One Illinois university made a list of 20 schools that defied recent trends and posted the smallest decreases in student acceptance rates over the past 12 years, according to a new study by BusinessStudent.com.

Illinois universities topped a national ranking of prestigious schools whose acceptance rates have declined a collective 37 percent over the past 12 years, according to a new study by BusinessStudent.com.

Illinois ranked seventh most popular for college football among the 50 states, according to a Prairie State Wire analysis of college sports participation.