Five Illinois universities made the top 100 and three others made the top 200 in the annual ranking of U.S. colleges and universities by U.S. News and World Report.

The rankings released Monday reveal the top colleges in the country for 2019.

University of Chicago tied for third with Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yale. Northwestern jumped up a spot from last year’s ranking to the no.10 slot.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign cracked the top 50 and was ranked the 46^th best university in the country.

Other Illinois universities that landed in the top 100 list include Loyola University Chicago tied for 89^th and the Illinois Institute of Technology tied 96^th.

DePaul University came in 119^th and the University of Illinois Chicago was ranked 129^th. Illinois State University placed 171^st.

The ranking included nearly 1,400 institutions, which report data through an annual survey. The schools were evaluated on 16 metrics aimed at measuring academic excellence, according to US News and World Report. The criteria included class size, average spending per student on areas like instruction and student services and the number of retaining and graduating students. 

Maddie Kogelis, a Washington Community High School student won first place in a national video contest spreading awareness about the dangers of radon.

The contest is sponsored each year by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the American Lung Association in Illinois.

Kogelis, a Washington, Illinois resident, finished first in the state contest and her 60-second video was then entered into the national contest, where she took home the prize. Her video shows creativity and demonstrates the importance of testing your home for radioactive gases like radon that are known to cause lung cancer.

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.

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.

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.