University of Illinois at Chicago

Admission to the University of Illinois at Chicago is relatively accessible, with the vast majority of applicants receiving offers of acceptance. In 2025, the university posted an acceptance rate of 77.4%, which is higher than 63% of peer schools in its comparison group of similarly ranked public universities. While UIC offers admission broadly, its draw among accepted students is typical for an urban public institution, as reflected in an acceptance yield rate of 21.1%. This indicates that roughly a fifth of admitted candidates choose to enroll. In institutional standing, the school has made substantial progress over the past decade. According to the US News American university rankings, UIC was placed at rank 145 in 2018 and rose to rank 80 in 2025, before arriving at rank 95 in the 2027 edition. For prospective applicants, UIC presents a dependable target with solid academic momentum, where admission barriers are moderate and acceptance is within reach for students with steady academic records.

Applicants to the University of Illinois at Chicago generally need steady academic records and moderate standardized testing results to be competitive for admission. In 2025, enrolled students posted a median SAT score of 1240, which was higher than 28% of peer schools within its comparison group of similarly ranked public universities. While standardized test submissions represent a minority of the incoming class, testing profiles reflect a solid foundation in core reading and math skills, alongside typical ACT scores that sit firmly in the mid-to-upper twenties. High school grades carry substantial weight in the evaluation process. According to applicant cases collected by Forward Pathway, which are unofficial data rather than institutional records, admitted international applicants had a median unweighted high school grade point average of 3.5. Prospective students should target at least a solid B-plus or A-minus average in rigorous secondary coursework to position themselves well in the admissions pool.

Academic degrees at the University of Illinois at Chicago are balanced across multiple fields rather than heavily concentrated in just a few areas. In 2025, the top three undergraduate programs accounted for 22.7% of all bachelor's degrees conferred. The largest undergraduate major was Computer Science with 402 graduates, where international students comprised 12.7% of the cohort. Nursing and biological sciences followed closely in size. While technical fields draw heavy enrollment, UIC's highest national academic standings center on healthcare. In the 2027 US News rankings, the undergraduate nursing program achieved rank 9, demonstrating that major size and national prestige align in clinical training, alongside medical graduate programs that held rank 2 in research in 2026. UIC's prominent technical majors also translate into favorable early career compensation. Based on 2023 earnings data, bachelor's degree recipients in Computer Science achieved median earnings of $86,033 one year after graduation. For students deciding on a field of study, UIC offers a strong combination of nationally recognized healthcare programs and lucrative technical disciplines.

The University of Illinois at Chicago educates a diverse student body where Hispanic, Asian, and international students form substantial segments of the academic community. Asian scholars represent a key presence throughout the undergraduate population; in 2025, incoming freshmen included 983 Asian students, accounting for 22.2% of the entering cohort, with comparable proportions persisting across continuing undergraduate ranks. While domestic students predominate at the baccalaureate level, international representation expands dramatically in graduate programs. Within the graduate division, international enrollment reached 2,380 students, comprising 20.9% of all advanced degree seekers. Asian students also form a notable group among graduate scholars, while Hispanic and white students maintain significant enrollments campuswide. For incoming undergraduates, this demographic landscape provides an urban collegiate setting with broad multicultural representation, particularly within professional and technical graduate divisions where global scholars gather in large numbers.

Undergraduate enrollment at the University of Illinois at Chicago is heavily concentrated among traditional college ages. In 2025, students aged 18 to 19 made up 37.1% of undergraduates, and those aged 20 to 21 accounted for 36.1%. Together, these cohorts form the bulk of the undergraduate population. In contrast, the graduate division draws an older demographic. Students aged 25 to 29 represent the largest graduate segment at 37.1%, while those aged 22 to 24 make up 28.3%. This profile produces two distinct student communities on campus: an undergraduate population primarily composed of students continuing directly from secondary school, alongside an older graduate population pursuing post-baccalaureate and professional studies.

International student enrollment at the University of Illinois at Chicago shows contrasting trajectories between study levels, with rapid growth among undergraduates alongside established graduate representation. In 2025, international undergraduates reached an enrollment share of 8%, having expanded substantially over the past decade. This proportion is higher than 93% of peer schools in its comparison group of similarly ranked public universities. Conversely, international graduate enrollment has trended slightly downward in recent years, settling at 20.9% of all graduate students. When examining degrees conferred, international scholars concentrate heavily in quantitative and technical areas. At the bachelor's level, international degree recipients are most prominent in disciplines such as Computer Science and Finance. At the master's level, this concentration becomes pronounced, with international students earning 89.5% of degrees in Computer Science, while also comprising vast majorities in fields like Management Science. Prospective international students in computing and business analytics will find an established global peer network, especially within advanced graduate cohorts.

Applicants evaluating the University of Illinois at Chicago can explore several other four-year colleges located within the Chicago metropolitan area. Just 1.3 kilometers away in downtown Chicago sits DePaul University, a private institution ranked 169th among National Universities in 2027. Nearby, Illinois Institute of Technology is located 3 kilometers from UIC and held a national ranking of 121. Students seeking highly selective private universities can consider University of Chicago, positioned 6.4 kilometers away and ranked 9th nationally, as well as Northwestern University, which also ranked 9th and is situated 12.4 kilometers north along the lakefront. These options provide families with a clear variety of private alternatives in the immediate area.

Campus safety at the University of Illinois at Chicago reflects its urban setting, with incidents primarily involving student conduct violations and property offenses. In 2025, the university recorded a crime rate per 1,000 students of 7.7. When looking at total incident counts across the three-year period from 2023 to 2025, disciplinary referrals for alcohol violations formed the largest category, totaling 207 occurrences. Among criminal offenses during those same years, motor vehicle theft was the most common issue on and around campus, accounting for 152 incidents. Campus security also documented smaller counts of interpersonal offenses, including stalking, domestic violence, and assault over that timeframe. These figures indicate that safety considerations in UIC's downtown Chicago environment relate largely to urban vehicle security alongside internal university alcohol policy enforcement. Prospective students and families should maintain standard urban awareness and utilize campus escort services and safety transportation when traveling through the surrounding city neighborhoods.