Resources › For Students and Parents Top Midwest Colleges and Universities A list of 30 of Midwest's best colleges and universities Share Flipboard Email Print Creating Your College Wish List Introduction Understanding the Different Kinds of Colleges 15 Things to Consider When Choosing a School Faculty to Student Ratio What Is a Liberal Arts College? 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What Is a Reach School? What Is a Match School? What Is a Safety School? Midwest Region. By Allen Grove Allen Grove Facebook Twitter College Admissions Expert Ph.D., English, University of Pennsylvania M.A., English, University of Pennsylvania B.S., Materials Science & Engineering and Literature, MIT Dr. Allen Grove is an Alfred University English professor and a college admissions expert with over 20 years of experience helping students transition to college. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on November 29, 2019 The Midwest encompasses a wide range of colleges and universities—private and public, urban and rural, large and small, secular and religious. The 30 colleges and universities below were chosen based on a range of factors including retention rates, graduation rates, student engagement, selectivity, and financial aid. The schools are listed alphabetically to avoid the often arbitrary distinctions that separate #1 from #2, and because of the futility of comparing a large research university to a small liberal arts college. The 30 colleges and universities in the list below were selected from Midwest states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin. Albion College Albion College Observatory. kennethaw88 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0 Location: Albion, Michigan Enrollment: 1,533 (all undergraduate) Type of Institution: private liberal arts college Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; good financial aid; 11 to 1 student / faculty ratio; NCAA Division III athletic program; over 100 student clubs and organizations For more information and admissions data, visit the Albion College profile Carleton College Carleton College Bell Tower. Roy Luck / Flickr Location: Northfield, Minnesota Enrollment: 2,097 (all undergraduate) Type of Institution: private liberal arts college Distinctions: one of the nation's ten best liberal arts colleges; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; high retention and graduation rate; attractive campus with an 880-acre arboretum; 9 to 1 student / faculty ratio For more information and admissions data, visit the Carleton College profile Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University. Rdikeman / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Enrollment: 11,890 (5,261 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private university Explore the Campus: Case Western Photo Tour Distinctions: 11 to 1 student / faculty ratio; member of the Association of American Universities for strong research programs; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences programs; strong engineering programs; one of the top Ohio colleges For more information and admissions data, visit the Case Western Reserve University profile College of Wooster The College of Wooster. Allen Grove Location: Wooster, Ohio Enrollment: 2,004 (all undergraduate) Type of Institution: private liberal arts college Distinctions: member of the Five Colleges of Ohio Consortium; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences programs; 11 to 1 student / faculty ratio; one of the top Ohio colleges; strong independent study program; NCAA Division III athletic program For more information and admissions data, visit the College of Wooster profile Creighton University Creighton University. Raymond Bucko, SJ / Flickr Location: Omaha, Nebraska Enrollment: 8,910 (4,446 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private Jesuit university Distinctions: 11 to 1 student / faculty ratio; good financial aid and value; member of the NCAA Division I Big East Conference; one of the country's top Catholic universities For more information and admissions data, visit the Creighton University profile Denison University Denison University Swasey Chapel. Allen Grove Location: Granville, Ohio Enrollment: 2,394 (all undergraduate) Type of Institution: private liberal arts college Distinctions: member of the Five Colleges of Ohio Consortium; one of the top Ohio colleges; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; 9 to 1 student / faculty ratio; 900-acre campus includes a 550-acre biological reserve; good financial aid For more information and admissions data, visit the Denison University profile DePauw University DePauw University Performing Arts Center. Rovergirl88 / Wikimedia Commons Location: Greencastle, Indiana Enrollment: 2,156 (all undergraduate) Type of Institution: private liberal arts college Distinctions: 9 to 1 student / faculty ratio; one of the top Indiana colleges; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; five different honors programs; campus features a 520-acre nature park; good financial aid For more information and admissions data, visit the DePauw University profile Grinnell College Grinnell College. Barry Solow / Flickr Location: Grinnell, Iowa Enrollment: 1,716 (all undergraduate) Type of Institution: private liberal arts college Distinctions: 9 to 1 student / faculty ratio; one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; few core requirements; NCAA Division III athletic program For more information and admissions data, visit the Grinnell College profile Hope College Hope College. Leo Herzog / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0 Location: Holland, Michigan Enrollment: 3,149 (all undergraduate) Type of Institution: private liberal arts college affiliated with the Reformed Church in America Distinctions: distinguished in Loren Pope's College's That Change Lives; 11 to 1 student / faculty ratio; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; located five miles from