UChicago: the complete school report for parents
UChicago rates 6 of the 18 admission factors Very Important, among them course rigor, the essay and extracurricular activities. This is a genuinely holistic review. It does not consider demonstrated interest and the interview, so campus visits and emails will not move the decision. With a 4.5% admit rate and 57% of enrolled students at a 4.0 GPA or above, the transcript is the entry ticket and scores are optional but help when they are strong. Transfer applicants are admitted at 11.8% against 4.5% for first-years, so the transfer route is materially wider.
UChicago is officially University of Chicago, also known as U Of Chicago or Univ Of Chicago. Admissions figures below come from its 2025-2026 Common Data Set (see the source), with the admission-factor grid re-read from that file on 2026-10-21.
Is UChicago a reach, target or safety for your student?
Enter a GPA and course load and the calculator places UChicago against the figures above. No account needed.
What does UChicago actually weigh in admissions?
UChicago rates 6 of the 18 factors "Very Important": course rigor, the essay, extracurricular activities, recommendations, personal qualities, talent. It does not consider 2 of them at all. Every college reports these weights in section C7 of its Common Data Set; below is UChicago's 2025-2026 answer, read from the grid in its own file.
| Factor | How UChicago rates it |
|---|---|
| course rigor | Very Important |
| GPA | Considered |
| test scores | Considered |
| the essay | Very Important |
| extracurricular activities | Very Important |
| recommendations | Very Important |
| personal qualities | Very Important |
| talent | Very Important |
| class rank | Considered |
| demonstrated interest | Not Considered |
| the interview | Not Considered |
| legacy | Considered |
| first-generation status | Considered |
| geography | Considered |
| state residency | Considered |
| volunteer work | Considered |
| work experience | Considered |
| religious affiliation | Considered |
Does UChicago consider how hard my child’s courses were?
Yes. It is one of the most important factors. The senior-year schedule should keep its AP, IB or honors depth rather than lighten.
Does UChicago consider GPA?
Yes, but only as a secondary factor.
Does UChicago consider SAT or ACT scores?
Yes, but only as a secondary factor.
Does UChicago consider the application essay?
Yes. It is one of the most important factors. The essay is doing as much work as the transcript.
Does UChicago consider extracurricular activities?
Yes. It is one of the most important factors.
Does UChicago consider recommendation letters?
Yes. It is one of the most important factors.
Does UChicago consider character and personal qualities?
Yes. It is one of the most important factors.
Does UChicago consider a special talent or ability?
Yes. It is one of the most important factors.
Does UChicago consider class rank?
Yes, but only as a secondary factor.
Does UChicago consider demonstrated interest?
No. UChicago does not consider it. Campus visits, emails and info sessions do not move the decision.
Does UChicago consider an interview?
No. UChicago does not consider it. There is no interview to prepare for.
Does UChicago consider legacy status?
Yes, but only as a secondary factor. It can act as a tiebreaker but will not carry a weak application.
Does UChicago consider being first-generation?
Yes, but only as a secondary factor. Say so on the application; it is read as context.
Does UChicago consider where we live?
Yes, but only as a secondary factor.
Does UChicago consider state residency?
Yes, but only as a secondary factor.
Does UChicago consider volunteer work?
Yes, but only as a secondary factor.
Does UChicago consider work experience?
Yes, but only as a secondary factor.
Does UChicago consider religious affiliation?
Yes, but only as a secondary factor.
What GPA do admitted students actually have?
57% of enrolled students had a 4.0 GPA or above. The average was 4.54 on a 4 scale, reported for 62.15% of the entering class. This is the school’s own distribution, not an estimate from its admit rate.
| High school GPA | Share of enrolled students |
|---|---|
| 4.0 | 56.76% |
| 3.75–3.99 | 26.85% |
| 3.50–3.74 | 9.91% |
| 3.25–3.49 | 2.79% |
| 3.00–3.24 | 2.88% |
| 2.50–2.99 | 0.72% |
| 2.00–2.49 | 0.09% |
Is transferring in easier than applying as a freshman?
UChicago admitted 11.8% of 3,231 transfer applicants, against 4.5% of first-year applicants. For a student who does not get in at eighteen, the transfer route is a genuinely wider door and worth planning for deliberately.
When do we apply, and does timing change the odds?
UChicago reports its early rounds below.
| Regular application deadline | Not reported |
|---|---|
| Decisions released | Not reported |
| Reply / deposit deadline | Not reported |
| Early Decision offered | Yes |
| Early Decision deadline | Not reported |
| Early Action offered | Yes |
| Early Action deadline | Not reported |
| Application fee | $90 |
| Fee waiver available | Yes |
| Deferred admission offered | Yes |
What will UChicago actually cost us?
