About the Rankings:
We rate schools based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: Social Mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), Research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and PhDs), and Service (encouraging students to give something back to their country).
Read more about our Best Bang for the Buck Colleges here.
More rankings:
College Guide Rankings 2015 – National Universities
College Guide Rankings 2015 – Liberal Arts Colleges
College Guide Rankings 2015 – Baccalaureate Colleges
College Guide Rankings 2015 – Master’s Universities
America’s Best Bang for the Buck Colleges 2015 – Northeast
America’s Best Bang for the Buck Colleges 2015 – South
America’s Best Bang for the Buck Colleges 2015 – Southeast
America’s Best Bang for the Buck Colleges 2015 – West
| Institution | ACT/SAT | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | Student loan default rate | Graduation rate | Graduation rate performance | Student receiving Pell grant | Net price (all students) | Net price (annual family income $0-$30,000) | Net price (annual family income $30,000-$75,000) | Net price (annual family income above $75,000) | Percent of applicants admitted | ACT/SAT 25th percentile score | ACT/SAT 25th percentile score | ||
| 1 | College of the Ozarks (MO) | 13 | 0% | 61% | 25% | 61% | $10,393 | $10,078 | $11,079 | 10% | 21 | 25 | |
| 2 | Grace Bible College (MI) | 13 | 1% | 50% | 6% | 59% | $14,194 | $12,882 | $13,942 | $17,178 | 76% | ||
| 3 | Martin Luther College (MN) | 12 | 1% | 72% | 10% | 34% | $13,845 | $11,533 | $12,241 | $17,166 | 96% | 22 | 28 |
| 4 | Illinois State University (IL)* | 12 | 3% | 71% | 6% | 24% | $14,591 | $9,635 | $16,068 | $22,939 | 71% | 22 | 26 |
| 5 | Northland International University (WI) | 12 | 1% | 66% | 25% | 57% | $15,991 | $12,461 | $14,531 | $19,398 | 98% | ||
| 6 | University of Michigan–Dearborn (MI)* | 11 | 5% | 51% | 0% | 41% | $8,284 | $5,318 | $8,320 | $12,519 | 60% | 21 | 26 |
| 7 | Wayne State College (NE)* | 11 | 6% | 50% | 2% | 40% | $9,197 | $6,767 | $9,117 | $12,795 | 76% | ||
| 8 | University of Illinois at Chicago (IL)* | 11 | 3% | 55% | -1% | 46% | $9,600 | $7,600 | $11,138 | $21,469 | 63% | 21 | 26 |
| 9 | Pittsburg State University (KS)* | 11 | 7% | 52% | 10% | 41% | $9,904 | $9,542 | $10,849 | $12,655 | 81% | 19 | 24 |
| 10 | Michigan State University (MI)* | 11 | 4% | 78% | 9% | 25% | $13,641 | $5,922 | $14,098 | $20,330 | 71% | 23 | 28 |
| 11 | Eastern Illinois University (IL)* | 11 | 4% | 60% | 9% | 35% | $13,966 | $10,504 | $15,118 | $20,042 | 66% | 19 | 23 |
| 12 | Western Michigan University (MI)* | 11 | 5% | 55% | 5% | 36% | $14,663 | $11,351 | $16,149 | $19,334 | 84% | 20 | 25 |
| 13 | Huntington University (IN) | 11 | 2% | 61% | 9% | 36% | $17,094 | $15,252 | $18,311 | $23,192 | 90% | 904 | 1139 |
| 14 | Maharishi Univ. of Mgmt. (IA) | 11 | 4% | 60% | 9% | 64% | $17,364 | $15,915 | $15,878 | 47% | |||
| 15 | Bethel College–Mishawaka (IN) | 11 | 6% | 58% | 9% | 52% | $17,880 | $13,354 | $16,819 | $20,997 | 72% | 897 | 1140 |
| 16 | Hanover College (IN) | 11 | 2% | 67% | 11% | 44% | $18,230 | $11,585 | $14,697 | $20,999 | 66% | 1007 | 1233 |
| 17 | Ripon College (WI) | 11 | 3% | 71% | 6% | 34% | $19,321 | $12,000 | $16,361 | $21,056 | 77% | 21 | 27 |
| 18 | Univ. of Wisconsin–Green Bay (WI)* | 10 | 3% | 52% | -2% | 31% | $9,005 | $6,254 | $11,015 | $14,507 | 87% | 21 | 25 |
| 19 | Univ. of Wisconsin–Stevens Point (WI)* | 10 | 3% | 60% | 1% | 32% | $10,108 | $6,880 | $11,722 | $15,264 | 78% | 21 | 25 |
| 20 | Indiana University–Bloomington (IN)* | 10 | 4% | 73% | 6% | 19% | $10,481 | $4,094 | $10,693 | $18,509 | 72% | 1053 | 1253 |
