50 best colleges in the Midwest

Ken Wolter // Shutterstock Some of the best Midwestern colleges and universities can thank the Morrill Act of 1862 for their existence. This law gave states 30,000 acres of federal land to establish institutions that offered practical and agricultural education to a wider public. Today, many of these land-grant colleges have a history of being powerhouse research institutions, boasting developments like the first internet browser and the performance of the first successful open-heart surgery. After the 2008 recession, many colleges in the Midwest faced problems of disinvestment; higher education is generally an easy target for budget cuts from state governments looking to save money; however, some states have begun to make up ground. For example, in 2019, Illinois passed a new budget with significant increases in funding for many colleges and universities across the state. Many schools across the region are fighting to attract students away from the coasts and into America’s heartland, focusing resources on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education as the “Silicon Prairie” develops. Of course, many of the schools on this list also have a rich tradition of college sports, especially football, which contributes to the rah-rah campus culture. America’s heartland claims several well-respected institutions of higher education, including famed public research universities and renowned small liberal arts colleges. Using Niche’s 2023 Best Colleges in America list, Stacker found the best 50 schools in the Midwest. Niche’s rankings use data from the Department of Education on academics, admissions, and student life, along with reviews from current students and alumni. Only colleges located in Midwestern states–Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin–were included. Click through our list to find which colleges made the cut, and if the top spot went to a big-name football school, a land-grant institution, or a bucolic liberal arts campus. You may also like: Can you pass this 8th grade assessment test? #50. Lake Forest College Bryan Pollard // Shutterstock – Location: Lake Forest, Illinois – Acceptance rate: 58% – Net price: $26,968 – SAT range: 1020-1240 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $50,900 – Overall rank: #239 #49. Gustavus Adolphus College Ken Wolter // Shutterstock – Location: St. Peter, Minnesota – Acceptance rate: 71% – Net price: $26,701 – SAT range: 1080-1340 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $51,700 – Overall rank: #237 #48. Moody Bible Institute Moody Bible Institute, Crowell Hall with archway under a blue sky. – Location: Chicago, Illinois – Acceptance rate: 98% – Net price: $18,790 – SAT range: 990-1200 – Median earnings six years after graduation: No data available – Overall rank: #236 #47. Hope College Susan Montgomery // Shutterstock – Location: Holland, Michigan – Acceptance rate: 78% – Net price: $30,320 – SAT range: 1130-1330 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $46,200 – Overall rank: #235 #46. Ohio University Wendy Van Overstreet // Shutterstock – Location: Athens, Ohio – Acceptance rate: 87% – Net price: $23,307 – SAT range: 1050-1250 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $40,500 – Overall rank: #234 You may also like: 30 college majors that didn’t exist 50 years ago #45. University of Illinois Chicago Jonathan Weiss // Shutterstock – Location: Chicago, Illinois – Acceptance rate: 73% – Net price: $12,614 – SAT range: 1030-1250 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $54,300 – Overall rank: #229 #44. Marquette University Ken Wolter // Shutterstock – Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin – Acceptance rate: 82% – Net price: $34,732 – SAT range: 1160-1340 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $62,600 – Overall rank: #228 #43. Illinois Wesleyan University EmilyMarvin // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Bloomington, Illinois – Acceptance rate: 57% – Net price: $32,545 – SAT range: 1100-1300 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $59,100 – Overall rank: #222 #42. DePaul University Carlos Yudica // Shutterstock – Location: Chicago, Illinois – Acceptance rate: 70% – Net price: $33,319 – SAT range: 1050-1260 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $53,300 – Overall rank: #213 #41. College of Wooster Epiglottis // Shutterstock – Location: Wooster, Ohio – Acceptance rate: 65% – Net price: $27,923 – SAT range: 1150-1380 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $46,300 – Overall rank: #210 You may also like: What American education was like 100 years ago #40. Oberlin College PICTOR PICTURES // Shutterstock – Location: Oberlin, Ohio – Acceptance rate: 35% – Net price: $42,745 – SAT range: 1270-1360 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $40,800 – Overall rank: #209 #39. University of St. Thomas – Minnesota Sam Wagner // Shutterstock – Location: Saint Paul, Minnesota – Acceptance rate: 