Best Midwestern College

 MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – Because of Western Illinois University's outstanding academic programs and student success programs, along with its stellar faculty and staff, WIU has been recognized for the 18th consecutive year as a "Best Midwestern College" from The Princeton Review. Western is one of only three Illinois public institutions and one of 158 regional public and private institutions, named to the "Best in the Midwest" list.

The 158 colleges included in the "Best in the Midwest" list are located in 12 states: Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Collectively, the 654 colleges named "regional best(s)" comprise 23 percent of the nation's four-year colleges, according to The Princeton Review.

"The continued recognition by The Princeton Review reinforces the outstanding experiences we provide our students," said President Guiyou Huang. "Our faculty and staff are here for our students, and we provide incredible programming and support to ensure our students' success."

The Princeton Review editors make the selections based on data the company collects from its survey of administrators at several hundred colleges in each region, as well as its staff visits to schools over the years and the perspectives of college counselors and advisers, whose opinions the company solicits.

"We chose Western and the other outstanding institutions on this list primarily for their academics," said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review's editor-in-chief.

The selections also take into account what students at the schools report about their experiences via an in-depth survey. The Princeton Review asks students to rate their own schools on several issues, from the accessibility of their professors to the quality of the campus food and to answer questions about themselves, their fellow students and their campus lives.