Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Best Colleges in the Great Lakes Region, ranked by median 10-year earnings. Region: our Great Lakes grouping. Included states / district: IL IN MI OH WI. Median earnings of federally aided former students who are working and not enrolled, 10 years after entry; includes students who did not graduate. “Best” on this page means highest reported earnings, not an overall quality score. Four-year colleges with at least 1,000 undergraduates. Online-only schools are excluded. This page lists all 174 colleges in the ranking. Search and filter the list.

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1Rose-Hulman Institute of TechnologyTerre Haute, Indiana77%1427$43k$101k78%2,309148 mi 2University of Notre DameNotre Dame, Indiana11%1520$27k$100k95%8,81825 mi 3Kettering UniversityFlint, Michigan79%1251$35k$95k71%1,20541 mi 4Chamberlain University-IllinoisAddison, Illinois83%—$32k$92k42%14,02719 mi 5University of ChicagoChicago, Illinois4%1554$15k$92k96%7,5691 mi 6Northwestern UniversityEvanston, Illinois8%1533$29k$89k95%9,2011 mi 7Milwaukee School of EngineeringMilwaukee, Wisconsin59%—$22k$89k67%2,6541 mi 8Case Western Reserve UniversityCleveland, Ohio37%1513$41k$88k87%6,4373 mi 9University of Michigan-Ann ArborAnn Arbor, Michigan16%1465$13k$84k93%34,17730 mi 10Illinois Institute of TechnologyChicago, Illinois55%1311$18k$83k75%2,8331 mi 11University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignChampaign, Illinois42%1440$14k$81k85%36,258115 mi 12Ohio Northern UniversityAda, Ohio74%1252$24k$81k75%2,48962 mi 13Marquette UniversityMilwaukee, Wisconsin81%1310$31k$78k83%7,6602 mi 14Michigan Technological UniversityHoughton, Michigan92%1258$14k$78k68%5,9551 mi 15Butler UniversityIndianapolis, Indiana85%1274$36k$77k80%4,317135 mi 16University of DaytonDayton, Ohio65%1335$30k$76k80%7,682133 mi 17University of Wisconsin-MadisonMadison, Wisconsin45%1427$17k$74k90%36,90276 mi 18Purdue University-Main CampusWest Lafayette, Indiana50%1364$15k$72k83%44,50385 mi 19Kenyon CollegeGambier, Ohio31%1429$39k$72k82%1,73270 mi 20Loyola University ChicagoChicago, Illinois82%1297$36k$72k73%11,737< 1 mi 21University of Detroit MercyDetroit, Michigan75%1134$15k$71k67%2,4388 mi 22Illinois Wesleyan UniversityBloomington, Illinois39%1275$28k$71k75%1,582114 mi 23DePauw UniversityGreencastle, Indiana57%1340$22k$71k75%1,905139 mi 24Lawrence Technological UniversitySouthfield, Michigan56%—$33k$69k61%1,66814 mi 25DePaul UniversityChicago, Illinois76%1262$31k$69k68%14,0901 mi 26University of Illinois ChicagoChicago, Illinois77%1250$11k$69k62%22,1702 mi 27Denison UniversityGranville, Ohio17%1410$40k$68k79%2,38091 mi 28Michigan State UniversityEast Lansing, Michigan85%1269$20k$67k81%40,92271 mi 29Bradley UniversityPeoria, Illinois77%—$23k$67k76%3,574130 mi 30Lewis UniversityRomeoville, Illinois71%1096$17k$66k67%4,01529 mi 31Kalamazoo CollegeKalamazoo, Michigan75%1280$19k$66k76%1,14936 mi 32Xavier UniversityCincinnati, Ohio86%1217$33k$65k69%4,207176 mi 33University of St FrancisJoliet, Illinois65%1141$13k$64k67%1,22332 mi 34Wheaton CollegeWheaton, Illinois87%1380$27k$64k85%2,12124 mi 35Indiana University-BloomingtonBloomington, Indiana78%1313$16k$64k80%37,806174 mi 36Benedictine UniversityLisle, Illinois95%—$22k$63k50%1,94226 mi 37Valparaiso UniversityValparaiso, Indiana89%1178$19k$63k70%2,08314 mi 38Northwood UniversityMidland, Michigan65%—$27k$63k63%1,97418 mi 39Augustana CollegeRock Island, Illinois63%1165$23k$63k73%2,490150 mi 40John Carroll UniversityUniversity Heights, Ohio81%1298$29k$63k79%2,2746 mi 41Illinois State UniversityNormal, Illinois88%1113$19k$62k65%19,057113 mi 42Lake Forest CollegeLake Forest, Illinois57%1343$29k$62k78%1,8131 mi 43University of Wisconsin-PlattevillePlatteville, Wisconsin89%1190$16k$62k56%5,837132 mi 44Elmhurst UniversityElmhurst, Illinois74%1151$24k$61k70%3,00616 mi 45Ohio State University-Main