Illinois State University
#1401
QS Rank
76%
Acceptance rate
~2.8%
Intl. students
$24,132
Tuition/yr
20,000
Enrollment
19:1
Student:Faculty
About Illinois State University
Large public university in Illinois. Strong business, education, and STEM programs.
Illinois State University (ISU) is a public research university founded in 1857, making it the oldest public university in Illinois. Located in Normal, Illinois, it enrolled 21,994 students in Fall 2025, marking its fourth consecutive record enrollment year, with 19,513 undergraduates and 2,481 graduate students.
ISU is particularly known for its College of Business, which holds AACSB accreditation and has received national recognition for its accounting program. Other strong programs include education (a traditional strength given the university's teaching-college origins), nursing, theatre, and biological sciences. The university offers over 160 undergraduate majors across seven academic colleges.
Normal is a mid-sized city in central Illinois, roughly 130 miles south of Chicago, served by Amtrak and Interstate 55. The campus is compact and walkable, with a traditional quad layout. ISU is ranked #222 among National Universities and #122 among Top Public Schools by U.S. News & World Report (2026 edition).
World University Rankings
Campus & Location
IL
Suburban
Optional Practical Training (OPT)
All graduates qualify for 12-month OPT. STEM-designated programs (CS, Engineering, Data Science, Mathematics, Sciences) qualify for 24-month STEM OPT extension — 36 months total work authorisation.
For Nepali students
- ISU's international undergraduate merit scholarship awards $3,000–$10,000 per year automatically upon admission based on GPA, reducing the sticker cost without a separate application, a practical advantage for Nepali students managing tight foreign-exchange budgets.
- Annual international tuition for 2025-2026 is approximately $24,132, placing ISU in a mid-range cost tier among U.S. public universities, with a total on-campus cost of attendance around $47,884, lower than many flagship state universities.
- Business, computer science, and nursing graduates are eligible for the 24-month STEM OPT extension after the standard 12-month OPT, giving Nepali graduates up to 3 years of U.S. work authorization to recover their investment before visa decisions are required.
- ISU hosts students from 69 countries and its Office of International Engagement provides dedicated advising, which is useful for Nepali students navigating F-1 visa compliance, CPT, and OPT paperwork without prior U.S. experience.
Admission requirements — Nepali equivalents
A rough translation of the published minimums for Nepali applicants:
Use our GPA converter to translate your exact score to the 4.0 scale.
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