Best Health Sciences Programs in the Midwest (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Health Professions Colleges in the Midwest
Regional list from Health Sciences Programs in the United States
This page ranks the 28 Health Sciences programs in the Midwest by median earnings of Health Sciences graduates four years after completing. Valparaiso University ranks 1st on this list, reporting median earnings of $115,095 for its graduates four years after completing.
Across the listed programs, the figure ranges from $115,095 to $30,409, with a median of $56,430. For 3 of the 28 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.
Public institutions account for 15 of the programs and private nonprofits for 13. Indiana University-Kokomo posts the lowest average net price on the page, at $3,968.
University of Illinois Chicago ranks 17th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valparaiso University · Valparaiso, IN | $115,095 | $18,578 | $11,043 | 89.4% |
| Valparaiso University reports median earnings of $115,095 for its Health Sciences graduates four years after completing, the highest on this list. | |||||
| 2 | Mercy College of Ohio · Toledo, OH | $80,420 | $17,989 | $19,867 | 93.2% |
| Mercy College of Ohio ranks 2nd on this list, with an admission rate of 93% and median federal debt of $26,559 among Health Sciences completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 3 | Carroll University · Waukesha, WI | $74,576 | $15,193 | $15,718 | 66.8% |
| Carroll University posts an average net price of $15,193 and median earnings of $74,576 for its Health Sciences graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 4 | Maryville University of Saint Louis · Saint Louis, MO | $74,114 | $22,066 | $16,528 | 95.1% |
| Maryville University of Saint Louis ranks 221st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Health Sciences graduates earned a median of $74,114 four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities · Minneapolis, MN | $74,079 | $16,778 | $6,642 | 79.8% |
| University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, a public university in Minneapolis, reports median earnings of $74,079 for its Health Sciences graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 6 | Wheaton College · Wheaton, IL | $69,566 | $26,975 | $20,001 | 87.4% |
| Wheaton College shows an average net price of $20,001 for families earning under $30,000, alongside median earnings of $69,566 for its Health Sciences graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 7 | University of Missouri-Columbia · Columbia, MO | $69,333 | $20,268 | $13,841 | 78.5% |
| University of Missouri-Columbia reports median earnings of $69,333 for its Health Sciences graduates four years after completing, from a cohort of 439 graduates. | |||||
| 8 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · Champaign, IL | $69,195 | $14,355 | $2,038 | 42.4% |
| With an admission rate of 42%, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign reports median earnings of $69,195 for its Health Sciences graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 9 | Missouri State University-Springfield · Springfield, MO | $65,127 | $17,613 | $13,718 | 90.5% |
| Missouri State University-Springfield ranks 9th on this list, with median federal debt of $22,375 among Health Sciences completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 10 | DePaul University · Chicago, IL | $62,693 | $30,902 | $27,359 | 75.9% |
| DePaul University posts an average net price of $30,902, and its Health Sciences graduates earned a median of $62,693 four years after completing. | |||||
| 11 | Otterbein University · Westerville, OH | $62,364 | $19,237 | $12,458 | 84.5% |
| Otterbein University reports median earnings of $62,364 for its Health Sciences graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $12,458 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 12 | Siena Heights University · Adrian, MI | $61,834 | $17,124 | $15,624 | 68.9% |
| Siena Heights University shows median federal debt of $15,625 among Health Sciences completers who borrowed, and its graduates earned a median of $61,834 four years after completing. | |||||
| 13 | University of South Dakota · Vermillion, SD | $61,518 | $19,858 | $14,921 | 98.8% |
| University of South Dakota admits 99% of applicants and reports median earnings of $61,518 for its Health Sciences graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 14 | University of Missouri-Kansas City · Kansas City, MO | $58,973 | $13,310 | $10,576 | 72.2% |
| With an average net price of $10,576 for families earning under $30,000, University of Missouri-Kansas City posts median earnings of $58,973 for its Health Sciences graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 15 | University of Michigan-Flint · Flint, MI | $53,886 | $7,007 | $1,517 | 70.5% |
| University of Michigan-Flint reports median federal debt of $21,500 among Health Sciences completers who borrowed, alongside median earnings of $53,886 four years after completing. | |||||
| 16 | University of Minnesota-Crookston · Crookston, MN | $53,776 | $12,212 | $5,758 | 87.9% |
