DePauw listed among top college values in Midwest

Historic East College on the DePauw University campus is shrouded in fog Wednesday. DePauw was named a top value college in the Midwest Thursday.

DePauw University has been listed among the 30 best value colleges in the Midwest.

Great Value Colleges, a website intended to help high school students identify the right college or university, conducted research on every liberal arts institution in 12 states, then narrowed the list to 30 institutions by focusing on these six factors:

-- Core curriculum.

-- Rankings.

-- Student retention rates.

-- Notable faculty and alumni.

-- Historical significance.

-- Payscale’s 20-year return on investment.

Great Value Colleges described DePauw as “a well-respected liberal arts college ... DePauw’s 4-1-4 calendar allows students to participate in a four-week Winter Term class as part of the college’s mission to provide students with a well-rounded education. Students are encouraged to take classes both inside and outside of their major, while also participating in extracurricular programs such as study abroad or team sports.

“U.S. News & World Report almost always includes DePauw University among the very top liberal arts colleges in the country,” Great Value’s report continued. “Forbes has included it as the second best college in Indiana (after Notre Dame) and the 14th best in the Midwest.”

DePauw officials are pleased by the unbiased assessment.

“These rankings validate the message we regularly convey to prospective students: You can get an outstanding education at DePauw, a life-changing experience, that will position you to live a life of meaning and means,” said Robert Andrews, DePauw vice president for enrollment management. “It is heartening that an outside organization, using unbiased data, tells the same story.”