87% – Net price: $31,799 – SAT range: 1130-1340 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $56,800 – Overall rank: #203 #38. Cedarville University Nyttend // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Cedarville, Ohio – Acceptance rate: 59% – Net price: $24,965 – SAT range: 1110-1350 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $41,300 – Overall rank: #199 #37. Lawrence University SkyBlodgett // Shutterstock – Location: Appleton, Wisconsin – Acceptance rate: 69% – Net price: $26,594 – SAT range: 1190-1410 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $44,100 – Overall rank: #198 #36. College of the Ozarks Rosemarie Mosteller // Shutterstock – Location: Point Lookout, Missouri – Acceptance rate: 14% – Net price: $7,505 – SAT range: 1090-1240 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $32,500 – Overall rank: #194 You may also like: Best private high school in every state #35. South Dakota School of Mines & Technology dinos // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Rapid City, South Dakota – Acceptance rate: 86% – Net price: $19,799 – SAT range: 1150-1350 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $56,500 – Overall rank: #188 #34. Kansas State University Paperraven // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Manhattan, Kansas – Acceptance rate: 95% – Net price: $18,494 – SAT range: — – Median earnings six years after graduation: $45,600 – Overall rank: #185 #33. Drake University Picture Des Moines // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Des Moines, Iowa – Acceptance rate: 68% – Net price: $30,321 – SAT range: 1110-1340 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $58,300 – Overall rank: #182 #32. Andrews University Canva – Location: Berrien Springs, Michigan – Acceptance rate: 49% – Net price: $22,850 – SAT range: 1030-1380 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $45,200 – Overall rank: #180 #31. DePauw University Nyttend // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Greencastle, Indiana – Acceptance rate: 68% – Net price: $30,183 – SAT range: 1110-1360 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $54,000 – Overall rank: #177 You may also like: College majors that earn the most money #30. University of Missouri Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Location: Columbia, Missouri – Acceptance rate: 82% – Net price: $16,930 – SAT range: 1110-1320 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $48,300 – Overall rank: #156 #29. The University of Kansas Chad Robertson Media // Shutterstock – Location: Lawrence, Kansas – Acceptance rate: 91% – Net price: $20,054 – SAT range: 1070-1320 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $48,800 – Overall rank: #155 #28. Wabash College Wally // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Crawfordsville, Indiana – Acceptance rate: 63% – Net price: $24,412 – SAT range: 1120-1320 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $56,300 – Overall rank: #153 #27. University of Dayton Nheyob // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Dayton, Ohio – Acceptance rate: 81% – Net price: $32,768 – SAT range: 1080-1300 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $55,100 – Overall rank: #150 #26. Denison University Chamberednautilus // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Granville, Ohio – Acceptance rate: 28% – Net price: $39,808 – SAT range: 1220-1430 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $48,800 – Overall rank: #142 You may also like: 35 CEOs who never finished college #25. St. Olaf College Ken Wolter // Shutterstock – Location: Northfield, Minnesota – Acceptance rate: 51% – Net price: $27,838 – SAT range: 1150-1390 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $50,400 – Overall rank: #140 #24. Iowa State University EQRoy // Shutterstock – Location: Ames, Iowa – Acceptance rate: 88% – Net price: $16,105 – SAT range: 1010-1310 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $50,700 – Overall rank: #133 #23. Saint Louis University STLJB // Shutterstock – Location: St. Louis, Missouri – Acceptance rate: 56% – Net price: $27,872 – SAT range: 1160-1370 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $56,500 – Overall rank: #132 #22. University of Cincinnati Andrew Higley // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Cincinnati, Ohio – Acceptance rate: 76% – Net price: $22,767 – SAT range: 1120-1330 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $42,300 – Overall rank: #131 #21. Wheaton College – Illinois James Casil // Shutterstock – Location: Wheaton, Illinois – Acceptance rate: 87% – Net price: $27,474 – SAT range: 1210-1450 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $48,400 – Overall rank: #125 You may also like: States spending the most and least per student on education #20. University of Iowa Tony Webster // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Iowa City, Iowa – Acceptance rate: 84% – Net price: $17,452 – SAT range: 1110-1310 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $51,900 – Overall rank: #123 #19. Michigan Technological University ehrlif // Shutterstock – Location: Houghton, Michigan – Acceptance rate: 70% – Net price: $17,356 – SAT range: 1160-1350 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $66,400 – Overall rank: #114 #18. Indiana University – Bloomington Ken Wolter // Shutterstock – Location: Bloomington, Indiana – Acceptance rate: 80% – Net price: $13,191 – SAT range: 1120-1350 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $47,700 – Overall rank: #113 #17. