing their degree, social sciences graduates from Denison carry an average student debtload of $25,376.

Full Social Sciences at Denison University Report

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #6 on this year’s Best Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Social Sciences majors at U-M take out an average of $16,521 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $456, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Social Sciences at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Report

University of Wisconsin - River Falls did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for social sciences students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the distant town of River Falls, UW - River Falls is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Social Sciences majors at UW - River Falls take out an average of $25,938 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Social Sciences at University of Wisconsin - River Falls Report

#8

Kenyon College

Gambier, OH

Kenyon College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Kenyon is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Gambier.

Social Sciences majors at Kenyon take out an average of $18,241 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Social Sciences at Kenyon College Report

University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #9 on this year’s Best Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public college with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, social sciences majors at UW - Madison accumulate an average of around $21,528 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $260.

Read full report on Social Sciences at University of Wisconsin - Madison

#10

Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI

Marquette University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best social sciences programs. Marquette is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Milwaukee.

While working on their degree, social sciences majors at Marquette accumulate an average of around $23,225 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $462.

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#11

Oberlin College

Oberlin, OH

Oberlin College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Oberlin is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Oberlin.

The average amount in student loans that social sciences majors at Oberlin take out is $22,914.

Full Social Sciences at Oberlin College Report

#12

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, IL

With a ranking of #12, Wheaton College Illinois did quite well on this year’s best schools for social sciences students. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Wheaton.

On average, social sciences graduates from Wheaton College Illinois take out $24,472 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Wheaton College Illinois

Additional Noteworthy Schools

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

Rank College Location
13 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
14 Lake Forest College Lake Forest, IL
15 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
16 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH
17 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN

Best Social Sciences Colleges by State

Explore the best social sciences colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Indiana 2,941
Michigan 4,213
Ohio 4,915
Illinois 5,866
Wisconsin 3,504

Social Sciences Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 49,282
Economics 49,055
Sociology 38,475
General Social Sciences 18,997
International Relations & National Security 14,306
Anthropology 11,415
Criminology 11,039
Geography & Cartography 8,526
Other Social Sciences 2,414
Urban Studies 1,507
Sociology & Anthropology 541
Archeology 339
Demography & Population Studies 88

Related Major Annual Graduates
Education 327,871
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 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to AndrГ© KГјnzelmann.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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