Lake Michigan For more information and admissions data, visit the Hope College profile Illinois Wesleyan University Illinois Wesleyan University. soundfromwayout / Flickr Location: Bloomington, Illinois Enrollment: 1,693 (all undergraduate) Type of Institution: private liberal arts college Distinctions: 11 to 1 student / faculty ratio; average class size of 17; high retention and graduation rates; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences For more information and admissions data, visit the Illinois Wesleyan University profile Indiana University at Bloomington Sample Gates at Indiana University Bloomington. lynn Dombrowski / Flickr Location: Bloomington, Indiana Enrollment: 43,503 (33,301 undergraduates) Type of Institution: public research university Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; membership in the Association of American Universities for research strengths; attractive 2,000-acre campus; Hoosiers compete in the NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference For more information and admissions data, visit the Indiana University profile Kalamazoo College Hoben Hall at Kalamazoo College. AaronEndre / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan Enrollment: 1,467 (all undergraduate) Type of Institution: private liberal arts college Distinctions: featured in Loren Pope's Colleges That Change Lives; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; strong student engagement through internships, service-learning and study abroad; located blocks from Western Michigan University For more information and admissions data, visit the Kalamazoo College profile Kenyon College Leonard Hall at Kenyon College. Curt Smith / Flickr Location: Gambier, Ohio Enrollment: 1,730 (all undergraduate) Type of Institution: private liberal arts college Distinctions: member of the Five Colleges of Ohio Consortium; 10 to 1 student / faculty ratio; average class size of 15; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; campus features a 380-acre nature preserve For more information and admissions data, visit the Kenyon College profile Luther College Luther College. Prizm / Wikimedia Commons Location: Decorah, Iowa Enrollment: 2,005 (all undergraduate) Type of Institution: private liberal arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Distinctions: 11 to 1 student / faculty ratio; chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; institutional emphasis on service; high participation in study abroad; excellent value; NCAA Division III athletic programs For more information and admissions data, visit the Luther College profile Macalester College Macalester College - Leonard Center. Evenjk / Wikimedia Commons Location: Saint Paul, Minnesota Enrollment: 2,174 (all undergraduate) Type of Institution: private liberal arts college Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; 10 to 1 student / faculty ratio; average class size of 17; diverse student population; high retention and graduation rates; one of the country's best liberal arts colleges; NCAA Division III athletics For more information and admissions data, visit the Macalester College profile Marquette University Marquette Hall at Marquette University. Tim Cigelske / Flickr Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin Enrollment: 11,605 (8,435 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private Catholic university Distinctions: 14 to 1 student / faculty ratio; average upper-level class size of 25; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; 116 majors and 65 minors; member of the NCAA Division I Big East Conference For more information and admissions data, visit the Marquette University profile Miami University, Ohio Miami University Ohio. Wikimedia Commons Location: Oxford, Ohio Enrollment: 19,934 (17,327 undergraduates) Type of Institution: public research university Distinctions: one of the oldest public universities in the country; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; competes in the NCAA Division I Mid-American Conference; high graduation rate for a Division I school For more information and admissions data, visit the Miami University profile Northwestern University stevegeer / Getty Images Location: Evanston, Illinois Enrollment: 22,127 (8,642 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private research university Distinctions: one of the most selective of all Illinois colleges; membership in the Association of American Universities for research strengths; one of the top U.S. universities; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; member of the NCAA Division I Big Ten athletic conference; impressive 6 to 1 student / faculty ratio For more information and admissions data, visit the Northwestern University profile Notre Dame Washington Hall at the University of Notre Dame. Allen Grove Location: Notre Dame, Indiana Enrollment: 12,607 (8,617 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private Catholic university Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; highly selective admissions; large 1,250-acre campus includes two lakes; excellent graduate school placement; extremely high high graduation rate; many Fighting Irish teams compete in the NCAA Division I Atlantic Coast Conference; one of the top universities and top Catholic universities For more information and admissions data, visit the Notre Dame profile Oberlin College Oberlin College. Allen Grove Location: Oberlin, Ohio Enrollment: 2,812 (2,785 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private liberal arts college Distinctions: member of the Five Colleges of Ohio Consortium; 9 to 1 student / faculty ratio; strong Conservatory of Music; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa; first co-ed college in U.S.; diverse student body For more information and admissions data, visit the Oberlin College profile Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Colin Shipley / Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0 Location: Terre Haute, Indiana