WASHINGTON – A new college ranking system that measures how well non-wealthy students are assisted toward marketable degree at affordable cost puts Gustavus Adolphus at Number One in Minnesota. The ranking, by Washington Monthly magazine, evaluated eight-year graduation rates, the net price of attendance for families below $75,000 annual income and the percent of loan principal remaining after five years. Gustavus, in St. Peter, charges $49,050 tuition a year and estimates student costs typically at $61,390. but the those are gross sums. The Washington Monthly system looked deeper at net costs and calculated less obvious factors. These included federal Pell grant subsidies for students.

Best bang for your tuition buck. Attempts cost-benefit analysis.
Best in Midwest
1 – College of the Ozarks (Missouri)
2 — University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
3 — Mount Mercy University (Iowa)
4 — National Louis University (Illinois)
5 — University of Notre Dame (Indiana)
6 — Milwaukee School of Engineering
7 — Northwestern University (Illinois)
8 — University of Wisconsin, Madison
9 — Dordt University (Iowa)
10 — Gustavus Adolphus (Minnesota)
Minnesota ranking
10 – Gustavus Adolphus
12 — St. Olaf
17 — UM-Crookston
18 — Saint Benedict
23 — UM-Duluth
24 – Carleton
49 – Bethel
51 – Macalester
32 — UM-Twin Cuties
56 — Winona State
71 — Saint John’s
72 — UM-Mankato
73 — Saint Mary’s
76 — St. Cloud State
82 – Bethel
84 — Northwest ern of St. Paul
Nearby
15 – Wisconsin Lutheran
19 – Northern Iowa
25 – UW-Platteville
26 – UW-Stevens Point
27 – Grinell (Iowa)
31 — Iowa State
38 – UW-LaCrosse
41 – UW-Whitewater
41 – UW-Eau Claire
48 – UW-Stout
59 – UW-Riuver Falls
61 – Marquette
62 – UW-Oshkosh
87 – North Dakota State
91 – UW-Green Bay