The University is in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana (total population 180,000) in east-central Illinois. Situated about 140 miles south of Chicago, 125 miles west of Indianapolis, and 180 miles northeast of St. Louis.

Nearly 28,000 undergraduate students are enrolled in nine undergraduate divisions, which together offer some 4,000 courses in more than 150 fields of study.

The University enrolls over 9,000 graduate and professional students in more than 100 disciplines.

The University recently recruited 3 brilliant UCSD undergraduates for a unique 1 year Master's program in Mechanical Engineering specializing in nano-engineering.