Eastern Illinois University’s continuous work to better the institution is paying off. The university announced this week that it has seen a five percent increase in enrollment over the past year, the first increase in more than 10 years.

Although freshman, graduate students and online students are to thank for this influx in enrollment, the strongest increase came from undergraduate transfer students.

EIU’s Vitalization Project may have contributed to the rise in enrollment. This project was created to advance EIU on its “Pathway to Success” mission and to craft a vision for EIU’s vitalized future. Built as a task force and working groups, the main goal of the Vitalization Project is to better the institution, attract higher enrollments and distinguish EIU in the competitive marketplace.

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Lewis University has been named one of the best colleges for veterans, ranking fifth in the United States and first in Illinois, by College Choice, an independent ranking organization that utilizes data-driven research and methodology to help students and families find the best schools.

College Choice reviews a number of factors including institutional excellence, student satisfaction and return on investment to help develop its rankings.

Located in Romeoville, Lewis University offers more than 80 undergraduate majors, including options for Air Force ROTC through the Aerospace Studies program and Army ROTC through the Military Studies program. The university has also partnered with the Department of Defense to provide affordable, high-quality education globally.

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Northwestern University is leading the way in helping its students avoid crippling college debt, a move that has already helped it recruit students from lower-income families and encouraged them to avoid borrowing too much.

Northwestern University’s “no-loan” policy means that colleges will strive to cover each family’s “demonstrated financial need,” which is based on information collected through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The “no-loan” institutions remove student loans from their financial aid packages and only feature grants, scholarships, work-study aid and other components.

By doing this, Northwestern is increasing its financial aid and offering university-funded scholarships. The funds for the additional financial assistance will come from gifts to the University, endowment earnings and other sources.

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University of Chicago professor Richard H. Thaler – whose work has persuaded many economists to pay more attention to human behavior and government officials to pay more attention to economics – was awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences on October 9.

Thaler, who teaches economics and behavioral science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, is a leading expert in a relatively new field that combines psychology and economics. He is considered a pioneer for moving economics toward a more realistic understanding of human behavior, and for using the resulting insights to improve public policy.

Born in East Orange, New Jersey, Thaler received his undergraduate degree from Case Western Reserve University in 1967 nd his PhD in economics from the University of Rochester in 1974. He has spent his career developing an idea that challenges mainstream economics: humans aren’t always rational and they don’t always act in their best interests.

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Every year, seniors in college start to weigh what their options could be if they attend a graduate program. Many factors are considered when making that decision. Illinois schools have tried to take those factors into consideration and have been ranked highly recently for offering some of the best graduate programs in the country.

Recently, the U.S. News & World Report revealed rankings for graduate school programs. The rankings are intended to help prospective students when they are looking for a graduate program of their choice. The disciplines included in the ratings are business, law, engineering, education, medicine and nursing.

Illinois was well represented throughout the rankings.

The University of Chicago Booth School of BusinessThe University of Chicago Booth School of Business and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern both ranked in the top five nationwide in schools to receive a master of business administration degree.

Northwestern also received a top 10 ranking for law and education. The University of Chicago joined Northwestern as a top 10 school for a law degree as well ranking No. 3 nationwide.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign also was awarded with a top 10 ranking for those looking to get a graduate degree in engineering.

Graduate students across the country and world attend Illinois schools to get a top-notch education. With these most recent rankings, that does not look like it will end any time soon.