Indiana University—Bloomington is a public institution that was founded in 1820.

Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, founded in 1869.

The University of Michigan (Michigan or UMich) is a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, founded in 1817.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, or colloquially the University of Illinois or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois.

Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois, founded in 1851.

Michigan State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan.