US News & World ReportThe most recent Best Colleges rankings place Elmhurst University No. 6 among the Best Regional Universities in the Midwest—and No. 1 among Illinois schools in that category.
Elmhurst also ranks No. 7 as a Best Value School and No. 7 on the list of top performers for social mobility in the 2023-2024 rankings, released Monday, Sept. 18.
Elmhurst's rankings reflect significant changes US News & World Report arrived at its ranking formula this year in an effort to better capture the top reasons students attend a particular college or university—academic reputation, cost of attendance and return on investment.
More than half of an institution's ranking now consists of outcome measures related to how successfully the college or university enrolls students from all socioeconomic backgrounds and then helps them graduate with manageable debt and post-graduate success.
“This year's significant methodology changes are part of our continued evolution to ensure our rankings capture what matters most to students as they compare colleges and choose the school that's right for them,” said Eric Gertler, executive its president and CEO US news.
Elmhurst's No. 7 ranking in the Best Value and Social Mobility categories is especially significant because it speaks to how the University seeks to serve its students, the President said Troy D. VanAken.
“Our high ratings in US news and other college rankings—not just this year, but year after year—underscore our commitment to providing all of our students with an outstanding educational value that will prepare them for success after graduation.”
The Best Value Schools rankings are based on academic quality, the percentage of 2022-23 full-time undergraduate students who received scholarships or need-based scholarships, and the average discount off the school's 2022-2023 total sticker price for full-time undergraduate students.
The Top Performers for Social Mobility list describes colleges that have been most successful in promoting student social mobility by enrolling and graduating large percentages of economically disadvantaged students. About half of Elmhurst's undergraduates are the first in their families to attend college, and 100 percent receive some form of financial aid.
Elmhurst University is ranked in the Best Regional Universities category, which includes institutions, grouped by geographic region, that offer a full range of undergraduate programs and some graduate programs, but few doctoral programs. Institutions in each region are ranked among themselves because, in general, they tend to draw most of their students from their own state or surrounding states.
The full US News & World Report The Best Colleges 2023-2024 report can be found at usnews.com/best-colleges.