CampusColumbus, Ohio61%1387$17k$60k88%45,63899 mi 46University of Wisconsin-La CrosseLa Crosse, Wisconsin76%1220$16k$60k71%9,277167 mi 47Dominican UniversityRiver Forest, Illinois90%1002$12k$60k55%2,5619 mi 48North Central CollegeNaperville, Illinois77%1213$21k$60k64%2,42828 mi 49Indiana Wesleyan University-National & GlobalMarion, Indiana——$17k$60k35%6,656105 mi 50Indiana Wesleyan University-MarionMarion, Indiana89%1082$23k$60k67%1,974105 mi 51Walsh UniversityNorth Canton, Ohio71%1193$20k$60k59%1,39047 mi 52Edgewood UniversityMadison, Wisconsin76%—$26k$60k60%1,10777 mi 53University of Michigan-DearbornDearborn, Michigan56%1115$9k$60k58%5,9526 mi 54The College of WoosterWooster, Ohio60%1353$23k$60k74%1,73047 mi 55North Park UniversityChicago, Illinois69%—$17k$60k58%1,8183 mi 56Saint Mary's CollegeNotre Dame, Indiana76%1246$25k$59k69%1,45824 mi 57Madonna UniversityLivonia, Michigan63%980$18k$59k60%1,63216 mi 58Albion CollegeAlbion, Michigan81%—$14k$59k62%1,30074 mi 59Marian UniversityIndianapolis, Indiana95%—$24k$59k67%2,266136 mi 60Aurora UniversityAurora, Illinois81%1076$19k$59k60%3,97438 mi 61Saint Xavier UniversityChicago, Illinois84%—$11k$59k57%3,0969 mi 62Oakland UniversityRochester Hills, Michigan88%1120$9k$59k58%12,35126 mi 63McKendree UniversityLebanon, Illinois72%—$25k$59k53%1,752245 mi 64University of Wisconsin-Eau ClaireEau Claire, Wisconsin82%1220$17k$59k64%8,895127 mi 65Hope CollegeHolland, Michigan79%1249$27k$58k80%3,2886 mi 66Calvin UniversityGrand Rapids, Michigan71%1233$23k$58k74%3,19332 mi 67Saint Norbert CollegeDe Pere, Wisconsin86%1182$26k$58k71%1,6628 mi 68Oberlin CollegeOberlin, Ohio34%1447$39k$58k81%2,88711 mi 69Governors State UniversityUniversity Park, Illinois48%—$12k$58k22%2,55621 mi 70University of Wisconsin-StoutMenomonie, Wisconsin88%1150$17k$58k55%5,842126 mi 71Carroll UniversityWaukesha, Wisconsin67%1190$15k$58k71%2,52317 mi 72Northern Illinois UniversityDekalb, Illinois70%—$13k$58k49%11,30153 mi 73Siena Heights UniversityAdrian, Michigan69%954$17k$58k39%1,49530 mi 74Trine UniversityAngola, Indiana85%—$25k$57k64%2,32480 mi 75University of Illinois SpringfieldSpringfield, Illinois86%1102$10k$57k53%2,263176 mi 76The University of FindlayFindlay, Ohio83%—$27k$57k58%2,22342 mi 77Carthage CollegeKenosha, Wisconsin87%1150$27k$57k64%2,6601 mi 78Southern Illinois University EdwardsvilleEdwardsville, Illinois98%1100$15k$56k57%8,750240 mi 79Grand Valley State UniversityAllendale, Michigan83%1074$16k$56k67%18,85417 mi 80Concordia University-WisconsinMequon, Wisconsin78%1190$36k$56k68%2,1971 mi 81Lakeland UniversityPlymouth, Wisconsin86%—$24k$56k42%1,2128 mi 82Central Michigan UniversityMount Pleasant, Michigan90%1091$18k$56k59%10,03543 mi 83Lawrence UniversityAppleton, Wisconsin64%1350$23k$56k77%1,39628 mi 84Viterbo UniversityLa Crosse, Wisconsin72%1190$21k$56k68%1,249167 mi 85Ohio Wesleyan UniversityDelaware, Ohio56%—$21k$56k59%1,51679 mi 86University of Wisconsin-OshkoshOshkosh, Wisconsin87%1090$14k$56k46%6,87742 mi 87Adrian CollegeAdrian, Michigan73%1034$25k$56k48%1,60432 mi 88Cedarville UniversityCedarville, Ohio65%1241$24k$55k73%4,024125 mi 89University of Saint Francis-Fort WayneFort Wayne, Indiana96%981$18k$55k55%1,56794 mi 90University of Wisconsin-WhitewaterWhitewater, Wisconsin86%1050$14k$55k59%9,40545 mi 91Indiana University-IndianapolisIndianapolis, Indiana76%1139$12k$55k54%13,830139 mi 92Miami University-OxfordOxford, Ohio75%1317$28k$55k80%16,656161 mi 93Miami University-HamiltonHamilton, Ohio——$11k$55k25%2,043164 mi 94University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeMilwaukee, Wisconsin91%1090$15k$55k49%16,758< 1 mi 95Wittenberg UniversitySpringfield, Ohio72%1179$19k$55k53%1,215113 mi 96Knox CollegeGalesburg, Illinois71%1326$25k$55k68%1,127156 mi

US Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS. Missing or suppressed values are excluded. A ranking is a comparison of the named measure, not an overall quality score.