Illinois State University

Illinois State University (Illinois State or ISU) is a public research university in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University and is the oldest public university in Illinois. In fall 2026, the university enrolled 21,577 students. The university offers more than 200 academic degree programs across its seven colleges. It emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of the top ten largest producers of teachers in the US according to the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education. The university is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". The university's athletic teams compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and are members of the Missouri Valley Conference and the Missouri Valley Football Conference. They are known as the "Redbirds," in reference to the state bird, the cardinal.