The oldest state schools in Illinois include Illinois State University, Northeastern Illinois University and Chicago State University. Founded in 1857, Illinois State University is the oldest public university in the state. In 2011, it was ranked the 95th best university by Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine. Northeastern Illinois University was founded 10 years later in 1867. Located in Chicago, it has a 67-acre campus and offers undergraduate and graduate programs to, as of 2011, 12,000 commuter students. The school features 37 undergraduate majors and 45 minors as well as 31 graduate degrees. The roots of Chicago State University date back to 1867 as well, when it started as a teacher training school. In 1965, control of the school passed into the hands of the State of Illinois and is now governed by a board of trustees appointed by governor of Illinois. Located on Chicago's Southside, Chicago State has five colleges: Health Sciences, Arts and Science, Business, Education and Pharmacy. It offers 36 undergraduate and 25 graduate degree programs.
The University of Illinois's system of public schools is made up of three campuses: Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield. As of 2011, it boasts a student body of approximately 71,000 students. The three campuses offer hundreds of undergraduate and graduate programs and a faculty that includes Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners and MacArthur fellows. U.S. News & World Report ranked the Urbana campus the 15th best public university in the country in 2011. The same year, the publication also ranked the Springfield campus as the top regional public university in Illinois for the third year in a row, as well as the fourth best public university in the Midwest.
Southern Illinois University is state system with two schools and several campuses. The flagship campus is located in Carbondale and features the Southern Illinois University of Law. The campus in Edwardsville includes the School of Pharmacy. The system's School of Dental Medicine is located in Alton. As of 2011, the SIU system offers two associate's, 124 bachelor's, 113 master's and 37 doctoral and professional degree programs to a student body of approximately 35,000 students. The school was established in 1874 in Carbondale, starting out as a one-building teacher training institution known as Southern Illinois Normal University.
The state of Illinois established the Illinois Community College Board to create a system of public community colleges in 1965. The goal was to build colleges within reach of every state resident. As of 2011, the Illinois Community College System covers the entire state, boasting 48 colleges in 39 community college districts and serving approximately one million Illinois residents annually. The schools offer Baccalaureate/Transfer programs, Career & Technical Education (CTE) programs, Remedial Education programs, Adult Education and English as a Second Language programs. Majors range from nursing to law enforcement. Schools include College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Elgin Community College, Harper College in Palatine, Heartland Community College in Normal and Illinois Central College in East Peoria.