The state of Illinois ranks No. 5 for international students, with 42,527 students, about 35 percent of whom come from China. In addition to U. of I., other top destinations in the state are the Illinois Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Chicago. At U. of I., about half of the international students are from China. That includes more than 650 freshmen, up from fewer than 20 freshmen from China in 2006.