Illinois College

Illinois College is a small residential liberal arts college offering exceptional education at an affordable cost on a safe and beautiful campus. For over 180 years, Illinois College has prepared young men and women for lives of leadership and service.

True to its founding vision in 1829, Illinois College is a community committed to the highest standards of scholarship and integrity in the liberal arts. The College develops in its students qualities of mind and character needed for fulfilling lives of leadership and service.Illinois College will build an international reputation for inspiring achievement and empowering students to make a difference in the world.

Prospective students, current students and community members are encouraged to review the following information, which provides a comprehensive overview of the College and its practices, including information on financial aid, student privacy, crime statistics, important college policies and student outcomes.

Do you dream of teaching English in Japan? Passionate about improving community recycling programs? Interested in research that could cure a disease? How about an internship at a professional sporting event?At Illinois College, our students are achieving all of this and more — before graduation.

Internships, student-faculty research, service-learning projects and professional practice in your field will prepare you with the skills to succeed in any 21st-century career. Active learning experiences have been proven by decades of research to have a strong connection to student learning and retention. These hands-on activities cultivate the traits that today’s employers most value: the abilities to read, write, speak and problem-solve effectively and the power to apply these skills in a professional setting.

Employers today are looking for applicants who have a diverse set of skills for 21st-century careers. The Illinois College BLUEprint is your personalized general education plan to help you master the critical skills that will set you apart in the job market and prepare you to land your first job. Today, employers are looking for graduates with strong written and oral communication skills, understanding of diverse cultures and the ability to work with people with different beliefs and most importantly, the competence to solve problems effectively through inquiry, analysis, synthesis, creative and critical thinking, and collaboration.

From the time of its founding, Illinois College has embraced the principles of diversity and inclusion, and we will continue to do so. We believe that our common work is enhanced by the varied perspectives provided by people from a range of ethnic, national and religious backgrounds. These values guide us in interactions with one another and a fundamental respect for every individual undergirds our work together.

llinois College values the unique experiences all of our students bring to campus and prepares graduates as global citizens ready for fulfilling lives of leadership and service.Sixty-nine international students are attending Illinois College this year, including eight with dual citizenship. They hail from these countries: Bangladesh, China, Ecuador, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Ghana, Honduras, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, Venezuela, Vietnam and Zambia.

As an international student, you have several options for joining Illinois College's diverse campus. Apply as a first-year student to spend four years on campus earning an undergraduate degree or apply as a transfer student to finish your degree at Illinois College.

Your experiences in and beyond the classroom are all part of the value of your Illinois College education. Having your classmates as neighbors helps build friendships and a sense of belonging among students. The goal of the residential life program is to foster openness, respect, honesty and community.

At Illinois College, you will find countless ways to get involved outside of class — with over 80 student organizations, from community service, sports, and spirit clubs to historic literary societies.The Center for Student Involvement serves as a resource for student leaders through advising, leadership development programs and organizational support services. Through your involvement in co-curricular activities, you’ll round out your academic experience by learning new skills that will make your education complete while you create lifelong friendships.

Illinois College, the first college in the state to conduct classes and grant a baccalaureate degree, sustains a 180-year heritage of excellence in the liberal arts.

The events and characters that tell our story are extraordinary. The Rev. John M. Ellis, a Presbyterian missionary in the East, saw the need for a “seminary of learning” in the new state of Illinois. His plans drew the attention of Congregational students at Yale University, and seven of them, in one of the famous “Yale Bands,” came westward to help found the College. The first president of Illinois College was Edward Beecher who left his position at the Park Street Church in Boston and firmly imbued the new College with New England traditions and academic foundations. His sister, Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of the influential anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, visited the campus, and his brother, Henry Ward Beecher, preached and lectured here. Beecher Hall, the first college building in Illinois, was built in 1829 and is still used today.