ILLINOIS UNIVERSITIES OVERVIEW
Public Universities University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Illinois at Chicago University of Illinois at Springfield Southern Illinois University Carbondale Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Northern Illinois University Eastern Illinois University Western Illinois University Illinois State University
Private Institutions Knox College Eureka College Bradley University Illinois College Millikin University McKendree University Elmhurst College DePaul University Loyola Univeristy
PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES
University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign The State s Flagship University 2 hours from Chicago 32,256 Students Freshman required to stay in dorms Cost: $29,000-34,000 Middle 50% for ACT: 27-32 holistic admission review One of the best public universities in the nation top programs in engineering, business, agriculture, among others 100+ majors One of the best college towns in the nation Big 10 Athletics and the largest Greek system in the country
The Quad
Green Street
University of Illinois at Chicago 16,925 students 50% of students live on campus or in surrounding neighborhoods Cost: $28,267 Middle 50% ACT score: 21-26 holistic admission review Great school if you are interested in a healthrelated major Strong research school, ranked in the top 50 for federal research dollars One of the top 10 most diverse campuses in the nation
University of Illinois at Springfield Newest university in the Illinois system, founded in 1995 3 hours from Chicago 3,112 students About 1/3 of students stay on campus Cost: $22,370 ACT Middle 50%-20 to 25 holistic admission review Strong emphasis in political science and public administration due to location Smaller class sizes, no 100+ person lectures Close knit community of people that stay on campus, you ll get to know everyone
Southern Illinois University Carbondale Most southern university in the state 5.5 hours from Chicago 19,815 students Most students live on campus Cost: $25,300 Middle 50% ACT score: 21-25 Data Admission review Beautiful campus located next to a lake and in a hilly, forested area campus is a registered national arboretum
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Part of the SIU system, located in Edwardsville, 20 minutes outside of St. Louis about 4 hours from Chicago Cost: $18,100-most affordable school in Illinois 14,235 students Admission: 18 ACT & 2.5 GPA Gorgeous campus, similar to SIUC, went through major renovations starting in 2007, lots of new buildings Has a nursing program
Northern Illinois University Located 45 minutes outside of Chicago in DeKalb Cost: $23,350 17,360 students Most live on campus Relatively diverse student body Has a law school Ranked as the 189 th best university in the United States CHANCE Program: alternative admissions
Eastern Illinois University Located in Charleston about 3 hours from Chicago Cost: $20,140 9,657 students one of the smaller public universities in Illinois Middle 50% ACT-21 Holistic/Data admission process Pretty standard state university that is affordable, offers a good education Gateway Program: alternative admissions
Western Illinois University Great school for criminal justice and law about 3.5 hours from Chicago Cost: $20,500 10,520 students similar size to Eastern Can you get in? Multiple your GPA x 10, then + your ACT score if it s higher than 46, you re admitted (GPA x10) + ACT = X > 46 Macomb is very much a college town Very affordable school
Illinois State University One of the more popular universities in Illinois located about 2 hours from Chicago Cost: $21,750 18,594 students one of the bigger universities in Illinois very active student body it has a circus Admission: 21 ACT & 3.1 GPA; if below, write the optional essay 1 in 8 teachers in the state of IL got their degree from ISU Not a research school
PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES
Eureka College One of the most affordable private universities in Illinois located in Eureka, about 2.5 hours from Chicago Admission Requirements: 17 ACT & 2.3 GPA Cost: $28,540 on campus 755 Students Very close-knit student body & opportunity to build close relationships with professors 13 to 1 student to teacher ratio with many classes smaller
Bradley University Located in Peoria, about 2.5 hours from Chicago Cost: $37,714 on campus 4,955 students interesting size, not very many universities under 5,000 students, combines a mix of a small campus in a university setting Middle 50% ACT score-23 to 28 Very active Greek life Well-known for its business programs
Knox College One of the best liberal arts schools in the country Located in Galesburg about 3 hours from Chicago Cost: $47,325 1,420 students Test Optional ACT score not required Highly-ranked and well-known; documented in Colleges That Change Lives Very tight-knit school body They will meet large amounts of financial need
Illinois College The first college in Illinois Located in Jacksonville about 4 hours from Chicago Cost: $36,640 1,000 students Test Optional No ACT score required Lots of liberal arts majors
Millikin University Strong school for arts and music Located in Decatur, about 3 hours from Chicago Cost: $34,657 2,300 students Admission: at least 18 ACT, 2.5 GPA Isn t JUST a liberal arts school; has health, business, and engineering majors Really nice campus
McKendree University Located in Lebanon, IL about 4.5 hours from Chicago and 45 minutes from St. Louis Cost: $39, 370 Just over 3,000 students Beautiful campus, lots of new and updated buildings (including housing) Wide variety of majors: business, education, athletic training, as well as liberal arts A lot of students attend for athletics (Div. II)
Elmhurst College Located in Elmhurst, IL about 40 minutes from Chicago 3,400 students Cost: $42,000 Middle 50% ACT: 21 to 26 Wide variety of majors; popular ones are business, journalism, education, health professions
DePaul University Located on two main campuses in Chicago, one in the Loop and one in Lincoln Park About 16,500 students it s the largest private institution in Illinois Cost: $45,000 Middle 50% ACT: 23 to 28 Strong programs in business, communications, and arts Test Optional School: standardized tests (ACT or SAT) are not required, but additional essays are required instead
Loyola University Main campus is located in Chicago on Lake Shore Drive About 16,000 students Cost: $48,000 Middle 50% ACT: 25 to 29 Offers 80+ majors an 80+ minors across 10 different schools (Arts & Sciences, Business, Communication, Education, plus others for graduate/professional studies)