Bringing the College Consensus method to the Best Colleges and Universities in the Midwest means giving students a fully rounded, unbiased perspective on what those in the know have to say about their higher education options. With a wide range of published rankings and student reviews out there, College Consensus brings together the most trustworthy data to make an aggregate ranking. That provides the fullest picture available for Midwestern students and future students.
Just like in entertainment and politics, it seems like the East Coast and the West Coast dominate everyone’s attention when it comes to higher education. But the Midwest has some of the highest-ranked, most trusted, and most-loved universities in the nation. The Best Colleges and Universities in the Midwest highlights those sites of excellence. The Midwest’s best universities educate and train the region’s professionals and workers, from teachers to police officers to accountants. These are the institutions that make the Midwest work.
How Do We Rank the Best Colleges in the Midwest?
College Consensus rankings combine the results of the most respected college ranking systems with the averaged ratings of thousands of real student reviews from around the web to create a unique college meta-ranking of all the Best Colleges in the United States. This approach offers a comprehensive and holistic perspective missing from other college rankings. Visit our about page for information on which rankings and review sites were included in this year’s consensus rankings.
The Best Colleges & Universities in the Midwest category is limited to schools in IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD, and WI.
What’s Different About the College Consensus Ranking?
College Consensus puts the realities of college rankings and reviews front and center. Every ranking has its own methodology and bias, but putting them all together and including the perspective of students gives College Consensus a birds-eye view of the landscape. That wider perspective offers prospective students a more holistic college ranking that takes in all of what’s known and thought about the Midwest’s colleges and universities.
The Consensus Best Colleges and Universities in the Midwest are listed in descending order by their Consensus score.
1
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN
2
Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO
3
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
4
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI
5
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL
6
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI
7
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL
8
Carleton College
Northfield, MN
9
Goshen College
Goshen, IN
10
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, IA
11
Simpson College
Indianola, IA
12
Purdue University-Main Campus
West Lafayette, IN
13
College of the Ozarks
Point Lookout, MO
14
Grinnell College
Grinnell, IA
15
Illinois Wesleyan University
Bloomington, IL
16
Macalester College
Saint Paul, MN
17
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN
18
Taylor University
Upland, IN
19
Winona State University
Winona, MN
20
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Milwaukee, WI
21
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
22
Kenyon College
Gambier, OH
23
DePauw University
Greencastle, IN
24
Augustana University
Sioux Falls, SD
25
Denison University
Granville, OH
26
Truman State University
Kirksville, MO
27
University of Illinois Chicago
Chicago, IL
28
Cedarville University
Cedarville, OH
29
John Carroll University
University Heights, OH
30
Ohio State University-Main Campus
Columbus, OH
31
Indiana University-Bloomington
Bloomington, IN
32
Iowa State University
Ames, IA
33
Oberlin College
Oberlin, OH
34
Kettering University
Flint, MI
35
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH
36
St Olaf College
Northfield, MN
37
Marietta College
Marietta, OH
38
Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI
39
Ohio Northern University
Ada, OH
40
Beloit College
Beloit, WI
41
Hamline University
Saint Paul, MN
42
Calvin University
Grand Rapids, MI
43
Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, IL
44
Saint Mary’s College
Notre Dame, IN
45
Wheaton College
Wheaton, IL
46
College of Saint Benedict
Saint Joseph, MN
47
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
48
Lawrence University
Appleton, WI
49
Illinois Institute of Technology
Chicago, IL
50
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Kearney, NE
What are the Best Parts of Going to College in the Midwest?
The best colleges in the Midwest provide good value for your money. Many Midwest universities offer a lower cost of living, higher quality of life, better scholarships, and lower tuition than universities in other regions.
The states with the highest cost of living are generally those on the West Coast or in the Northeast. In the Midwest, the cost of living is generally lower. This means lower prices for everything from rent to groceries to fast food. Going to school in an area of the country where the cost of living is lower makes it easier for students to afford tuition and other school-related expenses.
Midwestern schools often offer a higher quality of life as well. The Midwest offers a sense of community, with many resources, such as sporting events, concerts, libraries, and fitness centers within easy walking distance from the college. Many Midwestern universities are located near large cities so students can walk to the city center for even more recreational opportunities.
The best Midwest universities offer a variety of scholarships to help students who need financial aid. These scholarships may be limited to students in certain programs or with certain ethnic backgrounds, or they may be available to anyone. Each scholarship has its own requirements. By taking advantage of scholarships, you can often attend college for much less than the full tuition cost.
Should I Go to College in the Midwest if I’m Not From There?
There are pros and cons to attending Midwest colleges if you are not from the Midwest. The biggest con is probably out-of-state tuition. If you are attending a public college or university, the school likely charges a significantly higher tuition rate to out-of-state students. This is because the school receives funding from the state to help offset the tuition of in-state students.
Another con is that you may feel isolated if you attend a school in a different region of the country than where you are from. You’ll be far away from your family and friends, leaving you feeling alone and maybe a bit homesick. It may be difficult to go home for visits if you are far away, so you’ll want to try to make new friends quickly so you won’t feel so lonely.
On the plus side, being away from home can help get you out of your comfort zone. You’ll meet a lot of new people and learn to get along with those who are different from yourself. You’ll learn important lessons about life, diversity, and empathy.
In addition, if you have more colleges to choose from, you’ll have an easier time finding one that offers your major. This may not be an issue if you are majoring in business, but if you want to study agriculture or aerospace engineering, you’ll find that there are fewer options available.
Are Colleges in the Midwest Diverse?
Universities in the Midwest vary widely in their level of diversity. Mount Mary University, Alverno College, Augsburg University, and Calumet College of St. Joseph are among the most diverse colleges in the Midwest, while Dordt University, Shawnee State University, Cedarville University, and the University of Wisconsin-Platteville are among the least diverse.
Many of the best universities in the Midwest make some sort of effort to attract students from different ethnic and regional backgrounds. They do this by offering scholarships based on ethnic background or offering special tuition rates to foreign students.
Diversity at the best Midwest colleges is important because it increases creativity and innovation, improves performance and productivity, and encourages personal growth.
Having many different people working together who have different backgrounds increases the chances that someone will have an idea that sparks innovation. If everyone at the top Midwest colleges has the same ideas, no one will ever come up with newer and better ways of doing things. Diversity increases the number of inputs into the creative process and helps increase innovation as a result.
When people with different backgrounds work together, it improves the productivity of the whole team because those who are better at different things can focus on those tasks. Everyone does what they are best at, so the group performs better overall.
Diversity also encourages personal growth by forcing us to learn to get along with those who are different from ourselves. As we learn about new cultures and languages, we learn to interact with those who are different from us and we become better people in the process.
Related:
