Illinois is home to the nation's best-value liberal arts college, according to a U.S. News & World Report ranking.
The media company released its annual list of the liberal arts colleges and universities that offer students quality programs at the lowest costs.
The ranking weighed each school's academic quality and the 2021-2022 net cost of attendance for an out-of-state student who received the average level of need-based financial aid.
So, what Illinois school made the list? Principia College in Elsah, a village that borders the Mississippi River.
Founded in 1910, the private institution notched the ranking's No. 1 spot. The school had a total undergraduate enrollment of 322 in the fall of 2021, and its yearly tuition and fees are $32,130, according to the report.
The college's scholarship program is open to all prospective degree-seeking students and offers academic, merit, and affiliate options as well.
Here are the colleges that made the ranking's top 10:
- Principia College
- Williams College
- Amherst College
- Pomona College
- Swarthmore College
- Wellesley College
- Bowdoin College
- Grinnell College
- Claremont McKenna College
- Davidson College
According to U.S. News & Reports, the 2022-2023 best-value schools ranking was determined based on four indicators:
- Academic quality relative to the average discount price paid by full-time undergraduates after receiving need-based grants
- Percentage of all full-time undergraduates receiving need-based scholarships or grants
- Percentage of 2021-2022 full-time undergraduates who received need-based aid and an additional grant or scholarship
- Average discount from the school's total sticker price for full-time undergraduates
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It's important to note that the U.S. News & World Report ranking does not include schools that do not charge tuition.
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Four other Illinois colleges also earned spots on a different U.S. News & World Report's ranking: the 2022-2023 Best Colleges and Universities in the nation.
The University of Chicago came in at No. 6, and Northwestern University landed at No. 10. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign placed No. 47, and the University of Illinois Chicago sat at No. 97.