Families pay an average of $14,860 a year at UChicago after grants and scholarships, against a published in-state tuition of $75,960. The published price is not what most families pay. The university reports meeting 100% of demonstrated need on average. It also gave 57 merit awards averaging $16,333 to first-years with no demonstrated need.
11% of UChicago graduates borrow, leaving with an average of $35,364 in debt, which the federal data puts at about $159 a month in repayment. UChicago’s net price calculator gives your own figure.
Does a degree from UChicago pay off?
Graduates earn a median $91,885 ten years after entering, and $80,870 at six years. 88% out-earn a typical high school graduate within six years. 87% are actively paying down their loans three years in.
$227,147 to $54,643, depending on the major. Median earnings five years out at UChicago:
| Major | Median earnings, 5 years | Graduates a year |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $227,147 | 126 |
| Economics | $157,181 | 634 |
| Statistics | $147,558 | 75 |
| Mathematics | $146,679 | 169 |
| Public Policy Analysis | $99,986 | 114 |
| Physics | $91,650 | 66 |
| Political Science and Government | $88,531 | 109 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | $84,957 | 105 |
| Philosophy | $72,246 | 77 |
| History | $64,082 | 79 |
| Anthropology | $55,099 | 33 |
| English Language and Literature, General | $54,643 | 54 |
College Scorecard, by field of study; highest and lowest shown.
Will my child actually graduate?
99% of first-years return for a second year. 95% within six (2019 cohort). The rate holds up across income: 95.2% of Pell-grant recipients graduate within six years against 95.2% of everyone else, a gap of 0.0 points.
How big are the classes?
75% of class sections have fewer than 20 students, while 1% have 100 or more. The student-faculty ratio is 5:1, and 85% of faculty are full-time. Accredited by Higher Learning Commission.
What is life at UChicago like?
7,453 undergraduates, 88% of first-years from out of state. 100% of freshmen live in university housing, falling to 60% across all undergraduates. 20% of students are the first in their family to attend college, and the median family income is $74,573.
First-year students must live in on-campus housing for at least their first six quarters of enrollment, which is two academic years, and transfer students for at least their first three quarters. Campus housing is open to all full-time undergraduates in the College across eight residential commons, though the housing office does not publish a guarantee for later years.
Source: Residency Requirement and Housing Eligibility, UChicago Housing; UChicago Housing and Residence Life
UChicago fields 18 varsity teams, nine for men and nine for women, in NCAA Division III. The Maroons compete in the University Athletic Association (UAA).
Source: University of Chicago Athletics
More than 14,000 UChicago undergraduates have studied abroad since 1983. The College sponsors 89 study abroad programs in 34 cities across Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Oceania.
Source: UChicago Study Abroad
Career Advancement reports that 98% of the Class of 2026 received an offer for employment, graduate school or another post-college opportunity by graduation. Among Class of 2025 students with offers, 71% received employment offers and 29% graduate school offers, and the office reports a 90% law school and 91% medical school acceptance rate for UChicago candidates. Students can also apply for Metcalf internship programs and internship stipends.
Source: UChicago Career Advancement; Outcomes, UChicago Career Advancement
How is UChicago ranked, and how strong is the alumni network?
UChicago is ranked #9 for national universities in the U.S. News Best Colleges 2027. Its full set of published positions, including the ones that are less flattering:
| Ranking | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. News Best Colleges 2027, national universities | #9 |
Shown in full, including the less flattering ones.
Source: About the Program, UChicago Master of Liberal Arts; Facts and Figures, University of Chicago
The university counts 193,885 alumni worldwide.
What this means for your student
- Course rigor is rated Very Important here, so the senior-year schedule should hold its AP, IB or honors depth rather than lighten.
- 57% of enrolled students are at a 4.0 GPA or above, averaging 4.54. Below that line the rest of the application has to carry real weight.
- Skip demonstrated-interest tactics here. Visits and emails are not tracked, so save that effort for schools where they count.
- If the first-year answer is no, the transfer route is genuinely wider here and worth planning for from the first semester of college.
- Its highest-earning major returns $227,147 five years out against $54,643 at the other end, a gap wider than the one between most schools.
- See where your student actually stands: calculate their GPA and compare it against the distribution above.
Common questions about UChicago
What GPA do you need for UChicago?
57% of enrolled students at UChicago had a high school GPA of 4.0 or above, and the average was 4.54, according to its 2025-2026 Common Data Set.
What do UChicago graduates earn?
UChicago graduates earn a median $91,885 ten years after entering, and 88% out-earn a typical high school graduate within six years.
Other schools families compare with UChicago
Where these numbers come from
Admissions figures: UChicago’s 2025-2026 Common Data Set, published here, factor grid re-read from it on 2026-10-21. Earnings, debt, net price and graduation rates: College Scorecard (2022-2023). Unreported values show as “Not reported”.