Dominican University Ranked #10 in Midwest

U.S. News & World Report ranks Dominican University #10 in the Midwest in its prestigious 2021 Best Colleges publication. While Dominican has ranked among the top 20 Midwest regional universities for the past 20 years, this is the first year that the university has been included in the top 10. Widely considered to be the leader in its field, U.S. News & World Report ranks nearly 160 universities in the Midwest.

The university also was named #1 in Illinois in the survey’s most recent category, “Top Performers in Social Mobility,” and #1 “Best Value School” in the Chicago area. Dominican also was ranked #11 in the Midwest in the “Best Undergraduate Teaching” category.

The “Top Performers on Social Mobility” category measures how well schools graduate students who receive federal Pell Grants—awarded primarily to students from families whose total incomes are less than $20,000—compared to the graduation rate of students who do not receive Pell grants. Dominican places a high priority on closing the equity gap in its student body, almost half of whom are first-generation-to-college and 99 percent of whom receive some form of financial aid.

The report’s “Best Value Schools” category compares, among other factors, a school’s academic quality and the percentage of full-time undergraduates receiving needs-based financial aid, including scholarships and grants that do not need to be repaid.

“This is a stunning moment of recognition for Dominican University. To be ranked among the top ten in the Midwest is a game changer, academically.To rank as a top performer on social mobility is a tribute to our core social justice mission and commitment to inclusive excellence,” said Donna Carroll, president.

U.S. News & World Report bases its rankings on a system that evaluates a number of indicators, including academic excellence, graduation and retention rates, assessment by institutional peers and high school counselors, student selectivity, ratio of students to faculty, and alumni giving.

In addition to its recognition by U.S. News & World Report, Dominican University is ranked as #3 among master’s universities in the state of Illinois by Washington Monthly, as well as #20 of 372 total schools in the magazine’s “Best Bang for the Buck: Midwest” category. Dominican also is included in Princeton Review’s 2021 Best Colleges: Midwest, and Money Magazine’s Best Colleges.

 About Dominican University

Founded in 1901, Dominican University is a comprehensive, coeducational Catholic institution offering bachelor’s and master’s degrees through the Rosary College of Arts and Sciences, the Borra College of Health Sciences, the Brennan School of Business