Dominican University Again Places #1 in the Midwest for Educational Value in new U.S. News and World Report Rankings

River Forest, IL—Dominican University maintains its position as the top university in the region for educational value, according to new rankings from U.S. News and World Report’s prestigious 2025 Best Colleges report. 

For the second consecutive year, Dominican is ranked #1 in Best Value out of more than 160 regional colleges and universities in the Midwest. It has ranked first in Illinois for the last four years. 

The Best Value category compares, among other factors, a school’s academic quality and the percentage of full-time undergraduates receiving needs-based financial aid. One hundred percent of Dominican undergraduate students receive some form of financial aid to complete their education. 

Overall, U.S. News and World Report ranked Dominican #20 among Best Regional Universities in the Midwest. Within the state of Illinois, Dominican is ranked #3.

In the category of Social Mobility, which measures a school’s commitment to moving economically disadvantaged students up the economic ladder, Dominican is #1 in Illinois for the third consecutive year and #3 in the Midwest. The category ranks how well schools enroll and graduate students who receive federal Pell Grants compared to the graduation rate of students who do not receive these grants.

Enhancing the social mobility of its students has been an objective for the university throughout its 123-year history. 

In Best Undergraduate Teaching, Dominican ranked #1 in Illinois and #7 in the Midwest. This ranking focuses on schools with faculty and administrators who are committed to high-quality teaching and is based upon a peer assessment survey. 

“Dominican is proud to again be ranked the Best Value university in the Midwest as we continue our efforts to make education both accessible and affordable to students—nearly half of whom are the first in their families to attend college,” said Dr. Glena G. Temple, president of Dominican University. “Our commitment to providing our students with an equitable, quality education and the foundation to succeed in careers and advance socio-economically remains a priority.”

U.S. News & World Report bases its rankings on a system that evaluates several 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.  

More about the methodology can be found here.