Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio.

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

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

The Ohio State University, commonly Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio.

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

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