| 21 | Univ. of Wisconsin–Eau Claire (WI)* | 10 | 2% | 65% | 0% | 26% | $10,872 | $7,129 | $11,483 | $16,068 | 75% | 22 | 26 |
| 22 | Univ. of Wisconsin–La Crosse (WI)* | 10 | 1% | 69% | 1% | 22% | $11,344 | $7,647 | $12,815 | $16,573 | 75% | 23 | 27 |
| 23 | Marygrove College (MI) | 10 | 5% | 25% | 5% | 72% | $12,517 | $11,900 | $13,531 | 47% | 14 | 19 | |
| 24 | University of Illinois–Springfield (IL)* | 10 | 5% | 59% | 6% | 35% | $12,701 | $7,986 | $11,110 | $16,395 | 59% | 20 | 26 |
| 25 | South Dakota State University (SD)* | 10 | 3% | 56% | 2% | 28% | $12,933 | $10,438 | $13,427 | $15,681 | 92% | 20 | 25 |
| 26 | Graceland University–Lamoni (IA) | 10 | 6% | 50% | 2% | 38% | $13,227 | $10,331 | $12,228 | $15,696 | 46% | 18 | 24 |
| 27 | University of Northern Iowa (IA)* | 10 | 3% | 67% | 5% | 26% | $13,700 | $9,687 | $13,725 | $16,289 | 79% | 21 | 25 |
| 28 | University of Iowa (IA)* | 10 | 3% | 70% | 1% | 18% | $14,004 | $8,902 | $13,718 | $18,071 | 81% | 23 | 28 |
| 29 | Western Illinois University (IL)* | 10 | 6% | 55% | 6% | 36% | $14,233 | $11,826 | $16,014 | $21,114 | 64% | 18 | 23 |
| 30 | University of Michigan–Ann Arbor (MI)* | 10 | 2% | 90% | 5% | 16% | $14,306 | $5,171 | $10,592 | $20,689 | 43% | 28 | 32 |
| 31 | Grand Valley State University (MI)* | 10 | 3% | 63% | 1% | 34% | $14,323 | $9,317 | $13,622 | $18,673 | 82% | 21 | 26 |
| 32 | Hannibal-LaGrange University (MO) | 10 | 4% | 50% | 0% | 36% | $14,342 | $12,705 | $13,118 | $14,419 | 62% | 19 | 25 |
| 33 | University of Wisconsin–Madison (WI)* | 10 | 1% | 82% | 5% | 16% | $14,773 | $6,721 | $13,242 | $19,920 | 67% | 26 | 30 |
| 34 | Baker Coll. Ctr. Graduate Studies (MI) | 10 | 0% | 30% | 5% | 52% | $15,816 | $15,439 | $16,916 | 82% | |||
| 35 | Ursuline College (OH) | 10 | 4% | 50% | 6% | 50% | $16,104 | $13,542 | $14,294 | $19,323 | 67% | 18 | 23 |
| 36 | Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (IN) | 10 | 5% | 57% | 17% | 45% | $16,167 | $11,714 | $16,251 | $20,764 | 61% | 830 | 1120 |
| 37 | Dominican University (IL) | 10 | 5% | 65% | 5% | 40% | $16,410 | $12,856 | $13,992 | 59% | 20 | 24 | |
| 38 | Maranatha Baptist Bible College (WI) | 10 | 1% | 51% | 4% | 46% | $16,783 | $15,200 | $17,082 | $20,422 | 66% | 20 | 25 |
| 39 | Grace College & Theological Seminary (IN) | 10 | 2% | 58% | 9% | 31% | $16,900 | $13,554 | $16,940 | $20,781 | 87% | 907 | 1153 |
| 40 | Univ. of St. Francis–Fort Wayne (IN) | 10 | 5% | 54% | 8% | 42% | $16,987 | $11,423 | $14,545 | $19,652 | 54% | 873 | 1053 |
| 41 | Concordia University–Chicago (IL) | 10 | 3% | 56% | 0% | 40% | $17,558 | $15,465 | $15,995 | $20,499 | 54% | 19 | 24 |
| 42 | National Louis University (IL) | 10 | 3% | 30% | 8% | 52% | $17,991 | $18,813 | 76% | 15 | 17 | ||
| 43 | Robert Morris University Illinois (IL) | 10 | 5% | 47% | 8% | 65% | $17,994 | $18,104 | $17,982 | $19,965 | 47% | ||
| 44 | Marian University (IN) | 10 | 4% | 58% | 6% | 40% | $18,554 | $14,419 | $17,041 | $21,229 | 54% | 913 | 1107 |
| 45 | Simpson College (IA) | 10 | 3% | 68% | 6% | 30% | $18,879 | $14,881 | $16,584 | $20,817 | 87% | 21 | 26 |
| 46 | Ohio State University–Main (OH)* | 10 | 4% | 80% | 9% | 24% | $19,111 | $11,825 | $17,274 | $23,127 | 63% | 26 | 30 |
| 47 | Goshen College (IN) | 10 | 4% | 71% | 7% | 33% | $19,146 | $14,820 | $15,712 | $21,165 | 58% | 990 | 1227 |
| 48 | Baldwin Wallace University (OH) | 10 | 2% | 70% | 5% | 30% | $19,835 | $14,825 | $18,174 | $22,295 | 64% | 21 | 26 |
| 49 | Elmhurst College (IL) | 10 | 2% | 71% | 7% | 32% | $20,245 | $15,138 | $18,053 | $22,137 | 71% | 21 | 26 |
| 50 | Earlham College (IN) | 10 | 3% | 70% | 7% | 27% | $20,381 | $14,141 | $17,227 | $27,947 | 72% | 1017 | 1340 |
