A new ranking by Money ranks the University of Illinois among the top 50 colleges or universities in the United States alongside institutions including Northwestern University and the University of Chicago.

According to the magazine’s website, the University was selected for the “five-star” designation out of over 700 institutions, as determined by a new five-tier ranking system.

This system evaluates the success of an institution based on performance indicators including educational quality, future earning potential, affordability and graduation rates. 

As part of their evaluation process, Money cites a broad criterion called a “value add.” This is defined on the magazine’s website as “an indication of how a college affects graduates’ outcomes, rather than simply rewarding colleges that admit the highest-performing students.”

Illinois was one of 13 public universities to receive a five-star designation, also appearing on the list of top public colleges alongside Illinois State University and University of Illinois Chicago.

The full list of five-star rated institutions is below.

• Amherst College
• Berea College
• Brown University
• California Institute of Technology
• California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
• Columbia University
• Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
• Cornell University
• Dartmouth College
• Duke University
• Georgetown University
• Georgia Institute of Technology
• Harvard University
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Massachusetts Maritime Academy
• Northwestern University
• Princeton University
• Rice University
• Stanford University
• University of California, Berkeley
• University of California, Irvine
• University of California, Los Angeles
• University of California, San Diego
• University of Chicago
• University of Florida
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• University of Michigan
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• University of Notre Dame
• University of Pennsylvania
• University of Virginia
• University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Williams College
• Yale University

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