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Best Business & Commerce Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best Business & Commerce Schools in the Great Lakes Region

97 Colleges
$48,358 Avg Salary
$24,664 Avg Student Debt

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.

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

#1

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN

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

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

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.

Read More…

#3

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

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

#6

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, IL

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.

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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

#8

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI

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

#9

Walsh College

Troy, MI

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.

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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

#11

Valparaiso University

Valparaiso, IN

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

#13

Ball State University

Muncie, IN

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

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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