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Most Popular Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Most Popular Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region

164 Colleges
$31,085 Avg Salary
$25,610 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Sociology School for You

Sociology is the #27 most popular major in the country with 38,475 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 164 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Sociology program at each school on the list.

The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Sociology Colleges.

Our analysis found University of Michigan - Ann Arbor to be the most popular school for sociology students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . U-M is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor.

The average amount in student loans that sociology majors at U-M take out is $15,975.

Full Sociology at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Report

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Wisconsin - Madison is a great place for sociology students. UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the large city of Madison.

The average amount in student loans that sociology majors at UW - Madison take out is $23,250.

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#3

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN

The excellent programs at Purdue University - Main Campus helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best sociology schools in the Great Lakes Region . Purdue is a fairly large public school located in the city of West Lafayette.

While working on their degree, sociology majors at Purdue accumulate an average of around $19,500 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 $257.

Full Sociology at Purdue University - Main Campus Report

#4

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI

Out of the 164 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Michigan State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that sociology majors at Michigan State take out is $26,862. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $350.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Ohio State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Most Popular Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Ohio State is a very large public school located in the city of Columbus.

The average amount in student loans that sociology majors at Ohio State take out is $23,250. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $229.

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University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the town of Stevens Point, UW - Stevens Point is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that sociology majors at UW - Stevens Point take out is $25,375.

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With a ranking of #7, Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for sociology students. OHIO Athens is a very large public school located in the distant town of Athens.

The average amount in student loans that sociology majors at OHIO Athens take out is $26,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $371.

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University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular sociology programs. Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, sociology graduates from UIC carry an average student debt load of $20,250. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $136, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Northern Illinois University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a large student population.

While working on their degree, sociology majors at NIU accumulate an average of around $27,500 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $233, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Sociology at Northern Illinois University

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UIUC is a very large public school located in the small city of Champaign.

While working on their degree, sociology majors at UIUC accumulate an average of around $20,500 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 $301.

Read full report on Sociology at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

With a ranking of #11, Illinois State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for sociology students. Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public school with a very large student population.

Sociology majors at Illinois State take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $224.

Full Sociology at Illinois State University Report

#12

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

University of Chicago came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

Full Sociology at University of Chicago Report

Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular sociology programs. Located in the small city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public college with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, sociology graduates from IU Bloomington carry an average student debt load of $19,507.

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Miami University - Oxford landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular sociology programs. Miami University - Oxford is a fairly large public school located in the town of Oxford.

On average, sociology graduates from Miami University - Oxford take out $24,896 in student loans while working on their degree.

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University of Wisconsin - Whitewater ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the town of Whitewater, UW - Whitewater is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that sociology majors at UW - Whitewater take out is $25,035.

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#16

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN

University of Notre Dame came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Notre Dame.

Sociology majors at Notre Dame take out an average of $20,943 in student loans while working on their egree.

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Kent State University at Kent ranked #17 on this year’s Most Popular Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the suburb of Kent, Kent State is a public college with a very large student population.

Sociology majors at Kent State take out an average of $27,725 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $172, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Sociology at Kent State University at Kent Report

#18

Wayne State University

Detroit, MI

Wayne State University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the large city of Detroit, Wayne State is a public school with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, sociology graduates from Wayne State carry an average student debt load of $36,000.

Read full report on Sociology at Wayne State University

With a ranking of #19, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for sociology students. Loyola Chicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

On average, sociology graduates from Loyola Chicago take out $20,750 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 $411.

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With a ranking of #20, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for sociology students. UWM is a fairly large public school located in the city of Milwaukee.

While working on their degree, sociology majors at UWM accumulate an average of around $27,488 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 $196.

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#21

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Northwestern University landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular sociology programs. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Evanston.

While working on their degree, sociology majors at Northwestern accumulate an average of around $15,195 in student debt.

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University of Wisconsin - La Crosse ranked #22 on this year’s Most Popular Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small city of La Crosse, UW - La Crosse is a public college with a large student population.

After completing their degree, sociology graduates from UW - La Crosse carry an average student debt load of $22,345.

Read full report on Sociology at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

#23

DePaul University

Chicago, IL

DePaul University ranked #23 on this year’s Most Popular Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. DePaul is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

The average amount in student loans that sociology majors at DePaul take out is $24,500. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $376.

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Bowling Green State University - Main Campus came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the fringe town of Bowling Green, BGSU is a public school with a large student population.

While working on their degree, sociology majors at BGSU accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.

Read full report on Sociology at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional popular schools for Sociology students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Most Popular Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
25 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI
26 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI
27 Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI
28 Ball State University Muncie, IN
29 Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH
30 John Carroll University University Heights, OH
30 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
32 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
32 Purdue University Northwest Hammond, IN

Best Sociology Colleges by State

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

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 551
Ohio 702
Illinois 841
Indiana 471
Wisconsin 504

Sociology is one of 12 different types of programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 49,282
Economics 49,055
General Social Sciences 18,997
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 Kontos.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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