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.
Augustana College
- Private 4 Year
- Rock Island, IL
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Augustana is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate biology and music. The campus sits along the Mississippi River in Rock Island.
- SAT Range 1030-1270
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 63%
- Net Price $24,714
Knox College
- Private 4 Year
- Galesburg, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Knox is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate creative writing and the sciences. The historic campus in Galesburg includes Old Main, site of an 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debate.
- SAT Range 1180-1440
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $25,709
Dominican University
- Private 4 Year
- River Forest, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 31 application deadline
Dominican is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate education, nursing, and business. The suburban River Forest campus sits just west of Chicago.
- SAT Range 880-1100
- Avg GPA 3.74
- Acceptance Rate 90%
- Net Price $13,402
University of Illinois Springfield
- Public 4 Year
- Springfield, IL
-
| 0 reviews
UIS is a public university known for undergraduate public affairs, political science, and computer science. The campus is in Springfield, Illinois's state capital.
- SAT Range 940-1200
- Avg GPA 3.46
- Acceptance Rate 86%
- Net Price $10,809
Ohio State University Main Campus
- Public 4 Year
- Columbus, OH
-
5.0 | 6 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Ohio State is a large public university known for undergraduate business, engineering, and education. The urban campus stretches across Columbus, the state capital.
- SAT Range 1310-1480
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.76
- Acceptance Rate 61%
- Net Price $19,783
Augustana University
- Private 4 Year
- Sioux Falls, SD
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
Augustana is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The residential campus is in Sioux Falls, South Dakota's largest city.
- SAT Range 1150-1370
- Avg GPA 3.76
- Acceptance Rate 68%
- Net Price $24,977
Beloit College
- Private 4 Year
- Beloit, WI
-
5.0 | 4 reviews
Beloit is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate anthropology and the sciences. The historic residential campus overlooks the Rock River in southern Wisconsin.
- SAT Range 1200-1430
- Avg GPA 3.33
- Acceptance Rate 63%
- Net Price $24,455
Milwaukee School of Engineering
- Private 4 Year
- Milwaukee, WI
-
| 0 reviews
- Sep 1 application deadline
MSOE is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, computer science, and nursing. The urban campus is located in downtown Milwaukee.
- SAT Range 1160-1405
- Avg GPA 3.65
- Acceptance Rate 59%
- Net Price $25,669
Lewis University
- Private 4 Year
- Romeoville, IL
-
| 0 reviews
Lewis is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate aviation and nursing. The suburban Romeoville campus includes its own airport used for flight training.
- SAT Range 960-1210
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $18,959
Simpson College
- Private 4 Year
- Indianola, IA
-
2.0 | 1 reviews
- Aug 15 application deadline
Simpson is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate music, business, and education. The residential campus is in the small college town of Indianola near Des Moines.
- SAT Range 890-1280
- Avg GPA 3.62
- Acceptance Rate 86%
- Net Price $23,282
Calvin University
- Private 4 Year
- Grand Rapids, MI
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
Calvin is a private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and the liberal arts. The Grand Rapids campus is rooted in the Reformed tradition of the Christian Reformed Church.
- SAT Range 1083-1330
- Avg GPA 3.84
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $25,231
Hamline University
- Private 4 Year
- Saint Paul, MN
-
2.0 | 2 reviews
Hamline is a private university known for undergraduate education, business, and the liberal arts. The residential campus sits in a neighborhood setting in Saint Paul within the Twin Cities.
- SAT Range 1133-1391
- Avg GPA 3.48
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $22,390
St Catherine University
- Private 4 Year
- Saint Paul, MN
-
3.7 | 3 reviews
St. Catherine is a private Catholic women's university known for undergraduate nursing and health sciences. Most bachelor's programs enroll women on the urban Saint Paul campus.
- SAT Range 850-1140
- Avg GPA 3.62
- Acceptance Rate 92%
- Net Price $20,918
Case Western Reserve University
- Private 4 Year
- Cleveland, OH
-
5.0 | 4 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Case Western is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, biomedical engineering, and nursing. The urban campus sits in Cleveland's University Circle near major hospitals and museums.
- SAT Range 1430-1540
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.86
- Acceptance Rate 37%
- Net Price $44,000
North Central College
- Private 4 Year
- Naperville, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- Apr 15 application deadline
North Central is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate business, education, and the sciences. The residential campus sits in suburban Naperville, west of Chicago.
- SAT Range 1055-1310
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $23,276
Wheaton College
- Private 4 Year
- Wheaton, IL
-
4.0 | 3 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Wheaton is a private evangelical Christian liberal arts college known for undergraduate biblical studies, theology, and the sciences. The residential campus sits in a western suburb of Chicago.
- SAT Range 1260-1470
- Avg GPA 3.75
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $31,356
Hanover College
- Private 4 Year
- Hanover, IN
-
0.0 | 1 reviews
Hanover is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate biology, business, and psychology. The campus overlooks the Ohio River from wooded bluffs in a small southern Indiana town.
- SAT Range 1110-1280
- Avg GPA 3.79
- Acceptance Rate 84%
- Net Price $23,683
Indiana Wesleyan University Marion
- Private 4 Year
- Marion, IN
-
| 0 reviews
Indiana Wesleyan is a private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and ministry. The residential campus in Marion is affiliated with the Wesleyan Church.
- SAT Range 960-1180
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $23,402