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Waterlizard403 // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Terre Haute, Indiana – Acceptance rate: 77% – Net price: $43,606 – SAT range: 1260-1460 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $80,900 – Overall rank: #109 #16. Michigan State University Arthur Matsuo // Shutterstock – Location: East Lansing, Michigan – Acceptance rate: 76% – Net price: $16,655 – SAT range: 1100-1300 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $53,600 – Overall rank: #103 You may also like: Best boarding schools in America #15. University of Minnesota Twin Cities Ken Wolter // Shutterstock – Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota – Acceptance rate: 70% – Net price: $17,729 – SAT range: 1240-1460 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $51,900 – Overall rank: #92 #14. Kenyon College Curt Smith // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Gambier, Ohio – Acceptance rate: 37% – Net price: $40,862 – SAT range: 1280-1460 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $48,700 – Overall rank: #87 #13. Macalester College Ken Wolter // Shutterstock – Location: Saint Paul, Minnesota – Acceptance rate: 39% – Net price: $35,589 – SAT range: 1280-1450 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $47,600 – Overall rank: #84 #12. The Ohio State University Susan Montgomery // Shutterstock – Location: Columbus, Ohio – Acceptance rate: 68% – Net price: $18,884 – SAT range: 1210-1430 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $46,100 – Overall rank: #80 #11. Purdue University mrpotato101 // Shutterstock – Location: West Lafayette, Indiana – Acceptance rate: 67% – Net price: $12,294 – SAT range: 1170-1420 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $55,100 – Overall rank: #79 You may also like: How student debt has grown in every state #10. Carleton College Roy Luck // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Northfield, Minnesota – Acceptance rate: 21% – Net price: $30,843 – SAT range: 1330-1520 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $54,200 – Overall rank: #77 #9. Grinnell College Ken Wolter // Shutterstock – Location: Grinnell, Iowa – Acceptance rate: 19% – Net price: $32,091 – SAT range: 1370-1540 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $49,100 – Overall rank: #73 #8. Case Western Reserve University Kim Willems // Shutterstock – Location: Cleveland, Ohio – Acceptance rate: 30% – Net price: $36,002 – SAT range: 1340-1520 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $74,600 – Overall rank: #65 #7. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign tzm23 // Shutterstock – Location: Urbana, Illinois – Acceptance rate: 63% – Net price: $13,517 – SAT range: 1200-1460 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $61,500 – Overall rank: #59 #6. University of Wisconsin Youngryand // Shutterstock – Location: Madison, Wisconsin – Acceptance rate: 57% – Net price: $14,030 – SAT range: 1260-1460 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $56,200 – Overall rank: #53 You may also like: 50 best college movies #5. University of Michigan – Ann Arbor Ken Wolter // Shutterstock – Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan – Acceptance rate: 26% – Net price: $17,832 – SAT range: 1340-1520 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $63,400 – Overall rank: #25 #4. University of Notre Dame Grindstone Media Group // Shutterstock – Location: Notre Dame, Indiana – Acceptance rate: 19% – Net price: $29,981 – SAT range: 1400-1550 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $78,400 – Overall rank: #19 #3. University of Chicago EQRoy // Shutterstock – Location: Chicago, Illinois – Acceptance rate: 7% – Net price: $36,584 – SAT range: 1500-1570 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $68,100 – Overall rank: #16 #2. Washington University in St. Louis Unknown // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Saint Louis, Missouri – Acceptance rate: 16% – Net price: $27,233 – SAT range: 1480-1560 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $70,100 – Overall rank: #15 #1. Northwestern University Madcoverboy // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Evanston, Illinois – Acceptance rate: 9% – Net price: $28,344 – SAT range: 1430-1550 – Median earnings six years after graduation: $69,000 – Overall rank: #14 ” You may also like: Most expensive colleges–and what students actually pay