Western Illinois University has again been recognized as a “Best Midwestern University” by U.S.News and World Report. This is the 17th consecutive year that WIU has received the national recognition.
In the U.S.News and World Report 2022 rankings, of the 52 Midwestern public schools in the top tier, Western is ranked 12th. Western is also listed 54th of 157 public and private colleges and universities on the top tier list of “Best Regional Universities Midwest.”
Along with the “Best Midwestern” ranking, Western has been acknowledged by U.S.News as a “Best Colleges for Veterans” (Midwest – #23), Best Value School” (Midwest – #49) and “Top Performer on Social Mobility” (Midwest – #47). Western is also recognized in rankings for campus ethnic diversity, economic diversity, graduation rates (six-year), freshmen retention rates, overall undergraduate business programs, overall undergraduate engineering program, least debt (class of 2017) and highest proportion of classes under 20 students.
“The continued recognition from U.S.News reaffirms WIU’s mission and tradition of ensuring access to an outstanding education for the citizens of Illinois and beyond,” said WIU President Guiyou Huang. “We are here to provide quality, affordable higher education opportunities and to ensure that our students are successful.”
The institutions appearing on the U.S.News Best Colleges ranking represent a full range of undergraduate majors and master’s programs. The rankings are based on several diverse measures: graduation and retention rates, social mobility, faculty resources, expert opinion, financial resources, student excellence and alumni giving.
In addition to the U.S.News designation, Western was recently recognized for the 18th consecutive year by The Princeton Review as a “Best Midwestern College” and has been listed one of the best Midwestern colleges, and one of the best colleges overall for student voting by the Washington Monthly.
***Report Courtesy of Western Illinois University***
