Best Colleges in the Midwest

From small liberal arts colleges to big-city research universities, the best colleges in the Midwest list offers a campus for all types. Here are the top 50 in the region.

Published on May 16, 2022. Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Peterson’s, Money/Witlytic calculations.

Sponsored By: A better student loan experience. Get started today.

College Name	Overall Score	Acceptance rate	Est. full price 2022-23	Est. price with average grant	% of students who get any grants	Graduation rate	Early career earnings
Rank College Name Overall Score
1 University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 89.41	89.41	23%	$32,400	$18,800	53%	92%	$75,840
2 Northwestern University Evanston, IL 85.39	85.39	9%	$83,600	$29,900	59%	95%	$80,030
3 University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN 85.26	85.26	16%	$79,000	$31,700	61%	97%	$88,960
4 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL 84.78	84.78	59%	$32,000	$14,300	61%	84%	$71,540
5 University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI 81.41	81.41	54%	$27,900	$14,800	42%	87%	$65,210
6 Washington University in St Louis Saint Louis, MO 78.72	78.72	14%	$81,800	$28,800	45%	94%	$82,730
7 St. Olaf College Northfield, MN 78.03	78.03	48%	$66,800	$29,400	96%	86%	$60,240
8 Iowa State University Ames, IA 78.00	78.00	92%	$22,600	$17,000	97%	74%	$57,350
9 University of Chicago Chicago, IL 77.72	77.72	6%	$83,800	$38,600	54%	94%	$76,730
10 Saint Johns University Collegeville, MN 77.46	77.46	78%	$63,800	$29,700	99%	75%	$68,720
11 Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, MO 77.35	77.35	79%	$24,600	$14,200	84%	62%	$80,290
12 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN 76.44	76.44	57%	$29,600	$18,700	56%	80%	$61,200
13 College of Saint Benedict Saint Joseph, MN 76.21	76.21	80%	$64,000	$29,500	99%	79%	$56,370
14 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL 75.82	75.82	73%	$31,800	$13,300	72%	59%	$59,780
15 Purdue University West Lafayette, IN 75.72	75.72	60%	$23,400	$13,000	50%	81%	$65,260
16 Michigan Technological University Houghton, MI 75.64	75.64	74%	$32,200	$18,300	94%	68%	$73,540
17 Gustavus Adolphus College Saint Peter, MN 75.44	75.44	69%	$63,000	$28,200	97%	78%	$59,180
18 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 75.15	75.15	71%	$30,000	$17,600	60%	79%	$61,100
19 Bradley University Peoria, IL 75.13	75.13	70%	$51,600	$27,300	96%	78%	$61,890
20 Saint Mary's College Notre Dame, IN 74.23	74.23	81%	$63,800	$28,600	98%	77%	$56,660
21 College of the Ozarks Point Lookout, MO 73.84	73.84	10%	$32,300	$7,900	100%	66%	$38,780
22 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI 73.64	73.64	83%	$64,400	$36,700	95%	85%	$72,490
23 Carleton College Northfield, MN 73.54	73.54	19%	$79,300	$32,600	61%	93%	$67,130
24 University of Wisconsin-La Crosse La Crosse, WI 73.38	73.38	73%	$18,400	$13,000	42%	70%	$54,140
25 Simpson College Indianola, IA 73.28	73.28	80%	$57,500	$21,600	96%	70%	$50,630
26 University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA 73.27	73.27	79%	$21,900	$17,100	67%	65%	$49,560
27 Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN 73.03	73.03	78%	$26,900	$13,900	71%	78%	$58,810
28 DePauw University Greencastle, IN 72.88	72.88	64%	$70,800	$31,900	96%	85%	$62,460
29 Milwaukee School of Engineering Milwaukee, WI 72.49	72.49	62%	$58,500	$28,000	96%	73%	$81,330
30 Rockhurst University Kansas City, MO 72.29	72.29	64%	$57,400	$22,700	67%	75%	$58,920
30 Wheaton College Wheaton, IL 72.29	72.29	85%	$54,400	$29,000	84%	87%	$53,470
32 University of St. Francis Joliet, IL 72.03	72.03	46%	$50,400	$17,700	86%	62%	$59,500
33 Winona State University Winona, MN 71.66	71.66	68%	$23,300	$18,100	91%	62%	$51,350
34 The College of Saint Scholastica Duluth, MN 71.59	71.59	76%	$54,800	$24,500	86%	69%	$58,750
35 Drake University Des Moines, IA 71.46	71.46	68%	$62,000	$32,000	97%	77%	$63,530
36 Truman State University Kirksville, MO 71.41	71.41	63%	$22,900	$13,300	83%	72%	$50,720
37 Illinois State University Normal, IL 71.32	71.32	82%	$32,600	$22,100	75%	69%	$55,460
38 Illinois Wesleyan University Bloomington, IL 71.26	71.26	61%	$67,500	$34,400	100%	79%	$66,970
39 Goshen College Goshen, IN 71.15	71.15	63%	$51,100	$18,700	94%	69%	$46,190
40 Judson University Elgin, IL 71.06	71.06	39%	$45,600	$16,900	70%	63%	$49,210
41 University of Wisconsin-Stout Menomonie, WI 71.05	71.05	91%	$21,200	$15,800	45%	57%	$52,280
42 Wabash College Crawfordsville, IN 71.04	71.04	64%	$61,300	$25,800	100%	71%	$63,430
43 Beloit College Beloit, WI 70.99	70.99	62%	$67,300	$25,800	92%	79%	$50,500
44 Martin Luther College New Ulm, MN 70.96	70.96	84%	$28,800	$22,600	83%	72%	$40,820
45 Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL 70.72	70.72	60%	$73,200	$29,700	95%	72%	$77,680
46 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA 70.52	70.52	83%	$26,100	$18,400	68%	72%	$58,270
47 Central College Pella, IA 70.45	70.45	65%	$34,300	$22,900	96%	72%	$49,740
48 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI 70.39	70.39	82%	$21,700	$15,100	49%	67%	$51,870
49 Concordia College at Moorhead Moorhead, MN 70.18	70.18	68%	$57,600	$25,400	96%	74%	$51,990
50 Kalamazoo College Kalamazoo, MI 70.15	70.15	76%	$68,100	$29,100	99%	78%	$55,290

Best Colleges in the Midwest

University of Michigan

Ann Arbor, MI

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Madison, WI

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO

St. Olaf College

Northfield, MN

Iowa State University

Ames, IA

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

Saint Johns University

Collegeville, MN

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Rolla, MO

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN

College of Saint Benedict

Saint Joseph, MN

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago, IL

Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN

Michigan Technological University

Houghton, MI

Gustavus Adolphus College

Saint Peter, MN

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI

Bradley University

Peoria, IL

Saint Mary's College

Notre Dame, IN

College of the Ozarks

Point Lookout, MO

Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI

Carleton College

Northfield, MN

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

La Crosse, WI

Simpson College

Indianola, IA

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA

Indiana University-Bloomington

Bloomington, IN

DePauw University

Greencastle, IN

Milwaukee School of Engineering

Milwaukee, WI

Rockhurst University

Kansas City, MO

Wheaton College

Wheaton, IL

University of St. Francis

Joliet, IL

Winona State University

Winona, MN

The College of Saint Scholastica

Duluth, MN

Drake University

Des Moines, IA

Truman State University

Kirksville, MO

Illinois State University

Normal, IL

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, IL

Goshen College

Goshen, IN

Judson University