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Best Value General Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best Value General Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

41 Colleges
$26,997 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$42,937 Avg Salary

Finding the Best General Education School for You

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, general education was ranked #12 in the country. In fact 21,189 degrees and certificates were handed out 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.

The Best Value General Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 41 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which programs offered the best value experiences for education students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

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.

2023 Best Value General Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Value General Education Colleges.

Top 10 Best General Education Schools

#1

Calvin University

Grand Rapids, MI
$38,240 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Calvin University the best value school in the Great Lakes Region for general education students. Calvin is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Grand Rapids.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Calvin are $38,240 per year.

Full General Education at Calvin University Report

#2

Spring Arbor University

Spring Arbor, MI
$31,080 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Spring Arbor University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best general education schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the suburb of Spring Arbor, Spring Arbor is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Spring Arbor are $31,080 a year.

Read More…

#3

Valparaiso University

Valparaiso, IN
$44,796 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Valparaiso University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Valpo is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Valparaiso.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Valpo are $44,796 per year.

Read More…

#4

Muskingum University

New Concord, OH
$30,090 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Muskingum University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value General Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Muskingum is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of New Concord.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Muskingum are $30,090 per year.

Full General Education at Muskingum University Report

The excellent programs at Baldwin Wallace University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best general education schools in the Great Lakes Region . Baldwin Wallace College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Berea.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Baldwin Wallace College are $35,366 a year.

Read full report on General Education at Baldwin Wallace University

#6

McKendree University

Lebanon, IL
$33,050 Average Tuition & Fees

McKendree University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value general education programs. McKendree is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Lebanon.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at McKendree are $33,050 a year.

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#7

Bluffton University

Bluffton, OH
$34,502 Average Tuition & Fees

Bluffton University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Bluffton is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Bluffton.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Bluffton are $34,502 a year.

Read full report on General Education at Bluffton University

#8

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, IL
$34,310 Average Tuition & Fees

Concordia University, Chicago landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value general education programs. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of River Forest.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Concordia University, Chicago are $34,310 a year.

Read full report on General Education at Concordia University, Chicago

$13,297 Average Tuition & Fees

Western Illinois University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region 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.

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$14,738 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, Northern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general education students. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.

NIU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,738 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on General Education at Northern Illinois University

Best General Education Colleges by State

Explore the best general education schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 335
Illinois 363
Ohio 434
Indiana 247
Wisconsin 261

General Education is one of 14 different types of programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Educational Administration 45,458
Teacher Education Grade Specific 34,451
Special Education 25,158
Teacher Education Subject Specific 20,616
Curriculum & Instruction 19,784

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 KOKUYO.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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