Prairie State Wire

There are 25,114 international students attending Illinois’ 12 public universities on federal student visas, according to a Prairie State Wire analysis of F-1 visa data obtained from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

With 189,643 students enrolled, international students comprise 13.2 percent of all students attending the state’s major universities.

International students must obtain an F-1 visa to attend any academic institution in the United States, including a college or university. International students pay full tuition and must maintain a full course load.

---

International students at Illinois universities

School	International students
University of Illinois	12,554
University of Illinois Chicago	3,615
University of Illinois Springfield	1,844
Southern Illinois University Carbondale	1,685
Northern Illinois University	1,630
Eastern Illinois University	666
Western Illinois University	664
Governors State University	636
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville	591
Illinois State University	525
Chicago State University	478
Northeastern Illinois University	226
Total	25,114

---

School	Total Student Enrollment	Percent international students
University of Illinois Springfield	5,428	34%
University of Illinois	46,951	26.7%
Chicago State University	3,578	13.4%
University of Illinois Chicago	30,539	11.8%
Governors State University	5,819	10.9%
Southern Illinois University Carbondale	17,292	9.7%
Eastern Illinois University	7,415	9%
Northern Illinois University	19,015	8.6%
Western Illinois University	9,441	7%
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville	14,142	4.2%
Northeastern Illinois University	8,984	2.5%
Illinois State University	21,039	2.5%
Total	189,643	13.2%

*Source: U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement