UIUC
Source: uiuc.md
UIUC
Admissions Overview
- Overall acceptance rate: 42% (Class of 2028, from 73,742 applicants)
- Trending down: from 63% in 2020 to 42% in 2024; record applicants for Fall 2025
- Early Action: offered (Nov 1 deadline), no separate published EA rate
- No ED offered
- Testing policy: test-optional; 41% submitted SAT, 14% submitted ACT
Academic Profile
- SAT middle 50%: 1390-1520
- ACT middle 50%: 30-34
- Average unweighted GPA: 3.71 (middle 50%: 3.65-4.0)
- Top 10% of HS class: 59%
- Freshman class size: ~8,500
CS/Engineering Selectivity
- CS acceptance rate: ~6.7% (top-5 nationally ranked program)
- CS+X programs: ~18.5% acceptance rate
- Engineering overall: 20-30% acceptance rate
- This makes UIUC CS comparable to Ivy-level selectivity while the overall university is moderately selective
Yield
- Yield rate: 27.4% (Class of 2024, lowest in recent years)
Demographics (College Scorecard)
| Group |
Pct |
| White |
39% |
| Asian |
23% |
| Hispanic |
14% |
| International |
14% |
| Black |
6% |
| Multiracial |
4% |
| Women |
49% |
Net Cost by Income (College Scorecard)
| Income Bracket |
Net Price |
| $0-30K |
$3,883 |
| $30K-48K |
$5,955 |
| $48K-75K |
$10,065 |
| $75K-110K |
$20,205 |
| $110K+ |
$28,358 |
Illinois Commitment program covers tuition for qualifying in-state families.
Athletics
- Division: NCAA Division I (Big Ten)
- Total athletes: 650 (354 men, 296 women)
- Sports: 21 varsity (10 men's, 11 women's)
- Athlete pct: ~1.8% of undergrads
Simulation Notes
- Category:
flagship_public
- The dramatically lower CS acceptance rate (~7%) vs overall (~42%) is a key characteristic. For the simulation, using the overall rate is appropriate since we model university-level admissions, but the notable field flags this.
- Strong in-state bias (71% of freshmen are Illinois residents)
- Very generous financial aid for low-income students ($3,883 net cost for <$30K)
Admissions Strategy
- CS acceptance rate is the headline: ~7% for direct CS admission, making it Ivy-comparable in difficulty. CS+X programs are ~18.5%, a popular alternative pathway frequently recommended on forums.
- Massive gap between CS and overall: University-wide is 42%, but CS/CE are <7%. Forum posters stress that "UIUC CS" and "UIUC" are essentially different schools in terms of admissions difficulty.
- In-state vs OOS matters: RD acceptance rate is ~55% in-state vs ~35% OOS/international. In-state applicants have meaningfully better odds across all programs.
- EA is offered (Nov 1) but no separate EA rate is published. Forum consensus is that EA timing helps marginally.
- Test-optional but 41% submitted SAT, 14% ACT. For competitive programs (CS, Engineering), submitting strong scores is widely recommended on forums.
Campus Culture & Fit
- Engineering students describe their corner of campus as a "mini-campus" with coffee shops, food trucks, and maker spaces — a genuine engineering community.
- Students report heavy recruiting by top tech companies, making UIUC CS one of the best pipelines to Silicon Valley, Chicago tech, and finance.
- Campus is in a small college town (Champaign-Urbana) — nightlife is limited vs urban flagships, but the campus community is tight-knit.
- 71% of freshmen are Illinois residents, creating a strong Midwest identity. International student population (14%) adds diversity.
- Academic workload in engineering/CS is demanding. Students report a collaborative but intense culture.
Financial Aid Reputation
- Illinois Commitment program covers tuition for qualifying in-state families — very generous for low-income students ($3,883 net for <$30K).
- OOS tuition (~$35K) is standard, with limited institutional merit aid for OOS students.
- Forum consensus: UIUC is an incredible value in-state, especially for CS/engineering graduates who command high starting salaries.
Simulation-Relevant Takeaways
- Model overall university rate (42%) for the simulation since it's university-level admissions. The 7% CS rate is program-specific.
- In-state preference is significant (~55% IS vs ~35% OOS in RD).
- Low yield (27%) reflects that many OOS admits choose other options; in-state yield is likely much higher.