TOP-RANKED PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES WITH THE BEST ROI: MIDWESTERN U.S. REGION

Updated December 13, 2022

Students wishing to study in the midwestern region of the United States have no shortage of exceptional schools to apply to. The midwestern region of our country boasts some of the highest profile public universities in the United States. To help empower students to make better informed decisions when choosing a school, we have compiled ...

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Students wishing to study in the midwestern region of the United States have no shortage of exceptional schools to apply to. The midwestern region of our country boasts some of the highest profile public universities in the United States.

To help empower students to make better informed decisions when choosing a school, we have compiled the following list of the top ranked universities in each of the individual midwestern states, according to U.S. News and World Report's ranking of the country's top public schools.

Methodology

We took the top public university in each state according U.S. News and World Report, grouped all those #1s by region of the U.S., and ranked them within those regions according to their 30 year return on investment (ROI) as measured by PayScale. So, for example, the number #1 university in this list, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, has the highest ROI of all the #1 ranked institutions in the Midwestern region. This enables a student interested in attending school in the Midwestern part of the U.S. to get a good sense of the top rated institutions with the highest potential return on investment.

While the schools were ranked based on in-state net ROI, the out-of-state net ROI is also included.

For more information about the methodology used to compile this list, please see the methodology page.

#1 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
#2 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI
#3 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
#4 University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI
#5 University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Norman, OK
#6 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
#7 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
#8 University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO
#9 Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH
#10 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND

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  1. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    Location

    Champaign, IL

    Another public research university with membership in the Association of American Universities and a "very high" research classification from the Carnegie Foundation is the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign. The school boasts one of the highest in and out of state return on investment in the midwestern region. Indeed, the 30 year net ROI for out of state students is still higher than any other midwestern school on this list.

    U.S. News Ranking: #11
    In State 30 Year Net ROI: $1.03 Million
    Out of State 30 Year Net ROI: $968,400

  2. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
    Location

    Ann Arbor, MI

    The school, commonly referred to as just "Michigan," is the oldest university in the state, established in 1817. Michigan was a founding member of the Association of American Universities and is a leading public research institution. The school boasts over 27,000 undergraduate students, over 12,000 postgraduate students, and 27 varsity athletic teams.

    U.S. News Ranking: #4
    In State 30 Year Net ROI: $901,400
    Out of State 30 Year Net ROI: $802,200

  3. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
    Location

    Minneapolis, MN

    This public research university has produced some of the greatest minds in recent history. Eight Nobel Laureates, two Pulitzer Prize winners, and two Vice Presidents of the United States are among the school's notable alumni-all of this from an accessible public school with the sixth highest main campus population in the United States.

    U.S. News Ranking: #25
    In State 30 Year Net ROI: $825,900
    Out of State 30 Year Net ROI: $804,300

  4. University of Wisconsin-Madison
    Location

    Madison, WI

    The University of Wisconsin is rated by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with a very high research activity, and was one of the founding members of the Association of American Universities. The school has been labeled as one of the "public ivies," signifying that it provides the highest level of education, coupled with the affordability of a public education.

    U.S. News Ranking: #11
    In State 30 Year Net ROI: $784,000
    Out of State 30 Year Net ROI: $718,200

  5. University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
    Location

    Norman, OK

    The University of Oklahoma offers over 150 undergraduate programs, and is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with "very high research activity." The school is large, with over 20,000 undergraduate students, and is ranked first per capita for the number of enrolled national merit scholars.

    U.S. News Ranking: #47
    In State 30 Year Net ROI: $745,300
    Out of State 30 Year Net ROI: $698,900

  6. University of Iowa
    Location

    Iowa City, IA

    The University of Iowa is a public research university that is a proud member of many research coalitions, among these the Association of American Universities. The University of Iowa is devoted to establishing itself as one of the ten most significant public research universities in the country.

    U.S. News Ranking: #29
    In State 30 Year Net ROI: $678,200
    Out of State 30 Year Net ROI: $610,100

  7. University of Kansas
    Location

    Lawrence, KS

    Nearly one third of students at the University of Kansas participate in their extensive study abroad program. The University of Kansas is one of 34 public research universities to be a member of the Association of American Universities, an organization with just 63 members total.

    U.S. News Ranking: #47
    In State 30 Year Net ROI: $656,800
    Out of State 30 Year Net ROI: $603,200

  8. University of Missouri-Columbia
    Location

    Columbia, MO

    The University of Missouri is one of only 34 public universities in the United States to be a member of the Association of American Universities, which is an international organization that seeks to unite the top research universities in the world with the goal of maintaining a strong culture of academic research education.

    U.S. News Ranking: #44
    In State 30 Year Net ROI: $641,700
    Out of State 30 Year Net ROI: $590,900

  9. Ohio State University-Main Campus
    Location

    Columbus, OH

    Ohio State University is one of the foremost public research universities in the country. With over 46,000 undergraduate students on the Columbus campus, Ohio State is one of the largest universities of this kind in the United States. Despite the massive size, the school has over 7,000 academic staff, providing a strong student to faculty ratio.

    U.S. News Ranking: #16
    In State 30 Year Net ROI: $635,000
    Out of State 30 Year Net ROI: $573,800

  10. University of North Dakota
    Location

    Grand Forks, ND

    The University of North Dakota is one of the first major public research universities to offer extensive undergraduate programs online. One thing that should be noted about these programs is that online students are charged in state prices regardless of whether or not they live in state. The school has a great reputation, strong academics, is innovative in the field of online education, and is extremely affordable.

    U.S. News Ranking: #97
    In State 30 Year Net ROI: $615,000
    Out of State 30 Year Net ROI: 572,000

Additional Resources

Top-Ranked Public Universities With The Best ROI: Northeastern U.S. Region
Top-Ranked Public Universities With The Best ROI: Southern U.S. Region
Top-Ranked Public Universities With The Best ROI: Western U.S. Region

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