University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Champaign, Illinois · Public · Selective · CDS 2024-2025
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a public university in Champaign, Illinois that admits about 44% of applicants, making it a selective school. The average family pays about $15,201 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Research and Experimental Psychology, Economics and Accounting and Related Services, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 4.4 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois with a selective admissions profile. For the most recent reporting cycle, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign admits between a quarter and half of applicants, with an overall admission rate of 44%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1418 and an ACT composite around 32. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $15,201 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 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 parents should know about University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign right now
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a large flagship public research university with about 60,848 students enrolled for fall 2025, including 38,572 undergraduates. The overall admit rate has tightened sharply from 63.3 percent in 2020 to about 36.6 percent in 2025, and the computer science program is dramatically more selective at roughly 7.4 percent, reflecting the program's consistent national ranking around fifth. Engineering as a whole ranks seventh nationally, and Illinois offers more than 150 undergraduate programs. Middle-50 percent test scores sit at SAT 1420 to 1540 and ACT 31 to 35. The most parent-friendly recent development is the expansion of the Illinois Commitment program. Beginning fall 2025, in-state students from families with annual income of $75,000 or less and assets of $75,000 or less receive scholarships and grants covering tuition and campus fees for up to four years; the prior threshold of $67,100 still applies for students who entered fall 2024 or spring 2025. Families should note Illinois Commitment covers tuition and fees but not food and housing, so room and board still need to be planned for. The Carle Illinois College of Medicine, which began in 2018, is a distinctive engineering-focused medical school. Illinois reports an 87 percent eight-year graduation rate compared to a 58 percent national median.
What GPA does my child need for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign?
Admitted students at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign typically present unweighted GPAs in the 3.6–3.9 range with several honors or AP courses. 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.
What does University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign weight in admissions?
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2024-2025). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Academic GPA
- • Application essay
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • Character/personal qualities
- • First generation status
- • Standardized test scores
- • Geographical residence
- • State residency
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Class rank
- • Recommendations
- • Interview
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
- • Level of applicant's interest
SAT and ACT scores University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 640–780, with an EBRW midpoint near 685. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 29–34. A score at or above this school's 75th percentile materially improves your child's odds, particularly when paired with a rigorous course load.
| 25th percentile | 1390 |
| 50th percentile | 1470 |
| 75th percentile | 1520 |
| % submitting SAT | 41.28% |
| 25th percentile | 30 |
| 50th percentile | 33 |
| 75th percentile | 34 |
| % submitting ACT | 14.33% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
Where admitted students ranked in their high school class
Class rank distribution gives parents a clear sense of how academically dominant a typical admitted student was within their own high school cohort — often a more meaningful signal than absolute GPA.
| Top 10% of class | 56.08% |
| Top 25% of class | 85.29% |
| Top 50% of class | 98.14% |
| % submitting class rank | 22.65% |
How much does University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign actually cost?
Published tuition is $16,004 for in-state students and $34,501 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $13,938 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $15,201 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 24% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | $12,992 |
| Out-of-state tuition | $33,344 |
| Room and board | $15,184 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $15,201 |
| Application fee | $50 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
| Regular deadline | 2025-01-05 |
| Notification date | 2/28 (no rolling) |
| Reply deadline | Must reply by May 1st or within weeks if notified after |
| Offers Early Action | Yes |
| EA deadline | 2025-11-01 |
Will my child graduate from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The most popular undergraduate programs at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Research and Experimental Psychology, Economics and Accounting and Related Services. Across all programs, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign confers roughly 2,867 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Economics program report a median income of about $91,191 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Research and Experimental Psychology | 557 | — |
| Economics | 387 | $91,191 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 353 | $96,827 |
| Statistics | 333 | $104,911 |
| Computer Engineering | 318 | $136,097 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 315 | $71,207 |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | 303 | $70,132 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 301 | $118,286 |
Is University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign disclosed 160 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 4.4 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 21 violent offenses and 47 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
What is campus life like at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign?
About 34% of undergraduates at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign live in campus housing, so a meaningful share of students commute or live off campus. In Greek life, 12% of men join a fraternity and 18% of women join a sorority. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
Other colleges in Illinois parents ask about
- University of Chicago7% acceptance
- Northwestern University5% acceptance
- University of Illinois Chicago70% 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 Urbana-Champaign
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 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 Urbana-Champaign
What GPA do I need for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign?
Admitted students at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign typically present unweighted GPAs in the 3.6–3.9 range with several honors or AP courses.
What SAT or ACT score does University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 640–780, with an EBRW midpoint near 685. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 29–34.
How much does University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign after grants and scholarships is $15,201 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 Urbana-Champaign 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 Urbana-Champaign is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign?
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign accepts about 44% of applicants out of roughly 73,742 who apply each year. That makes it a selective school.
Is University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign test-optional?
Yes. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is test-optional, so SAT and ACT scores are not required, but strong scores can still be submitted and will be considered.
What does University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign look for in applicants?
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign rates course rigor and GPA as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign a public or private school, and where is it located?
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois.
What are the most popular majors at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign?
The largest undergraduate majors at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign by annual graduates are Research and Experimental Psychology, Economics and Accounting and Related Services. The school awards about 2,867 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign safe? What is its campus crime rate?
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign reported 160 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 4.4 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign?
At University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 34% of undergraduates live on campus, 12% of men are in fraternities, 18% of women are in sororities, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.