| Median earnings of $53,776 four years after completing coincide with an average net price of $12,212 at University of Minnesota-Crookston. | |||||
| 17 | University of Central Missouri · Warrensburg, MO | $53,677 | $14,462 | $10,965 | 63.8% |
| A public university in Warrensburg, University of Central Missouri reports median earnings of $53,677 for its Health Sciences graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 18 | Northwest Missouri State University · Maryville, MO | $52,179 | $16,244 | $13,176 | 86.1% |
| Northwest Missouri State University reports median federal debt of $20,500 among Health Sciences completers who borrowed, and median earnings of $52,179 four years after completing. | |||||
| 19 | Heidelberg University · Tiffin, OH | $51,684 | $20,556 | $18,217 | 85.8% |
| Heidelberg University admits 86% of applicants and reports median earnings of $51,684 for its Health Sciences graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 20 | Luther College · Decorah, IA | $50,580 | $23,097 | $12,517 | 71.5% |
| Luther College reports median federal debt of $27,000 across all of the school's borrowers who completed, and median earnings of $50,580 for its Health Sciences graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 21 | University of Illinois Chicago · Chicago, IL | $50,429 | $10,974 | $7,529 | 77.4% |
| University of Illinois Chicago ranks 17th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $50,429 for its Health Sciences graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 22 | University of Wisconsin-Stout · Menomonie, WI | $49,703 | $17,490 | $10,966 | 87.7% |
| With an average net price of $10,966 for families earning under $30,000, University of Wisconsin-Stout posts median earnings of $49,703 for its Health Sciences graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 23 | Wichita State University · Wichita, KS | $48,537 | $13,194 | $9,734 | 94.0% |
| Wichita State University reports median federal debt of $20,207 among Health Sciences completers who borrowed, alongside median earnings of $48,537 four years after completing. | |||||
| 24 | University of Saint Francis-Fort Wayne · Fort Wayne, IN | $46,695 | $18,196 | $12,720 | 96.0% |
| University of Saint Francis-Fort Wayne admits 96% of applicants and reports median earnings of $46,695 for its Health Sciences graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 25 | Purdue University Northwest · Hammond, IN | $46,277 | $6,079 | $1,432 | 72.4% |
| Purdue University Northwest reports median earnings of $46,277 for its Health Sciences graduates four years after completing, with 27 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 26 | Indiana University-Kokomo · Kokomo, IN | $41,830 | $3,968 | -$583* | 86.5% |
| Indiana University-Kokomo carries an average net price of $3,968, the lowest on this list, and ranks 486th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 27 | Saint Louis University · Saint Louis, MO | $36,141 | $24,398 | $22,501 | 75.0% |
| Saint Louis University, a private nonprofit university in Saint Louis, admits 75% of applicants and reports median earnings of $36,141 for its Health Sciences graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 28 | Drury University · Springfield, MO | $30,409 | $20,831 | $18,759 | 57.6% |
| Drury University posts an average net price of $18,759 for families earning under $30,000 and ranks 28th on this list. | |||||
* Net price can be negative: when grants and scholarships exceed the listed cost of attendance, students can receive the difference as a refund for other expenses.
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Health Sciences graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the Midwest appear. The figures are medians for federally aided completers of the program who were working and not enrolled. For 3 of the 28 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The gap from Valparaiso University to Mercy College of Ohio is $34,675, and the spread from top to bottom reaches $84,686.
Job market context in the Midwest
The occupational context for Health Sciences graduates in the Midwest includes roles such as Community Health Workers and Health Education Specialists. The median annual wage across those occupations is $56,272, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $46,948. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 7.2% higher, with about 84 openings a year for every hundred graduates; openings and graduates roughly in balance. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses the median earnings of Health Sciences graduates four years after completing for each program, a different measure from the occupational wage and demand figures described here.
Related rankings
- Best Colleges in the Midwest
- Best Health Professions Colleges in the Midwest
- Best Physical Therapy Colleges in the Midwest
- Best Nursing Colleges in the Midwest
- Best Physical Therapy Colleges for Social Mobility in the Midwest
- Health Professions Colleges in the Midwest for Social Mobility
- Nursing Colleges in the Midwest for Social Mobility
- Speech-Language Pathology Colleges in the Midwest for Social Mobility