University of Illinois at Chicago: Acceptance Rate and Admission Statistics

The University of Illinois at Chicago is a large public research university with an acceptance rate of 76%. If you're considering applying to this selective school, here are the admissions statistics you should know.

For students who entered UIC in the 2018-19 academic year, the university had an acceptance rate of 76%. The school admits far more students than it rejects. For every 100 applicants, 76 receive acceptance letters while 24 are rejected.

All applicants to the University of Illinois at Chicago must submit either SAT or ACT scores. The SAT is the more popular exam with 76% of applicants submitted SAT scores. UIC, however, does not prefer one exam over the other.

If you look at national SAT score distributions, you'll see that UIC students tend to be average or above average—most score in the top 50th percentile. For the evidence-based reading exam, the middle 50% of admitted students scored between a 510 and 610. This tells us that 25% of admitted students got a 510 or lower, and at the upper end, 25% scored a 610 or higher. The math scores were identical this admission cycle. The most competitive applicants to UIC will have a combined SAT score of 1200 or higher, but anything over a 1000 is likely to be sufficient if other areas of your application are strong. Note that these scores vary for the different schools and colleges at UIC. The School of Engineering is the most selective with the middle 50% of students scoring between a 1250 and 1430.

Requirements

UIC does not require the optional SAT writing exam, and should you take the writing exam, the score will not be considered in during the application process. The university also does not use or require SAT Subject Tests.

Scores from the ACT or SAT are required when applying to UIC. 41% of applicants submitted scores from the ACT.

As this national ACT data reveals, an average ACT score is around a 20, so most students who attend UIC scored at least a little above average. For students entering the school in the 2018-19 academic year, the middle 50% of students scored between a 21 and 27. This tells us that 25% scored a 21 or lower, and at the upper end, 25% scored a 27 or higher. Note that these score ranges will vary slightly for different schools and colleges at UIC. The College of Engineering is particularly selective with the middle 50% of students scoring between a 26 and 31.

Requirements

The University of Illinois at Chicago does not require the optional ACT essay exam, and scores on the essay will not be used for admission purposes. Also, students who take the ACT do not need to also take any SAT Subject Tests.

For students who entered UIC in the 2018-19 academic year, the average GPA of all first-time, first-year students was a 3.35. This tells us that you're going to be most competitive if your high school grades are predominately in the "A" and "B" range. Students applying to the College of Engineering will want nearly all "A" grades—the middle 50% of admitted students had GPAs between 3.5 and 3.9. For the rest of the university, the range is roughly 3.0 to 3.7.

When it comes to class rank, 28% of students were in the top tenth of their class. 58% were in the top quarter, and 88% were in the top half. Almost no students were ranked in the bottom quarter.

The admissions data in the graph is self-reported by applicants to UIC. GPAs are unweighted. Find out how you compare to accepted students, see the real-time graph, and calculate your chances of getting in with a free Cappex account.

UIC has moderately selective admissions—roughly one out of every four applicants will not get in. Admitted students tend to have solid grades and standardized test scores. Throughout the graph above, however, you'll find a bit of red (rejected students) and yellow (waitlisted students) mixed in with the blue and green (accepted students). Some students with grades and test scores that were on target for UIC did not get in. At the same time, a number of students were accepted with test scores and grades below the norm. This is because UIC uses the Common Application and has holistic admissions—the admissions officers are evaluating students based on qualitative as well as quantitative information. A rigorous high school curriculum, winning personal statement, and interesting extracurricular activities all contribute to a winning application. You will also want to put time and care into the specific questions and essays that are specific to UIC.

Sources: Graph courtesy of Cappex. All other admissions data from the National Center for Education Statistics and the UIC Admissions website.