16 Illinois Colleges Among Top 500 In U.S.: Forbes

Illinois — Sixteen Illinois colleges made Forbes' list of top 500 schools in the nation, including Northwestern, the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois.

Last week, Forbes issued its 14th annual list of America’s Top Colleges, giving the nod to “top academics and career success while minimizing debt for students across America,” according to the publication.

“We know that a college degree is a significant investment for any student, and one that’s been compounded by recent years of financial turmoil for many,” Emma Whitford, senior education reporter at Forbes, said in a release. “This list reflects the public and private universities that are going above and beyond to deliver on that investment.”

Biden's Student Loan Relief Plan: What Illinois Borrowers Should Know

Northwestern University in Evanston was Illinois' highest-ranked school, coming in at No. 11 on the list. On average, students who attend Northwestern eceive about $50,310 in grant aid and graduate with approximately $5,696 in debt. Graduates also have a median 10-year salary of $137,200.

Other Illinois schools on this year’s list include:

• University of Chicago, Ranked No. 20
• University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Ranked No. 34
• University of Illinois at Chicago, Ranked No. 99
• Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Ranked No. 171
• Loyola University, Chicago, Ranked No. 228
• Wheaton College, Wheaton, Ranked No. 238
• Illinois State University, Normal, Ranked No. 259
• DePaul University, Chicago, Ranked No. 273
• Bradley University, Peoria, Ranked No. 316
• Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, Ranked No. 328
• Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, Ranked No. 407
• Lewis University, Romeoville, Ranked No. 428
• Principia College, Elsah, Ranked No. 429
• Augustana College, Rock Island, Ranked No. 434
• Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, Ranked No. 484

To choose this year’s top schools, Forbes focused on factors including whether students graduated on time, secured high salaries after graduation, and if students went on to have successful careers. Forbes also looked at how much debt students had post-graduation.

Data used to determine the ranking came from two federal government databases. Forbes also used data from its own publications as well as the Seattle-based software and data company PayScale, Washington, D.C.-based public policy think tank Third Way, and the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics.

Schools with less than 300 undergraduate students were excluded. The five federal military academies in the United States were ranked in a separate list.

Read more about the 2022 Top Colleges methodology.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology took the top spot on this year’s list followed by the University of California - Berkeley and Stanford University, which tied for No. 2. Meanwhile, Harvard University dropped several spots to No. 15 this year after holding the No. 1 spot from 2017 to 2019.

See the full list of Forbes 2022 Top Colleges.