2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
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 Value Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This report analyzed 85 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.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 15% Best Social Sciences Schools
Our analysis found University of Wisconsin - River Falls to be the best value school for social sciences students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the town of River Falls, UW - River Falls is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - River Falls are $15,661 a year. Social Sciences majors at UW - River Falls take out an average of $25,938 in student loans while working on their egree.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UW - River Falls also did well on our Best 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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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a great value for social sciences students. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.
SIUE undergraduate students pay an average of $11,496 in tuition and fees each year. On average, social sciences graduates from SIUE take out $26,161 in student loans while working on their degree.
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The excellent programs at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best social sciences schools in the Great Lakes Region . UW - Whitewater is a large public school located in the town of Whitewater.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - Whitewater are $16,602 per year. While working on their degree, social sciences majors at UW - Whitewater accumulate an average of around $25,144 in student debt.
UW - Whitewater also claimed a spot on our Best Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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Out of the 85 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Illinois University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WIU are $13,297 per year. After completing their degree, social sciences graduates from WIU carry an average student debtload of $32,566.
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The excellent programs at Youngstown State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best social sciences schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the city of Youngstown, Youngstown State University is a public college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Youngstown State University are $9,732 a year. While working on their degree, social sciences majors at Youngstown State University accumulate an average of around $22,798 in student debt.
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Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. SIUC is a large public school located in the small city of Carbondale.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SIUC are $15,240 a year. After completing their degree, social sciences graduates from SIUC carry an average student debtload of $24,349. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $161, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Social Sciences at Southern Illinois University Carbondale Report
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University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for social sciences students. It came in at #7 on the list. UW Oshkosh is a large public school located in the city of Oshkosh.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW Oshkosh are $15,306 a year. On average, social sciences graduates from UW Oshkosh take out $23,688 in student loans while working on their degree.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UW Oshkosh also did well on our Best Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Social Sciences at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Report
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University of Akron Main Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the midsize city of Akron, University of Akron Main Campus is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at University of Akron Main Campus are $11,880 a year. After completing their degree, social sciences graduates from University of Akron Main Campus carry an average student debtload of $26,104.
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Northern Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for social sciences students. It came in at #9 on the list. NIU is a large public school located in the small suburb of Dekalb.
NIU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,738 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, social sciences graduates from NIU carry an average student debtload of $25,451. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $233.
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University of Wisconsin - La Crosse landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value social sciences programs. UW - La Crosse is a fairly large public school located in the small city of La Crosse.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - La Crosse are $18,014 a year. After completing their degree, social sciences graduates from UW - La Crosse carry an average student debtload of $23,494.
In addition to its great value ranking, UW - La Crosse is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
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University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for social sciences students. It came in at #11 on the list. UW - Stevens Point is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Stevens Point.
UW - Stevens Point undergraduate students pay an average of $17,035 in tuition and fees each year. Social Sciences majors at UW - Stevens Point take out an average of $24,188 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Central Michigan University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Central Michigan is a large public school located in the distant town of Mount Pleasant.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Central Michigan are $13,094 a year. The average amount in student loans that social sciences majors at Central Michigan take out is $28,410. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $285.
Read full report on Social Sciences at Central Michigan University
Request InformationAdditional 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 Value Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | University of Wisconsin - Green Bay | Green Bay, WI |
| 14 | University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire | Eau Claire, WI |
| 15 | Illinois State University | Normal, IL |
| 16 | Eastern Michigan University | Ypsilanti, MI |
| 17 | Grand Valley State University | Allendale, MI |
Best Social Sciences Colleges by State
Explore the best social sciences schools 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 |
More Social Sciences Rankings in the Great Lakes Region
Social Sciences Related Majors for Social Sciences
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 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Social Sciences
| 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.
- 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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