Top 10 Most Underrated Colleges in the Midwest
What’s Covered:
- How We Put This List Together
- The Top 10 Most Underrated Colleges in the Midwest
- For More Information
When compiling a college list, many students pore over the traditional and popular lists. Limiting yourself to schools that are highly regarded by these ranking systems can be shortsighted, though; many great schools exist outside of the top rankings.
At CollegeVine, we routinely work with students and parents who are surprised to find that many best-fit colleges don’t land at the top of the rankings. In this post, we reveal the top 10 underrated schools in the Midwest we’ve discovered through our work with students.
How We Put This List Together
Traditional rankings do a great job of identifying schools that shine in a very specific way. While highly ranked schools might have smaller student-to-faculty ratios or selective admissions statistics, the bigger picture can often reveal more.
When we at CollegeVine consider how successful a college is, we tend to look at outcomes rather than input factors. This means we closely examine factors like starting salary of graduates, job outcomes, and return on investment (ROI).
To determine our top ten underrated colleges in the Midwest, we considered the following factors:
- Cost of attendance and generosity of financial aid & scholarships
- One- and five-year ROI after graduation
- Financial performance of specific majors
- Qualitative data on career outcomes like job placements and grad school progression
The Top 10 Most Underrated Colleges in the Midwest
1. University of Iowa
Location: Iowa City, IA
Acceptance Rate: 86%
Undergrad Enrollment: 22,700
Sometimes discounted for its distance to any major metropolis (Chicago is three hours away), the University of Iowa boasts career outcomes and ROI in the top 25 and shines particularly in the fields of English/Literature and Engineering. Out-of-state students might consider this school more attractive due to its relatively reasonable total cost of attendance of $47,000.
Learn more about the University of Iowa and what it takes to get accepted.
2. University of Missouri
Location: Columbia, MO
Acceptance Rate: 77%
Undergrad Enrollment: 24,500
The University of Missouri is conveniently located near Kansas City and St. Louis, both of which boast strong job markets. Their programs of study in Computer Science and Business are especially strong, and the Journalism program is arguably one of the top in the country, second only to that of Northwestern. Mizzou is rated in the top 100 for ROI and career outcomes.
Learn more about the University of Missouri and what it takes to get accepted.
3. University of Illinois Chicago
Location: Chicago, IL
Acceptance Rate: 79%
Undergrad Enrollment: 24,300
The University of Illinois Chicago boasts the obvious advantage of a major job market directly at its doorstep. In addition, it places in the top 75 for ROI and career outcomes. Students interested in Business, Computer Science, and especially other STEM fields should give the University of Illinois Chicago more than a cursory glance.
Learn more about the University of Illinois Chicago and what it takes to get accepted.
4. Kansas State University
Location: Manhattan, KS
Acceptance Rate: 82%
Undergrad Enrollment: 16,500
Kansas State University may often be discounted because Kansas City isn’t one of the first cities to come to mind when considering successful job markets. But in reality, Kansas City is a thriving job market, especially for KSU Engineering grads. Kansas State University ranks in the top 100 for ROI and career outcomes.
Learn more about Kansas State University and what it takes to get accepted.
5. Saint Louis University
Location: St. Louis, MO
Acceptance Rate: 75%
Undergrad Enrollment: 8,700
Students considering Saint Louis University might think they are restricted to the St. Louis job market, but Chicago is about four hours away for students willing to job hunt a little further afield. It ranks in the top 75 for ROI and career outcome, thanks in part to its strong pre-med program, which includes a coveted BS/MD combined program for accepted students.
Learn more about Saint Louis University and what it takes to get accepted.
6. University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Location: Lincoln, NE
Acceptance Rate: 87%
Undergrad Enrollment: 19,400
University of Nebraska–Lincoln is another Midwest sleeper college, ranked in the top 80 for ROI and career outcomes. It boasts strong programs in the fields of Engineering and Business, and is often within the top 150 national universities on popular ranking lists.
Learn more about the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and what it takes to get accepted.
7. University of Kansas
Location: Lawrence, KS
Acceptance Rate: 92%
Undergrad Enrollment: 22,000
The University of Kansas is another school with strong Engineering and Business programs, and it’s conveniently located close to the thriving (but often discounted) Kansas City job market. Like the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, KU falls within the top 150 national universities on popular ranking lists.
Learn more about the University of Kansas and what it takes to get accepted.
8. Oberlin College
Location: Oberlin, OH
Acceptance Rate: 34%
Undergrad Enrollment: 2,900
Oberlin is a little different from the rest of the schools on our list as it’s a liberal arts college. Students interested in the liberal arts experience in the Midwest would be hard-pressed to find a better option.
Oberlin falls in the top 15 for ROI and career outcomes from liberal arts colleges, and scores a respectable 30 on the liberal arts rankings from the US News and World Report. Though it’s not spitting distance from any major metropolis, many of its grads land in the NYC job market.
Learn more about Oberlin College and what it takes to get accepted.
9. Miami University
Location: Oxford, OH
Acceptance Rate: 70%
Undergrad Enrollment: 16,500
Sometimes referred to as a “Public Ivy,” Miami University in Oxford, Ohio shines broadly with strong programs ranging from Business and Engineering to the Humanities. It lands in the top 75 for ROI and career outcomes and is fairly highly ranked nationally.
Miami University doesn’t have an urban setting, but many graduates end up in the Chicago area, where the job market remains strong.
Learn more about Miami University and what it takes to get accepted.
10. Case Western Reserve University
Location: Cleveland, OH
Acceptance Rate: 38%
Undergrad Enrollment: 6,500
Case Western Reserve University, located in Cleveland, OH, lands in the top 25 for ROI and career outcomes, so we’re often surprised that more students haven’t heard of it. It offers strong programs in Business, Premed, and Engineering.
Learn more about Case Western Reserve University and what it takes to get accepted.
For More Information
Interested in discovering more underrated colleges? Check out the following blog posts:
The Top 10 Most Underrated Colleges in the U.S.
The Top 10 Most Underrated Colleges in the Mid-Atlantic
Top 10 Most Underrated Computer Science Colleges in the U.S.
Top 10 Most Underrated West Coast Colleges
With these schools in mind, you may have found a college that aligns with your future med school goals. At CollegeVine, we’re committed to making college guidance accessible to all who want it. That’s why, on our college applications guidance platform, you can use our free chancing engine, build a best-fit school list, and learn how to improve your profile—all for free.
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