Best Midwestern Colleges
There are 252 ranked four-year colleges in the Midwest, evaluated with the same methodology used for our national rankings. Only nonprofit, selective four-year schools are included.
Leading our 2027 rankings is University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, topping our list in the Midwest. The top rated public university is University of Michigan Ann Arbor. Also highly ranked: Northwestern University, Washington University in St Louis and University of Notre Dame.
Compare tuition, acceptance rates, and enrollment across the colleges below. See how rankings are calculated on our methodology page. Explore the regional list below or browse individual states.
Marquette University
- Private 4 Year
- Milwaukee, WI
-
4.3 | 3 reviews
- Dec 1 application deadline
Marquette is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and communications. The urban campus sits in Milwaukee near Lake Michigan.
- SAT Range 1200-1360
- Avg GPA 3.56
- Acceptance Rate 81%
- Net Price $34,322
John Carroll University
- Private 4 Year
- University Heights, OH
-
| 0 reviews
John Carroll is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate business and the sciences. The suburban campus sits in University Heights near Cleveland.
- SAT Range 1180-1330
- Avg GPA 3.66
- Acceptance Rate 81%
- Net Price $30,030
Ohio Northern University
- Private 4 Year
- Ada, OH
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 15 application deadline
Ohio Northern is a private university known for undergraduate pharmacy and engineering. The residential campus anchors the small college town of Ada in northwest Ohio.
- SAT Range 1175-1400
- Avg GPA 3.78
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $25,941
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
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
University of Iowa
- Public 4 Year
- Iowa City, IA
-
3.0 | 3 reviews
- May 1 application deadline
Iowa is a large public university known for undergraduate creative writing and journalism. The campus sits in the college town of Iowa City along the Iowa River.
- SAT Range 1130-1330
- Avg GPA 3.81
- Acceptance Rate 84%
- Net Price $21,765
Kettering University
- Private 4 Year
- Flint, MI
-
| 0 reviews
Kettering is a private university known for undergraduate mechanical, electrical, and industrial engineering. The campus sits in Flint, a mid-sized Michigan city long tied to the auto industry.
- SAT Range 1160-1330
- Avg GPA 3.77
- Acceptance Rate 79%
- Net Price $35,609
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
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
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
Michigan State University
- Public 4 Year
- East Lansing, MI
-
4.5 | 6 reviews
Michigan State is a large public university known for undergraduate supply chain management, education, and agriculture. The campus spreads across the college town of East Lansing with the Red Cedar River running through it.
- SAT Range 1180-1360
- Avg GPA 3.72
- Acceptance Rate 85%
- Net Price $23,657
Hope College
- Private 4 Year
- Holland, MI
-
3.8 | 4 reviews
Hope is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate chemistry, biology, and education. The residential campus sits in Holland near the Lake Michigan shore.
- SAT Range 1100-1340
- Avg GPA 3.83
- Acceptance Rate 79%
- Net Price $30,700
DePaul University
- Private 4 Year
- Chicago, IL
-
3.3 | 3 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
DePaul is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate business, film, and theater. Its urban campuses sit in Chicago's Lincoln Park and Loop neighborhoods.
- SAT Range 1140-1330
- Avg GPA 3.8
- Acceptance Rate 76%
- Net Price $34,135
University of Missouri Kansas City
- Public 4 Year
- Kansas City, MO
-
| 0 reviews
- Jun 15 application deadline
UMKC is a public university known for its Conservatory and undergraduate programs in music, pharmacy, and business. The urban campus sits in Kansas City.
- SAT Range 1290-1550
- Avg GPA 3.54
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $14,748
Truman State University
- Public 4 Year
- Kirksville, MO
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
Truman State is a public liberal arts university known for undergraduate sciences, business, and education. The residential campus sits in the small college town of Kirksville.
- SAT Range 1170-1370
- Avg GPA 3.81
- Acceptance Rate 84%
- Net Price $13,602
Concordia College at Moorhead
- Private 4 Year
- Moorhead, MN
-
| 0 reviews
Concordia College is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate music and education. Most students live on the residential campus in Moorhead, across the river from Fargo.
- SAT Range 1160-1420
- Avg GPA 3.58
- Acceptance Rate 63%
- Net Price $25,190
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
Xavier University
- Private 4 Year
- Cincinnati, OH
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
Xavier is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate business and nursing. The urban campus sits in Cincinnati's North Avondale neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1103-1310
- Avg GPA 3.68
- Acceptance Rate 86%
- Net Price $33,623