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Best Value Information Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best Value Information Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

33 Colleges
$29,113 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$58,224 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Information Science School for You

In 2020-2021, 18,325 information science students received a degree or certificate, making the major the #4 most popular in the country.

With all the computer science programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

The Best Value Information Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking is one of many tools that Computer Science Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 33 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which programs offered the best value experiences for IS students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

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.

2023 Best Value Information Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Information Science Colleges.

Top 10 Best Information Science Schools

$6,750 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Flex the best value school in the Great Lakes Region for information science students. Located in the city of Milwaukee, UWM Flexible Option is a public college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UWM Flexible Option are $6,750 per year. On average, IS graduates from UWM Flexible Option take out $28,000 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $129.

Read More…

#2

Ivy Tech Community College

Indianapolis, IN

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ivy Tech Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Information Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large city of Indianapolis, Ivy Tech Community College is a public school with a very large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ivy Tech Community College are $8,927 per year. IS majors at Ivy Tech Community College take out an average of $14,993 in student loans while working on their egree.

In addition to its great value ranking, Ivy Tech Community College is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Information Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

Full Information Science at Ivy Tech Community College Report

$8,586 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 33 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Cuyahoga Community College District landed the # 3 spot on the list. Cuyahoga Community College District is a fairly large public school located in the city of Cleveland.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Cuyahoga Community College District are $8,586 a year. The average amount in student loans that IS majors at Cuyahoga Community College District take out is $16,073.

Read full report on Information Science at Cuyahoga Community College District

$11,880 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Akron Main Campus is a great value for information science students. Located in the city of Akron, University of Akron Main Campus is a public college with a large student population.

University of Akron Main Campus undergraduate students pay an average of $11,880 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that IS majors at University of Akron Main Campus take out is $25,764.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Information Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Madison are $38,608 a year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Madison also is in the top 10% of our Best Information Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.

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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for information science students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UIUC are $37,632 a year.

UIUC did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Information Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

Full Information Science at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report

Grand Valley State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Information Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the suburb of Allendale, GVSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GVSU are $19,628 per year. On average, IS graduates from GVSU take out $28,937 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Information Science at Grand Valley State University

#7

Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI

With a ranking of #7, Marquette University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for information science students. Marquette is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Milwaukee.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Marquette are $45,766 a year.

Marquette also claimed a spot on our Best Information Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on Information Science at Marquette University

#9

DePaul University

Chicago, IL
$42,012 Average Tuition & Fees

DePaul University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value information science programs. Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at DePaul are $42,012 per year. After completing their degree, IS graduates from DePaul carry an average student debtload of $21,523.

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$16,091 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for information science students. It came in at #10 on the list. UW - Green Bay is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize city of Green Bay.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Green Bay are $16,091 a year.

Read full report on Information Science at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

Best Information Science Colleges by State

Explore the best information science schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 493
Ohio 275
Illinois 799
Indiana 280
Wisconsin 255

One of 10 majors within the computer science area of study, information science has other similar majors worth exploring.

IS Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Information Science 18,325

Related Major Annual Graduates
Computer Information Systems 88,434
Computer Science 59,565
Information Technology 40,555
Computer Systems Networking 14,700
Computer Software & Applications 14,336

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 The Opte Project.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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