University News
WIU Listed Among Illinois Affordable Colleges
September 5, 2013
MACOMB, IL -- Western Illinois University has earned a spot among 38 other Illinois colleges and universities ranked for providing the greatest lifetime return on investment.
AffordableCollegesOnline (AC Online) analyzed 315 Illinois colleges and universities. Western is ranked number 29 out of the top 39 schools profiled at AffordableCollegesOnline.org. According to AC Online, graduates from these schools enjoy the largest earnings gap between non-degree holders over 30 years, and earn more on average than graduates from other Illinois schools.
AC Online developed the following criteria for consideration as a high return-on-investment (ROI) college: fully accredited institution, either public or private, four-year, degree-granting institution, and ROI according to PayScale's 2013 College Value Report. AC Online compiled a list of schools meeting these criteria by using data sets from the NCES (National Center for Education Statistics), IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), Carnegie Classification and Payscale.com.
In addition, the 2013 Washington Monthly College Guide recently recognized Western among 682 master's granting institutions ranked for their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: social mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and PhDs), and service (encouraging students to give something back to their country). Western, ranked at number 273, was among four Illinois public universities in the top 275.
"President Obama recently revealed plans he would like to implement to hold colleges accountable for controlling the cost of higher education and to ensure that students from all backgrounds have access to education and perform in the workforce following graduation," WIU President Jack Thomas noted. "Western is ahead of the curve, and these recent recognitions illustrate our University's commitment to ensuring our students' success following graduation and providing an accessible education to all citizens."
The complete rankings are available at affordablecollegesonline.org/online-colleges/illinois, and
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide.
Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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