Northern Illinois University in DeKalb is about 60 miles west of Chicago and about 30 miles south of Rockford, placing it in an ideal location for students from the northern part of the state. This state university has more than 25,000 students, and among those students are veterans and active military members. NIU provides a specific service for military members with its Military Student Services division of its student-affairs and enrollment-management department. This division helps ensure veterans acclimate to campus life and that they receive all the benefits for which they are eligible.
The University of Illinois system has three schools: Urbana-Champaign, its main campus; Chicago; and Springfield. Each of these schools is military friendly, and each has a student-services department specific to helping veterans and students in the military find their way through college. The schools offer assistance with military benefits as well as counseling, and each school will work with you if you are called up for active duty during your time on campus. UIUC is a Big 10 school in central Illinois, providing students an active college lifestyle. UIC is in Chicago's West Loop and offers students the chance to live and work in the third-largest city in the country. UIS is in the state's capital, making it an ideal place for a military person who wants to have a more active life near government agencies.
Western Illinois University's main campus is in Macomb -- about 45 minutes from the Mississippi River, 90 minutes to Peoria, and about four hours from Chicago. Macomb's location to the river makes it ideal for some veterans, especially sailors, who are used to be being on a body of water. Many Coast Guard units work along the Mississippi, making WIU a good spot for reservists to perform their monthly duties. WIU also offers a service for veterans through its student services division that helps ensure veterans are successful at Western.
Southern Illinois University in Carbondale is near the southern tip of the Land of Lincoln. Two hours from St. Louis, six hours from Chicago and four hours from Louisiville, Ken., SIUC serve students who want to get far away from their suburban Chicago home or those who wish to stay closer to their rural homes in southern Illinois. SIUC, like other Illinois schools, opens its Veterans Center to students who are returning from duty or who are waiting to be called up. The center helps ensure students utilize their benefits. And it makes sure veterans, especially, acclimate to being home and returning to a civilian lifestyle.