University of Illinois at Chicago

With more than 19,000 undergraduate students, this public research institution has quite the presence in the Windy City. The University of Illinois at Chicago has a graduation rate that's 14% higher than peer schools and also boasts a relatively diverse student body, with significant white, Hispanic, and Asian populations on its 240-acre campus. When they're not cramming for the popular business, biology, or psychology classes in UIC's 16 academic colleges, students can explore all that downtown Chicago has to offer or join one of the school's more than 300 student organizations. Most students live off campus, and commuters can take advantage of the Commuter Student Resource Center, which has not only a lounge area and a kitchen but also lockers and study rooms. For fun, students can check out the 43-foot rock-climbing wall, attend a free comedy show, listen to UIC Radio or catch a Flames game. Every fall, students flock to Spark in the Park, a free concert that in recent years has featured performers like Kid Cudi and Nick Jonas.