Big Ten - Exactly How Big Is It?

I'm interested in applying to Big Ten schools but I realized I actually don't know how many schools are in the Big Ten. I tried googling it and got some conflicting results. Can anyone help me out with the correct info?

Despite the name, the Big Ten actually consists of 18 member universities. It's a bit of a historical misnomer! The conference started with ten schools, hence the name, but expanded over time. The current list of Big Ten schools includes:

1. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

2. Indiana University Bloomington

3. University of Iowa

4. University of Maryland, College Park

5. University of Michigan

6. Michigan State University

7. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

8. University of Nebraska–Lincoln

9. Northwestern University

10. Ohio State University

11. University of Oregon

12. Pennsylvania State University

13. Purdue University

14. Rutgers University

15. University of California, Los Angeles

16. University of Southern California

17. University of Washington

18. University of Wisconsin–Madison

I hope that clears up any confusion! Any of these schools would be a good choice depending on your specific career goals and interests. Each one has distinct strengths and unique campus cultures.