Dominican University Tops Midwest for Value, #3 for Social Mobility of Students in New U.S. News and World Report Rankings

For immediate release

River Forest, IL—Dominican University maintains its standing as a "Best Value" school in the Midwest, reaffirming a multi-year record of recognition as it provides students with an impactful education that elevates their social mobility, according to new rankings from U.S. News and World Report’s prestigious 2027 Best Colleges report.

In the annual report, released Sept. 22, Dominican is ranked #1 for Best Value among Midwestern regional institutions. This category highlights a school’s affordability based on its academic quality, the overall cost of attendance and the number of students who receive grants or scholarships. 

Dominican's mission of making higher education accessible to all is underscored by this ranking. Notably, 100% of undergraduates receive a form of financial aid to help complete their education.

Dominican also ranked #1 in Illinois and #3 in the Midwest for ensuring the social mobility of its students. By examining the graduation rates of lower-income students who receive Pell Grants, U.S. News measures the university’s commitment to providing students with a quality education that encourages career readiness to help them climb the socio-economic ladder. 

Closing equity gaps is a long-standing priority at Dominican, where more than half of undergraduates are first-generation college students, and more than half are also Pell Grant-eligible.

Overall, Dominican University placed within the top 20 Best Colleges in the Midwest for academic quality and graduate success, according to the new U.S. News rankings.

"Dominican University is committed to making successful academic outcomes a reality for every student we serve," said Dr. Glena G. Temple, university president. "Being named the #1 Best Value school in the Midwest reflects our unwavering dedication to ensuring students have access to an affordable, high-impact education and career-readiness pathways that set a strong foundation for changing lives."

Dominican also earned recognition in two of the publication's new categories this year. The university ranked in the top 15 among Private Colleges and placed #4 in the Midwest on the Most Innovative Schools list.

U.S. News & World Report bases its rankings on a system that evaluates several key indicators, including academic excellence, student outcomes, graduation and retention rates, assessment by institutional peers and high school counselors, student-faculty ratio, financial resources and standardized test scores of selected students.

To be included among U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges, institutions of higher learning must grant bachelor’s degrees, hold regional accreditation, offer a traditional campus-based education and actively accept new applications for first-year, full-time students. 

About Dominican University
Founded in 1901, Dominican University is a comprehensive, coeducational Catholic institution with campuses in River Forest and Chicago. The university offers an associate of arts in liberal arts and sciences; bachelor’s and master’s degrees through the Rosary College of Arts, Education, and Sciences, the College of Business, Information Studies, and Technology, and the Borra College of Health Sciences; as well as doctoral programs in information studies, applied social justice and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.

As Chicago's premier Catholic Hispanic-Serving Institution, Dominican is consistently recognized as a leader in academic excellence and value. U.S. News & World Report ranks Dominican University in the top 20 of Midwest regional master’s level universities, #1 in the Midwest for Best Value and #3 for ensuring the social mobility of its graduates.