Illinois Institute of Technology

In the 2027 U.S. News Best Colleges rankings, Illinois Institute of Technology was ranked 121st among national universities, softening from 98th in 2024. Gaining admission is moderately selective, but the university is somewhat more selective than its peers. In 2025, the university admitted 54.9% of applicants, an acceptance rate higher than 20% of peer schools in a comparison group of similarly ranked private research universities. However, the university encounters substantial challenges in converting accepted candidates into matriculating students. Its yield rate in 2025 was 7.7%, which was higher than only 3% of peer schools in that group. This modest yield demonstrates that a large majority of admitted students decide to enroll elsewhere. For prospective applicants, these figures mean that gaining acceptance is very achievable for qualified students, yet the institution frequently contends with other destinations during matriculation choices.

Admissions at Illinois Institute of Technology require competitive academic credentials, particularly in quantitative coursework. For the entering class of 2025, the school recorded a median SAT score of 1300, which was higher than 39% of peer schools in a comparison group of similarly ranked private research universities. Official high school academic records show strong classroom performance, with more than two-thirds of admitted students reporting top grades. Prospective international students can also review applicant cases collected by Forward Pathway, which represent unofficial admissions data rather than university figures. In these unofficial records, admitted international applicants achieved a median unweighted high school grade point average of 3.8 alongside a median SAT score of 1335. For applicants preparing their materials, these benchmarks demonstrate that competitive candidates generally present an above-average academic profile in high school alongside solid standardized testing performance, especially when applying to demanding quantitative majors.

Academics at Illinois Institute of Technology center heavily on engineering, computing, and professional disciplines. Undergraduate degree conferrals are moderately concentrated, with the top three bachelor's fields accounting for 44.1% of all undergraduate degrees in 2025. The most popular undergraduate fields are Computer Science and Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology, while Master of Science degrees are led by Computer Science with 660 graduates. However, the university's largest undergraduate programs are not its highest-ranked offerings nationally. According to U.S. News, undergraduate engineering ranked 78th in 2027, whereas specialized graduate departments achieve top national standing, including Intellectual Property Law at 7th in 2026. Technical training translates directly into strong early-career compensation. Based on 2023 earnings data, bachelor's graduates in Computer Science achieved median first-year earnings of $87,541, with engineering disciplines showing comparable outcomes. For applicants, these patterns confirm that Illinois Tech provides focused vocational utility and solid starting wages in technology and design fields.

Illinois Institute of Technology has an enrollment structure heavily tilted toward graduate education. In 2025, the undergraduate first-year cohort included 70 Asian students, representing 13.5% of incoming freshmen, while undergraduate international students made up under a tenth of the class. By contrast, the university's large graduate student body is overwhelmingly global. Among graduate students, international enrollment reached 4,066 students, accounting for 71.3% of the entire graduate population, whereas Asian graduate students numbered fewer than two hundred. The remaining student body includes continuing undergraduates and transfer students, with domestic representation spread across Hispanic, white, and Black students. For prospective applicants, this composition shows a diverse, STEM-focused campus where undergraduate life is culturally varied and domestic-oriented, while graduate departments are largely populated by advanced scholars from across the globe.

The age profile at Illinois Institute of Technology reveals two distinctly different student environments on campus. In 2025, undergraduates were predominantly of traditional college age, with students aged 18 to 19 making up 33.8% of the undergraduate population and those aged 20 to 21 accounting for 31.5%. This creates a standard residential campus atmosphere for bachelor's degree seekers, who progress through their studies alongside peers of similar ages. In contrast, the graduate division reflects early-career and advanced professionals. Graduate students aged 22 to 24 formed the largest cohort at 36.6%, followed closely by students in their late twenties and early thirties. This demographic separation means undergraduate social life remains centered around young adults, while graduate programs operate in a more career-driven setting.

International student presence at Illinois Institute of Technology follows sharply contrasting trajectories between degree levels. At the undergraduate level, international representation has trended downward over time, reaching 17.7% in 2025. Despite this decrease, the university's undergraduate international share remains higher than all peer schools in a comparison group of similarly ranked private research universities. Conversely, international graduate enrollment has expanded significantly, rising to 71.3% of the graduate student body in 2025. Graduation outcomes highlight this concentration across academic levels and fields. In 2025, international students received only a modest share of bachelor's and doctoral degrees, but they earned 84.7% of all master's degrees awarded. International master's degree recipients were heavily concentrated in advanced technology disciplines, prominently Computer Science, where international scholars represented 97.7% of graduates, alongside Information Technology and business administration. For prospective international applicants, the university offers a familiar destination for master's technical degrees, while undergraduates study within a more domestically balanced cohort.

Several prominent universities are situated within close proximity to Illinois Institute of Technology in the Chicago metropolitan area. Just 3 kilometers away is University of Illinois Chicago, ranked 95th among National Universities. Also located within immediate reach is University of Chicago, positioned 3.3 kilometers away and ranked 9th among National Universities in 2027. Students considering options in central Chicago can also look at DePaul University, located 3.2 kilometers away with a National University rank of 169th. Slightly farther north along Lake Michigan lies Loyola University Chicago, situated 11.8 kilometers away and holding a ranking of 121st in the same category.

Campus safety at Illinois Institute of Technology has shown a notable downward trend in reported incidents over the past decade. The weighted crime rate per 1,000 students declined from 10.7 in 2016 to 3.2 in 2025. Between 2023 and 2025, the campus log was primarily composed of disciplinary referrals and property offenses rather than violent crime. Disciplinary referrals for liquor law violations represented the largest overall category, totaling 79 incidents across that three-year span, followed by drug disciplinary referrals. Property offenses were led by motor vehicle theft, which accounted for 50 incidents over the same period. Violent offenses occurred far less frequently, with relatively few reports of assault, robbery, and domestic violence. For prospective students and families assessing safety in an urban setting, these figures indicate that policy enforcement and vehicle security remain the primary day-to-day concerns on campus.