University News

Princeton Review: WIU "Best in the Midwest"

August 27, 2014

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MACOMB/MOLINE, IL — Western Illinois University's top ranking by The Princeton Review has reached a milestone this year. The 2015 ranking as a "Best Midwestern College" marks 11 years — more than an entire decade — that Western has been named to The Princeton Review list.

Western is one of 159 regional universities, and one of three Illinois public institutions, named to the "Best in the Midwest" list by The Princeton Review. The colleges and universities included in the "Best in the Midwest" list are located in 12 states: Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Collectively, the 648 colleges named "regional best(s)" comprise 25 percent of the nation's 2,500 four-year colleges, according to The Princeton Review.

"It is a testament to the outstanding education, as well as the superb services, we provide to our students that we have been recognized for more than a decade as a 'Best Midwestern College' by The Princeton Review," said WIU President Jack Thomas. "We will continue to deliver the academic programs and resources that our students deserve."

The Princeton Review editors select schools for the "Best Colleges: Region by Region" lists based on institutional data the company collects directly from several hundred colleges in each region, staff visits to schools over the years and the opinions of college counselors and advisers whose recommendations the company invites. The selections also take into account what students at the schools report about their experiences on an 80-question student survey. The Princeton Review asks students to rate their own schools on several issues, from the accessibility of their professors to the quality of the campus food, and to answer questions about themselves, their fellow students and their campus lives.

Students commented that WIU faculty at Western are "knowledgeable" and "Most professors I have encountered seem genuinely pleased to go out of their way to help you." Students also noted that "It is very easy to find a place where you belong," and you'll find "a very homelike atmosphere," "fun events" and "plenty of organizations."

The Princeton Review also rates the schools on its "2015 Best Colleges: Region by Region" list in six categories. The rating scores (on a scale of 60 to 99) appear on the school profiles, and are tallied from institutional data the company obtained from the colleges in 2013-14 and/or its student survey data. Western received the following rating scores: Academics [69], Admissions Selectivity [68], Financial Aid [72], Fire Safety [81], Quality of Life [69] and Green [80]. The 2014 Princeton Review regional bests lists can be found at princetonreview.com/best-regional-colleges.aspx.

For more information on WIU, visit wiu.edu.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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