User:TheChief/Midwestern Ivy League

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The Midwestern Ivy League is a name given to a number of small highly ranked private undergraduate institutions which are considered to be on par with, or in some cases better than the traditional eastern Ivy League schools. This terminology and use of the word "Ivy" inconjunction with schools is similar to the use of the terms "Jesuit Ivy", "Little Ivies", "Public Ivies", and other similar groupings.

The Midwestern Ivies share no formal affiliation, unlike the Ivy League, except a commitment to excellence in teaching, a focus on both undergraduate education and graduate research, and high selectivity in admissions. Like the traditional Ivy League schools, all Midwestern Ivies have small student bodies and a low student to faculty ratio, theoretically guarranteing a more personalized education for the students which attend.

The national view of the Midwestern Ivies has been much lower profile than that of the schools on the coast in part due to the concept of flyover country. As the Universities in question are all located in the Midwest, they can be overlooked in the same manner much of the Midwestern states are overlooked.

Contents

[edit] Included Schools

[edit] Reputation and Selectivity

Comparative Ranking of Ivy League and Midwestern Ivy League Schools
1. Harvard University
1. Princeton University
3. Yale University
4. University of Pennsylvania
9. Columbia University
9. Dartmouth College
11. Northwestern University
11. Washington University in St. Louis
13. Brown University
14. Cornell University
14. University of Chicago
18. University of Notre Dame

All of the Midwestern Ivies are classified by USNews and World Report as being in the category of most selective. As such admission rates are low and competition is fierce among applicants. In 2005, Northwestern admitted only 33% of all applicants, University of Chicago admitted only 40% of all applicants, Notre Dame admitted only 29% of all applicants, and Washington University admitted only 20% of all applicants. However despite their selectivity and high academic reputation their application volume has suffered some due to their location in the central United States, and thus the same volume of applicants that flood East Coast schools are not seen.

[edit] Endowments

Much like the Ivy League, the Midwestern Ivies boast some of the largest endowments among private schools [1] and all rank within the top 16 schools in terms of size of endowment, Northwestern with $4.34 billion, Washington University with $4.08 billion, University of Chicago with $3.62 billion, Notre Dame with $3.12. While none of the schools have endowments which can compete with Harvard University, Yale University, or Princeton University, they are on a competitive level with the other Ivy League schools, with all Midwestern Ivies having endowments which surpass Cornell University, Dartmouth College and Brown University.


[edit] Athletic Affiliation

Both the University of Chicago and Washington University compete within the University Athletic Association within the NCAA Division III. Northwestern competes within the Big 10 Conference within the NCAA Division I. Notre Dame competes within the Big East Conference Division I. As most of the schools compete in different athletic conferences little school rivalry exists between the institutions, which sets them apart from the Ivy League. It should be noted however that due to their proximity, both the University of Chicago and Northwestern University share a healthy academic rivalry of sorts.

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