University of Illinois Application Process

University of Illinois Application Process Explained in Detail

The University of Illinois or UI, is a public land-grant research university located in Chicago, Illinois with other campuses in Urbana-Champaign and Springfield comprising the University of Illinois system. The Chicago campus is the largest university in Chicago with 34,000 undergraduate students. UI offers more than 150 undergrad and 100 graduate study programs and is known as something of an incubator for future high-tech startups. UI has an acceptance rate of nearly 50% which qualifies as “selective”, meaning your application package needs to be top-shelf.

UI Applications: Academic Requirements

UI is known for upholding high academic standards and actively seeks applicants with strong academic records. UI admissions officials will typically want to see the following from applicants:

A high school GPA of at least 3.79
A generous number of “A” grades
An SAT score of 1420 or higher
An ACT score of 31 or higher
Graduated in the top 10% of their high school class

University of Illinois Application Process

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Additional Admission Requirements

Freshman applicants are expected to satisfy the following requirements:

A high school diploma or GED.
4 years of English
3 or 4 years of math, including geometry, algebra, pre-calculus and more
2 years of social sciences
3 years of science, including chemistry, biology and physics
2 full years of a foreign language

UI Application Process and Deadlines

First year applicants to UI can apply via the Common App or Myillini. Below are the steps the average applicant will take when applying to the University of Illinois.

Step 1: Choose an applicant category such as freshman, transfer student or international applicant.
Step 2: Select which University of Illinois system campus you are applying to, Chicago, Urbana-Champaign or Springfield.
Step 3: Choose your intended field of study keeping in mind that certain areas of study will come with additional requirements.
Step 4: Fill out the application form thoroughly, making sure all the information you provide is accurate as of the day of application.
Step 5: Pay a non-refundable application fee of $50 (US applicants) or $75 (international applicants). Certain students may be eligible for a fee waiver.
Step 6: Submit the required documents to support your application. The exact documents will depend on the applicant category you chose.