2023 Best Business & Commerce Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Finding the Best General Business/Commerce School for You
There are so many business programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Business Degree Central has created the Best Business & Commerce Schools in the Great Lakes Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 97 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best programs for business students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best General Business/Commerce Schools in the Great Lakes Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for general business majors pursuing a .
Top 15% Best General Business/Commerce Schools
Our 2023 rankings named University of Notre Dame the best school in the Great Lakes Region for general business/commerce students. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.
After completing their degree, general business graduates from Notre Dame carry an average student debtload of $20,500.
Read full report on General Business/Commerce at University of Notre Dame
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Chicago is a great place for general business/commerce students. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Out of the 97 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Evanston.
The average amount in student loans that general business majors at Northwestern take out is $76,735.
Read full report on General Business/Commerce at Northwestern University
Out of the 97 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global landed the # 4 spot on the list. IWU is a large private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Marion.
On average, general business graduates from IWU take out $24,250 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on General Business/Commerce at Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Bloomington. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Business & Commerce Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public school with a fairly large student population.
On average, general business graduates from IU Bloomington take out $26,667 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $517.
Full General Business/Commerce at Indiana University - Bloomington Report
Illinois Wesleyan University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best general business/commerce programs. Located in the city of Bloomington, Illinois Wesleyan is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
With a ranking of #7, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on this year’s best schools for general business/commerce students. UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the large city of Madison.
The average amount in student loans that general business majors at UW - Madison take out is $50,847.
Read full report on General Business/Commerce at University of Wisconsin - Madison
With a ranking of #8, Michigan State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for general business/commerce students. Located in the small city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public college with a very large student population.
General Business majors at Michigan State take out an average of $78,686 in student loans while working on their egree.
Read full report on General Business/Commerce at Michigan State University
Walsh College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Business & Commerce Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small city of Troy, Walsh is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
General Business majors at Walsh take out an average of $16,854 in student loans while working on their egree.
Macomb Community College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Business & Commerce Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the midsize city of Warren, Macomb Community College is a public school with a large student population.
The average amount in student loans that general business majors at Macomb Community College take out is $4,802.
Full General Business/Commerce at Macomb Community College Report
Valparaiso University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Business & Commerce Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large suburb of Valparaiso, Valpo is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Full General Business/Commerce at Valparaiso University Report
Miami University - Oxford ranked #12 on this year’s Best Business & Commerce Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Miami University - Oxford is a large public school located in the town of Oxford.
Full General Business/Commerce at Miami University - Oxford Report
Ball State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Business & Commerce Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ball State is a large public school located in the small city of Muncie.
General Business majors at Ball State take out an average of $23,721 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $271, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on General Business/Commerce at Ball State University
James A Rhodes State College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for general business/commerce students. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in the suburb of Lima, Rhodes State College is a public school with a small student population.
Full General Business/Commerce at James A Rhodes State College Report
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Business & Commerce Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis | Indianapolis, IN |
| 16 | ||
| 17 | University of Cincinnati - Clermont College | Batavia, OH |
| 18 | DeVry University - Illinois | Naperville, IL |
| 19 | Cardinal Stritch University | Milwaukee, WI |
Best General Business/Commerce Colleges by State
Explore the best general business/commerce colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 1,060 |
| Ohio | 563 |
| Illinois | 877 |
| Indiana | 5,636 |
| Wisconsin | 526 |
Rankings in Majors Related to General Business
One of 21 majors within the business area of study, general business/commerce has other similar majors worth exploring.
General Business Concentrations
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Business/Commerce | 56,779 |
Majors Similar to General Business
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Business Administration & Management | 403,753 |
| Accounting | 93,982 |
| Finance & Financial Management | 54,690 |
| Marketing | 52,078 |
| Management Sciences & Quantitative Methods | 48,037 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 U.S. Consulate General Munich.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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