Elmhurst University ranks among the top 500 colleges in the country, including 18 in Illinois, on Forbes’ annual America’s Top Colleges guide, which highlights colleges and universities “that produce successful, high-earning and influential graduates from all economic backgrounds, with less student debt.”
Forbes noted that the colleges and universities on the list — selected from the thousands of higher education institutions in the U.S. that offer bachelor’s degrees — are ranked according to the return on investment that students get from their college experience. The schools demonstrate that “American colleges are still delivering gold-standard undergraduate education,” according to Forbes.
The rankings formula is based primarily on 14 metrics developed by Forbes to determine which schools offer the best educational, financial and career outcomes for all students. Categories include:
- Alumni salary (looking at graduates’ median earnings at different points in time, up to 20 years after graduation)
- Typical student debt load
- Graduation rate
- How often alumni become leaders, influencers and innovators
- Retention rate
- Academic success, or how often students win prestigious scholarships and fellowships, and whether they pursue doctoral studies
In its description about Elmhurst, Forbes noted a median salary of $102,700 for alumni with 10 or more years of experience, according to the software and data company Payscale and other sources. The description also touted Elmhurst’s more than 70 majors and 15 pre-professional programs, the E-celerator entrepreneurship program, study away opportunities and generous scholarships, as well as the American Dream and Niebuhr Service to Society scholarship competitions for first-generation and service-oriented students. By increasing access to academic and pre-professional opportunities, Elmhurst University fosters growth-minded paths for development in our students, giving them timeless knowledge and skills to thrive as adaptive leaders.