Best Value Midwestern Colleges
There are 252 colleges in the Midwest ranked by value using the same methodology as our national list. Rankings balance academic quality with the net price students typically pay.
University of Michigan Ann Arbor leads Midwest value rankings for 2027 with a 10 out of 10 academic rating and an average net price of $17,574. The top value public university is also University of Michigan Ann Arbor. Also high value: Washington University in St Louis, Northwestern University and University of Chicago.
Compare net price, aid, and academic ratings across the colleges below. See how value scores are calculated on our methodology page. Explore the regional list below or browse individual states.
University of Illinois Chicago
- Public 4 Year
- Chicago, IL
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
UIC is a large public university known for undergraduate nursing, architecture, and engineering. The urban campus sits on Chicago's Near West Side near the Illinois Medical District.
- SAT Range 1130-1350
- Avg GPA 3.41
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $10,852
Illinois Institute of Technology
- Private 4 Year
- Chicago, IL
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Mar 1 application deadline
Illinois Tech is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, architecture, and computer science. The urban Chicago campus is noted for its modernist buildings by Mies van der Rohe.
- SAT Range 1180-1440
- Avg GPA 3.84
- Acceptance Rate 55%
- Net Price $24,796
University of Evansville
- Private 4 Year
- Evansville, IN
-
| 0 reviews
University of Evansville is a private university known for undergraduate theatre and engineering. Many undergrads study abroad at Harlaxton College, its campus in a historic English manor.
- SAT Range 1045-1300
- Avg GPA 3.71
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $18,773
Coe College
- Private 4 Year
- Cedar Rapids, IA
-
| 0 reviews
- Mar 1 application deadline
Coe is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate writing, biology, and business. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in Cedar Rapids.
- SAT Range 1070-1290
- Avg GPA 3.74
- Acceptance Rate 64%
- Net Price $20,864
Luther College
- Private 4 Year
- Decorah, IA
-
| 0 reviews
Luther is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate music and the sciences. The residential campus sits among the bluffs of Decorah in northeast Iowa.
- SAT Range 1078-1406
- Avg GPA 3.65
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $24,511
University of Detroit Mercy
- Private 4 Year
- Detroit, MI
-
| 0 reviews
- Mar 1 application deadline
Detroit Mercy is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate architecture, engineering, and nursing. The urban campus sits in northwest Detroit.
- SAT Range 1030-1260
- Avg GPA 3.67
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $16,790
University of Missouri St Louis
- Public 4 Year
- Saint Louis, MO
-
| 0 reviews
UMSL is a public university known for undergraduate business, education, and nursing. The suburban campus is in St. Louis County.
- SAT Range 1060-1290
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 63%
- Net Price $14,008
Saint Louis University
- Private 4 Year
- Saint Louis, MO
-
| 0 reviews
SLU is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate health sciences, nursing, and aviation. The urban campus sits in Midtown St. Louis.
- SAT Range 1200-1410
- Avg GPA 3.95
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $27,749
The College of Wooster
- Private 4 Year
- Wooster, OH
-
2.3 | 3 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
The College of Wooster is a private liberal arts college known for a required senior Independent Study thesis. Most undergrads live on a residential campus in a small Ohio college town.
- SAT Range 1220-1460
- Avg GPA 3.76
- Acceptance Rate 60%
- Net Price $28,004
Illinois Wesleyan University
- Private 4 Year
- Bloomington, IL
-
| 0 reviews
Illinois Wesleyan is a private liberal arts university known for undergraduate music, nursing, and the sciences. Most students live on a residential campus in Bloomington in central Illinois.
- SAT Range 1120-1340
- Avg GPA 3.86
- Acceptance Rate 39%
- Net Price $28,644
Kalamazoo College
- Private 4 Year
- Kalamazoo, MI
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Kalamazoo is a private liberal arts college known for the K-Plan curriculum, extensive undergraduate study abroad, and a required senior individualized project. Most undergrads complete an extended off-campus study experience before graduation.
- SAT Range 1170-1380
- Avg GPA 3.73
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $26,956
Missouri University of Science and Technology
- Public 4 Year
- Rolla, MO
-
| 0 reviews
- Jul 1 application deadline
Missouri S&T is a public university known for undergraduate engineering, computer science, and the physical sciences. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in the college town of Rolla.
- SAT Range 1190-1420
- Avg GPA 3.81
- Acceptance Rate 73%
- Net Price $17,366
Lawrence University
- Private 4 Year
- Appleton, WI
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Lawrence is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate music through its Conservatory of Music. The residential campus sits along the Fox River in Appleton.
- SAT Range 1200-1420
- Avg GPA 3.52
- Acceptance Rate 64%
- Net Price $27,161
Bradley University
- Private 4 Year
- Peoria, IL
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
Bradley is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, business, and health sciences. Most students live on the residential campus in Peoria.
- SAT Range 1090-1300
- Avg GPA 3.83
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $23,787
Saint Mary's College
- Private 4 Year
- Notre Dame, IN
-
3.8 | 5 reviews
Saint Mary's is a private Catholic women's college known for undergraduate nursing, education, and the liberal arts. The campus adjoins the University of Notre Dame in northern Indiana.
- SAT Range 1130-1325
- Avg GPA 3.83
- Acceptance Rate 76%
- Net Price $27,865
Valparaiso University
- Private 4 Year
- Valparaiso, IN
-
4.0 | 2 reviews
Valparaiso is a private Lutheran university known for undergraduate engineering, meteorology, and nursing. The residential campus sits in a college town in northwest Indiana.
- SAT Range 1060-1280
- Avg GPA 3.76
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $21,766
Drake University
- Private 4 Year
- Des Moines, IA
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
Drake is a private university known for undergraduate journalism, pharmacy, and business. The campus sits in a residential neighborhood near downtown Des Moines.
- SAT Range 1110-1350
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 64%
- Net Price $29,565
Ohio Wesleyan University
- Private 4 Year
- Delaware, OH
-
| 0 reviews
- Mar 1 application deadline
Ohio Wesleyan is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate zoology, economics, and international studies. Most undergrads live on a residential campus in Delaware, a small city north of Columbus.
- SAT Range 1105-1350
- Avg GPA 3.54
- Acceptance Rate 56%
- Net Price $23,006