Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for Blackburn College, Hiram College, University of Northwestern-St Paul. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | BlackburnCarlinville, IL | HiramHiram, OH | Northwestern-St PaulSaint Paul, MN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 63.2% | 93.5% | 93.5% |
| SAT middle 50% | Not reportedBlackburn College reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education. | Not reportedHiram College reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education. | 868–1271 |
| Average net price | $18,46049.9% on Pell grants | $21,05831.7% on Pell grants | $27,70515.7% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $28,149Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $27,600Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $37,920Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 57.5% | 54.5% | 68.1% |
| First-year retention | 67.2% | 71.9% | 82.9% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 49.9% | 31.7% | 15.7% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $46,802 | $54,311 | $50,755 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $24,242 | $27,000 | $21,325 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 9:1 | 10:1 | 15:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 471 | 777 | 1,442 |
| Consensus percentile | 49Lower is better | 49Lower is better | 48Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 25 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 76 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 65 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | Blackburn | Hiram | Northwestern-St Paul |
|---|---|---|---|
| US News | #32 of 94Regional colleges (Midwest)Regional Colleges (Midwest) · 2026 | #9 of 94Regional colleges (Midwest)Regional Colleges (Midwest) · 2026 | #35 of 165Regional univ. (Midwest)Regional Universities (Midwest) · 2026 |
| Forbes | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source |
| Washington Monthly | #782 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #1283 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #1294 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 |
| WSJ | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source |
| Niche | #1551 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #1324 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #990 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Not ranked by this source | Listed | Listed |
| Princeton Review | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source |
| QS | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source |
Students comparing Blackburn College on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing Hiram College on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing University of Northwestern-St Paul on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
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