Western Illinois University. . .

In March 2006, Western (located in Macomb, Illinois) was ranked as among the best value undergraduate institution among 150 colleges and universities in the nation by The Princeton Review’s “America’s Best Value College” based on student opinion data from a total of 646 schools.

Western was also recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the “Best in the Midwest Colleges” and was selected as one of just 24 public universities ranked a Tier 1 Midwestern Master's Institution by the U.S. News & World Report.

Western has a good webpage addressing scholarship opportunities, as well as a separate page for international student scholarships.

University of Illinois at Chicago. . .

With an enrollment of over 25,000 students, the University of Illinois at Chicago is the largest university in the Chicago area. Located just west of Chicago's Loop, UIC is a vital part of the educational, technological and cultural fabric of the city. It is also one of the country's top research universities and over the years has attracted an impressive amount of award-winning faculty. According to U.S. News & World Report, UIC is one of the most diverse and affordable universities in the nation. UIC is a "best buy," according to Barron's Best Buys in College Education.

University of Illinois at Chicago has a very comprehensive scholarship website with access to many different kinds of scholarships, for both undergraduates and graduate students. There is also a very good page devoted entirely to scholarships for international students.

Columbia College, Chicago. . . . . .

Columbia College, located in Chicago, Illinois (note: this is NOT Columbia University, in New York City) offers a great selection of both undergraduate and graduate programs. Unfortunately, there do not seem to be the types of programs that most international students are interested in: for example, I don't see any technical degrees, such as Computer Science, and no Engineering programs either.

The college offers information regarding a few different scholarships designed for international students, although they are primarily off-campus resources. Meaning, the college doesn't appear to offer a scholarship under its own name.

Illinois Wesleyan University. . . .

Illinois Wesleyan University is located in Bloomington, Illinois. It offers undergraduate programs only, no graduate programs at all. This isn't necessarily a drawback, since an international student could easily finish a bachelor's degree at Illinois Wesleyan and then transfer to another institution for a master's degree or Ph.D. program.

It appears that Illinois Wesleyan offers merit based scholarships to international students in amounts ranging from $3,000 to $18,000 per year. Merit-based means that the student's test scores, grades, and possibly letters of recommendation. These are variables that students need to be considering early in their education, so when they are ready, their scholarship applications show them in the best light. . . .