University of Illinois Chicago: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Dekalb, Illinois · Public · Moderately selective · CDS 2024-2025
University of Illinois Chicago is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois with a moderately selective admissions profile. For the most recent reporting cycle, University of Illinois Chicago admits about half to three-quarters of applicants, with an overall admission rate of 70%. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $12,909 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether University of Illinois Chicago is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for University of Illinois Chicago?
University of Illinois Chicago admits students with a wide GPA range, but most successful applicants present an unweighted GPA of 3.3 or higher with a college-prep curriculum. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
SAT and ACT scores University of Illinois Chicago typically admits
Many applicants to schools in this tier submit test scores, though the policy varies by year — check the latest test-optional status before deciding.
How much does University of Illinois Chicago actually cost?
Published tuition is $12,700 for in-state students and $12,700 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $12,800 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $12,909 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 46% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| Average net price (after aid) | $12,909 |
Application deadlines and early decision data for University of Illinois Chicago
Other colleges in Illinois parents ask about
- University of Chicago7% acceptance
- Northwestern University5% acceptance
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign44% acceptance
- DePaul University55% acceptance
- Loyola University Chicago93% acceptance
- Illinois State University89% acceptance
- Southern Illinois University-Carbondale90% acceptance
- Lake Forest College54% acceptance
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like University of Illinois Chicago
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like University of Illinois Chicago recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about University of Illinois Chicago
What GPA do I need for University of Illinois Chicago?
University of Illinois Chicago admits students with a wide GPA range, but most successful applicants present an unweighted GPA of 3.3 or higher with a college-prep curriculum.
What SAT or ACT score does University of Illinois Chicago typically admit?
University of Illinois Chicago does not publish standardized test ranges in the most recent reporting cycle. Test-optional policies have made scores less universally required, but submitting strong scores still helps when available.
How much does University of Illinois Chicago actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at University of Illinois Chicago after grants and scholarships is $12,909 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is University of Illinois Chicago realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, University of Illinois Chicago is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by University of Illinois Chicago, and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.