I won’t try to convince you that UIUC is better than IU (Kelley), because you can do some research and make up your own mind. However I will share my family’s feelings on the subject.
I live in a suburb of Chicago with a very strong school district. Both of my children are strong students with great resumes. My daughter (who is the older of the two) did not consider IU because she liked UIUC better and had little doubt she would be accepted at Illinois. My son applied to Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. He was accepted to all 3. Michigan did not offer any merit $s, so he crossed it off his list. (It would not be worth an extra $100K in our opinion.)
Indiana/Kelley offered him merit $s that would have made it less expensive to attend than UIUC. However after attending the Kelley direct admit day, he chose Illinois for several reasons.
First, at least in our area, UIUC is more highly regarded for business than IU. At his school only a handful of students will get direct admitted into UIUC’s College of Business. Anecdotally the students ,who end up at Kelley, did not get into the CoB at Illinois. They prefer the guarantee of a business major at IU, over the risk of not being able to transfer into their desired major. Does it mean UIUC is better? Probably not, but you can’t help but notice which students go where.
Second, we noticed the significant difference in size of the undergraduate business programs. Kelley, I believe, has around 500 more students per grade level than Illinois’s business school. (I’m going by memory here, but you can check it out. I think it was about 700 versus 1200.) Is that a good or bad thing? We considered the pros and cons. You should too.
Third, we got the impression that some of the rankings we looked at might be due to a “trickle-down effect” from their respective MBA programs. Indiana, without a doubt, has a stronger MBA program.
Fourth, my son is not interested in investment banking. (in part, due to his father’s experience with lifestyle sacrifices with that career path) Right now, as a freshman, he is looking to double major in accounting and finance with a possible Technology and Management minor in the future.
Illinois is VERY strong in accounting…and engineering (T&M) for that matter. Indiana has a strong IB program. What matters to you?
Lastly, we have some familiarity with Illinois since it is our flagship and our daughter is a junior in Business there. The study abroad program is wonderful through UIUC…she loved her semester (Spring sophomore yr) in Europe. She made good friends with some Kelley students, but said that after talking with them, she has absolutely no regrets.
My daughter also feels UIUC’s Business Career Services does an excellent job of assisting students in internship/job placement. She got a very good internship between her sophomore and junior year in the Chicago area. And she has another one lined up for this summer, out of state.<<< although I admit I don’t know how that works for internationals.
To the OP, I suggest you talk with someone to ascertain how many credit hours will transfer for you and how long it would take you to complete your degree. UIUC is a great school with a wonderful campus. I wish you well.