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.

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

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

The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, founded in 1847.

The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin.

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