Traveling to Illinois State

Bloomington-Normal is a growing and friendly community and we hope you will enjoy your stay here. To read more about it, you may visit this helpful website: Bloomington-Normal Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

How to Get Here

Illinois State University is located in the central part of the United States, in the State of Illinois, and in the cities of Bloomington and Normal. The closest big city is Chicago, Illinois which sits about 3 hours north of our university. There are two main ways that you may most conveniently reach Bloomington-Normal, Illinois:

AIR: by arranging a connecting flight to our local Central Illinois Regional Airport (CIRA). This may be your most convenient traveling option since once you arrive in Bloomington, it is a very short drive to ISU. CIRA is currently served by AirTran, Northwest Airlink, American Eagle, American Connection (formerly Trans World Express), and United Express. You may access specific airline information on the Web at www.cira.com under “Airline Info.”
BUS: by arranging your flight to Chicago O’Hare Airport and taking a Peoria Charter Bus to the Illinois State University campus in Normal. You may review schedules and fees at: www.peoriacharter.com. The bus leaves the O’Hare Bus/Shuttle Center – Door # 4 at 10:15 a.m., 3:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m. and 10:15 p.m. and leaves Terminal #5 – Door 5E at the Center Curb about 5 minutes later. It arrives at Illinois State University at 12:55 p.m., 5:40 p.m. 9:40 p.m. and about 12:30 a.m.

Note: There are several cities in the United States with the name of "Bloomington." Be sure to arrange your travel plans to Bloomington, ILLINOIS!

Tell Us When and How You Plan to Arrive

Please be sure to tell your advisor in the International Studies Office and your ISU department how and when you plan to arrive. This will allow International Studies to arrange a date for your orientation seession, and make any Immigration adjustments should you be arriving later than originally expected; and it will help your hosting department to make arrangements for meeting you at our local airport or bus station.

Should you be arriving late in the evening, and need to arrange for alternate transportation, please call any of the following TAXI companies:

Beyer Twin City Cab: (309) 829-7923
Circle City Cab: (309) 829-5342
Checker Cab Inc.: (309) 828-0123

Where to Stay When You First Arrive

If you will need to stay in a hotel when you first arrive, please click here for accomodations in Bloomington-Normal.

Immigration: When You Enter the United States

Before your flight lands in the United States, you will be asked to complete a small, white “I-94 Card.” Upon your arrival, you will be asked to present your passport with your visa, your I-94 card and your DS-2019 (if you have the J-1 visa) to the immigration inspector at the airport. Make sure these items are with you rather than in your luggage. If you are admissible to the U.S., your passport/visa will be stamped to show your “date of entry” and the length of time for which your stay is authorized. Your I-94 card may be stapled in your passport, usually on the page opposite your entry visa.

VERY IMPORTANT: When traveling to Illinois State, remember to:

Bring all of your Immigration documents with you. These include your DS2019 Certificate of Eligibility (if you have the J-1 visa), passport, visa and I-94 card.
Carry these documents on the plane with you. Do not store them away in your checked luggage.