by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 63 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for sociology students pursuing a bachelor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 2,344 bachelor's degrees in sociology to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Your choice of sociology for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for sociology students working on their bachelor's degree.
The sociology school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Sociology Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in sociology. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
University of Chicago is a good decision for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in sociology. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of Chicago
University of Notre Dame is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in sociology. Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the sociology program state that they receive average early career wages of $35,915.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of Notre Dame
Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in sociology needs to take a look at Northwestern University. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston.
Those sociology students who get their bachelor's degree from Northwestern University make $3,769 more than the standard sociology graduate.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Northwestern University
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a good choice for students interested in a bachelor's degree in sociology. U-M is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor.
Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the sociology program make an average of $33,832 for their early career.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the sociology program report average early career income of $35,889.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of Wisconsin - Madison
Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a very large student population.
After graduation, sociology bachelor's recipients usually earn around $35,055 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Michigan State University
Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Columbus.
Bachelor's recipients from the sociology major at Ohio State University - Main Campus earn $3,401 more than the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Ohio State University - Main Campus
Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the sociology program state that they receive average early career wages of $31,548.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Purdue is a fairly large public university located in the small city of West Lafayette.
Bachelor's recipients from the sociology program at Purdue University - Main Campus earn $2,193 above the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Purdue University - Main Campus
IU Bloomington is a very large public university located in the city of Bloomington.
After graduating, sociology bachelor's recipients typically make an average of $30,296 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Indiana University - Bloomington
UIC is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Chicago.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the sociology program state that they receive average early career wages of $34,435.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of Illinois at Chicago
Case Western is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Cleveland.More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Case Western Reserve University
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Sociology Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Illinois State University | Normal, IL |
| 14 | Loyola University Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| 15 | Miami University - Oxford | Oxford, OH |
| 16 | Ohio University - Athens Campus | Athens, OH |
| 17 | Northern Illinois University | Dekalb, IL |
| 18 | Marquette University | Milwaukee, WI |
| 19 | Kenyon College | Gambier, OH |
| 20 | DePaul University | Chicago, IL |
| 21 | Oberlin College | Oberlin, OH |
Explore the best sociology colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .
One of 13 majors within the Social Sciences area of study, Sociology has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Sociology | 2,329 |
| Rural Sociology | 15 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Economics | 5,259 |
| Political Science & Government | 5,015 |
| Anthropology | 971 |
| International Relations & National Security | 810 |
| Geography & Cartography | 487 |
| General Social Sciences | 420 |
| Sociology & Anthropology | 93 |
| Other Social Sciences | 93 |
| Urban Studies | 78 |
| Archeology | 66 |