Enrollment: 2,142 (2,085 undergraduates) Type of Institution: undergraduate engineering college Distinctions: often ranked #1 among top undergraduate engineering colleges; 295-acre art-filled campus; 11 to 1 student / faculty ratio; hands-on approach to learning; high job placement rate For more information and admissions data, visit the Rose-Hulman profile St. Olaf College St. Olaf College. Daniel Edwins / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.5 Location: Northfield, Minnesota Enrollment: 3,048 (all undergraduate) Type of Institution: private liberal arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; 12 to 1 student / faculty ratio; featured in Lauren Pope's Colleges That Change Lives; high graduation and retention rates; good financial aid; NCAA Division III athletics For more information and admissions data, visit the St. Olaf College profile Truman State University Truman State University. Derhai / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 Location: Kirksville, Missouri Enrollment: 5,853 (5,504 undergraduates) Type of Institution: public liberal arts college Distinctions: one of the country's top public liberal arts colleges; excellent value; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; 17 to 1 student / faculty ratio; average class size of 24; NCAA Division II athletic programs For more information and admissions data, visit the Truman State University profile University of Chicago University of Chicago. puroticorico / Flickr Location: Chicago, Illinois Enrollment: 17,002 (6,532 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private research university Distinctions: strong first-year student housing system; 5 to 1 student / faculty ratio; one of the most selective Illinois colleges; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; member of the Association of American Universities for research strengths; one of the top U.S. universities For more information and admissions data, visit the University of Chicago profile University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, UIUC. Christopher Schmidt / Flickr Location: Urbana and Champaign, Illinois Enrollment: 49,702 (33,915 undergraduates) Type of Institution: public research university Distinctions: one of the top public universities; one of the top engineering schools; member of the Association of American Universities for research strengths; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; member of the NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference For more information and admissions data, visit the UIUC profile University of Michigan University of Michigan Tower. jeffwilcox / Flickr Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan Enrollment: 46,716 (30,318 undergraduates) Type of Institution: public research university Distinctions: one of the top public universities in the country; membership in the Association of American Universities for strong research programs; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; member of the Big Ten Conference; 11 to 1 student / faculty ratio For more information and admissions data, visit the University of Michigan profile University of Wisconsin Madison Bruce Leighty / Getty Images Location: Madison, Wisconsin Enrollment: 43,463 (31,705 undergraduates) Type of Institution: public research university Distinctions: one of the country's top public universities; member of the Association of American Universities for strong research programs; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; waterfront campus; member of the NCAA Division 1 Big Ten Conference For more information and admissions data, visit the University of Wisconsin profile Washington University in St. Louis Washington University St. Louis. 阿赖耶识 / Flickr Location: St. Louis, Missouri Enrollment: 15,852 (7,751 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private research university Distinctions: most selective and prestigious university in Missouri; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; membership in the Association of American Universities for strong research programs; high retention and graduation rates; residential college system; 7 to 1 student / faculty ratio For more information and admissions data, visit the Washington University profile Wheaton College, Illinois Wheaton College Illinois. Teemu008 / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0 Location: Wheaton, Illinois Enrollment: 2,944 (2,401 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private Christian liberal arts college Distinctions: one of the 40 schools featured by Loren Pope in Colleges that Change Lives; 10 to 1 student / faculty ratio; interdenominational with students from over 55 church denominations; highly ranked liberal arts college For more information and admissions data, visit the Wheaton College profile Xavier University Xavier University. Sapphire / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Enrollment: 7,127 (4,995 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private Catholic university Distinctions: one of the country's top Catholic colleges; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; strong preprofessinal programs; Musketeers compete in the NCAA Division I Big East Conference; 11 to 1 student / faculty ratio For more information and admissions data, visit the Xavier University profile Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Grove, Allen. "Top Midwest Colleges and Universities." ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/top-midwest-colleges-and-universities-788281. Grove, Allen. (2020, August 28). Top Midwest Colleges and Universities. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/top-midwest-colleges-and-universities-788281 Grove, Allen. "Top Midwest Colleges and Universities." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/top-midwest-colleges-and-universities-788281 (accessed May 24, 2022). copy citation Watch Now: Do Private Colleges Have More Money to Award Than Public Colleges?