Study abroad at Romeoville

Romeoville is a thriving, safe, and progressive university and logistics-aviation hub situated along the historic Des Plaines River and the Illinois and Michigan Canal in Will County, southwestern Chicagoland metropolitan area, Illinois, located just 30 miles (35 minutes by direct Metra Heritage Corridor commuter rail or I-55) southwest of Downtown Chicago, 30 minutes from Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW), and 45 minutes from Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD). Celebrated for the Isle a la Cache Museum and Forest Preserve, extensive Des Plaines River trail networks, the Mistwood Golf Club, and a booming regional corporate economy in commercial aviation, transportation logistics, advanced robotics, and healthcare. Romeoville is the home of one of the Midwest's most renowned dynamic universities: Lewis University (established in 1932 by the Christian Brothers, comprehensive private university enrolling over 6,800 students on an expansive, tree-lined 410-acre campus with its own active regional airport - Lewis University Airport LOT). Lewis University is globally celebrated for the College of Aviation, Science and Technology (housing the Harold E. White Aviation Center, one of the premier FAA-approved collegiate aviation flight training, air traffic control, and aviation maintenance programs in the United States, alongside the Department of Computer and Mathematical Sciences with a prestigious NSA-designated National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense CAE-CD, and Data Science), College of Business (AACSB-accredited), College of Nursing and Health Sciences, and College of Education and Social Sciences. Degrees are taught 100% in English with prestigious US accreditations. International students benefit from an exceptionally safe suburban environment with direct Chicago metro access, generous Lewis University International Academic Merit Scholarships ($10,000 to $17,000/year for undergraduate; graduate scholarships available), state-of-the-art flight simulators and Boeing training suites, and direct US F-1 / I-20 Student Visa support with 3-year STEM OPT work extensions.

Tuition fees in Romeoville for international undergraduate students at Lewis University range between $38,500 and $41,500 per academic year for College of Aviation, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, and College of Business (with Lewis University awarding generous automatic International Academic Merit Scholarships discounting $10,000 to $17,000/year from tuition for qualified applicants based on high school GPA, bringing net tuition down to approx. $21,500–$28,500/year). Flight training fees for Aviation Flight Management majors are billed separately per flight hour. Postgraduate Master's degrees range from $16,000 to $24,000 per year. Modern on-campus university student residences (Lewis: Dorothy Day Hall, Saint John Baptist de La Salle Hall, Mother Teresa Hall, Pope John Paul II Hall, Ryan Hall - fully furnished student suites with high-speed Wi-Fi, utilities, and dining meal plans) cost between $750 and $1,250 per month (inclusive of meal plans), while off-campus student apartments in Romeoville, Bolingbrook, and Plainfield range from $600 to $1,050 per month for shared flats. General monthly living expenses range between $750 and $1,250 (substantially more affordable than Downtown Chicago).

International students require a US F-1 Student Visa. Upon academic admission and verification of financial documentation (bank statement certifying first-year tuition and living expenses minus scholarship awards approx. $24,000), International Student Services at Lewis University issues the official Form I-20. The student pays the SEVIS I-901 fee, completes the DS-160 online visa application, and attends the F-1 visa interview at the US Embassy or Consulate. STEM graduates qualify for a 24-month OPT extension (total 36 months of US employment authorization across Chicago aviation/logistics companies and nationwide).