(The Center Square) – Money.com is out with its list of the best colleges of 2023, and several Illinois schools made the grade.
The personal finance website used a different ratings system this year and did not select one single best college. Instead, it analyzed the country’s four-year schools and considered 26 metrics, including graduation rates, tuition costs and alumni salaries. It then assigned the 736 schools a rating out of 5 stars.
Monmouth College made the list. Money Vice President of Communications Duane Bonifer said the cost of tuition can be one of the main selling points for a school.
“The top anxieties are from prospective college students and their parents, safety always ranks up there, but so does will a college prepare me for a successful career, and the third is how much is it going to cost me to do it,” Bonifer said.
One of the highest rated Illinois schools in the analysis is Elmhurst University, which garnered 4.5 stars. The authors said the school outperforms on graduation rates compared to colleges enrolling students from similar backgrounds.
The authors note that the rankings have long faced criticism, but the scrutiny has only mounted in recent years. Even U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona has raised concern about schools chasing higher positions in flawed rankings.
Other Illinois schools to make the list include Augustana College in Rock Island, Bradley University in Peoria, Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, and Western Illinois University in Macomb.
Aurora University, Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, and North Central College in Naperville also appear on the list.
