How to Get Into the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC): Acceptance Rate and Strategies
July 18, 2025

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, often abbreviated as UIUC, just admitted its largest freshman class in school history and now serves approximately 34,000 undergraduates. Boasting one of the top engineering, business, and computer science programs in the entire country, UIUC draws highly accomplished applicants from all over the world. With so many students lining up to become a member of the Fighting Illini, itโs important for applicants to possess a full understanding of what they are up against, including the UIUC acceptance rate.
To accomplish these goals, we will touch on the following topics:
- UIUCโs Class of 2028 acceptance rate (plus how to predict your chances with our free admissions calculator)
- SAT, ACT, class rank, and GPAs of UIUC applicants
- Admissions trends from the Class of 2028
- The demographics of current UIUC undergraduates
- UIUCโs yield rate
- How UIUCโs admissions officers evaluate candidates
- Tips for applying to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- How to assess whether applying to UIUC is even worth the $50 application fee (for you)
UIUC College Admissions Calculator
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) Acceptance Rate โ Class of 2028
The 2024-25 incoming first-year class was selected from a group of 73,742 applicants. 31,247 students were accepted, which equates to a 42% acceptance rate.
Historical UIUC acceptance rates are as follows:
Applicants | Admits | Acceptance Rate | |
Class of 2027 | 67,398 | 29,446 | 44% |
Class of 2026 | 63,257 | 28,354 | 45% |
Class of 2025 | 47,593 | 28,395 | 60% |
Class of 2024 | 43,412 | 27,483 | 63% |
UIUC In-State vs. Out-of-State Acceptance Rate
If you hail from the state of Illinois, your road to acceptance will be much smoother than if you are an out-of-state or international student. The Class of 2028 acceptance rates for residents, out-of-state applicants, and international students were as follows:
- In-state: 54%
- Out-of-state (U.S.): 36%
- International: 33.5%
UIUC Acceptance Rate by College
The acceptance rate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign also varies greatly by school, as evidenced by the following first-choice school acceptance rates for the Class of 2028:
- Agr, Consumer, Env Sciences: 56.7%
- Applied Health Sciences: 34.1%
- Education: 46.1%
- Fine & Applied Arts: 49.5%
- Gies College of Business: 23.1%
- Grainger College of Engineering: 24.2%
- Information Sciences: 55.2%
- Liberal Arts & Sciences: 41.5%
- Computer Science: 7.2%
- Social Work: 50.9%
What GPA do you need to get into UIUC?
Though UIUC doesnโt provide GPA for individual cohorts, the mid-50% GPA range (unweighted) for admitted students over the past three years was 3.65-4.0. However, this does vary by college (see below).
What class rank do you need to get accepted to UIUC?
Of those who enrolled in the 2024-25 freshman class, 56% were in the top decile of their high school class, 85% were in the top quartile, and 98% were in the top half. Keep all this in mind when thinking about UIUCโs acceptance rate.
What is the minimum SAT or ACT score for UIUC?
A bit over half of enrolled Class of 2028 students chose to submit test scores alongside their applications. Within that group, the mid-50% SAT range was 1390-1520 and the ACT range was 30-34.
SAT & GPA By College
It is important to note that the academic standards for gaining acceptance into various colleges within the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign vary by college/program. Keep this in mind when thinking about UIUCโs acceptance rate.
Below are a handful of examples (averages from the past three years):
Unweighted GPA Range | SAT Range | ACT Range | |
Gies College of Business | 3.77-4.0 | 1400-1500 | 31-34 |
Grainger College of Engineering | 3.83-4.0 | 1460-1550 | 33-35 |
School of Information Sciences | 3.6-3.96 | 1420-1520 | 31-35 |
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences | 3.68-4.0 | 1390-1520 | 30-34 |
College of Education | 3.53-3.9 | 1220-1430 | 27-32 |
Admissions Trends & Notes โ Class of 2028
- If you are an aspiring computer science major, the acceptance rate for that program is only 7.2%.
- Applications to UIUC have risen by nearly 70% since 2020, and the acceptance rate has dropped over 15 percentage points.
- Illinois students made up 71% of the freshman class, a bit lower than the previous year.
- 44 states and 49 countries were also represented in the incoming class.
- About 21% of 2024-25 freshmen were members of underrepresented minority groups.
- First-generation students also comprised 22% of the Class of 2028.
Who Gets Into the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign?
Letโs look at the demographics of UIUC undergraduates:
The majority of UIUC Class of 2028 members hailed from Illinois and paid in-state tuition. The next most common feeder states were:
- California: 387
- New Jersey: 138
- Texas: 94
- New York: 79
- Virginia: 59
- Washington: 45
- Massachusetts: 42
- Missouri: 30
- Pennsylvania: 31
- Ohio: 23
Looking at ethnic identity among the Fighting Illini first-year students (2024), the breakdown is as follows:
- White: 34.5%
- Asian American: 24%
- Hispanic: 16%
- Black or African American: 5%
- International: 14%
- Multiracial: 4.4%
International students hailed from 49 countries, with the greatest representation from the following nations:
- China
- India
- South Korea
- Taiwan
- Indonesia
The breakdown by gender of the Class of 2027 shows an even split between men and women:
- Male: 50%
- Female: 50%
The top three colleges where Class of 2027 students enrolled were:
- College of Liberal Arts & Sciences: 29.5%
- Grainger College of Engineering: 27.2%
- Division of General Studies: 12.1%
UIUCโs Yield Rate
UIUCโs yield rateโthe percentage of accepted students who elect to enroll, divided by the total number of students who are admittedโwas only 28%. To compare this school to other flagship public institutions, UT-Austin averages above 45% yield, UGA comes in at 38%, and Ohio Stateโs is about 20%.
How UIUC Rates Applicants
- There are only two factors that UIUC ranks as being โvery importantโ to their admissions process and those are: an applicantโs GPA and the rigor of oneโs secondary school record. Five factors are designated as โimportantโ to the UIUC evaluation process. These include the essays, extracurricular activities, character/personal qualities, first-generation status, and talent/ability.
- In the admissions officeโs own words: โConsistent achievement at the highest level is the best demonstration of strong academic performance. After confirming youโve taken our required years of coursework, we review your courses and grades, recognizing that different high schools provide different levels of opportunity. We recommend taking the most challenging course work available at your high school, provided you can be successful. Grades earned later in your high school career have more of an impact on your admission decision than grades earned freshman year, and in-progress coursework is also evaluated, so continue to work hard and take challenging classes your senior year.โ Keep all this in mind when thinking about UIUCโs acceptance rate.
Tips for Applying to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
If you plan on joining the 73,000+ UIUC hopefuls for the next admissions cycle, you should know the following:
- UIUC will remain test-optional for the 2025-26 cycle.
- UIUC does not offer interviews. Therefore, the best way to personalize the admissions process is through your essays.
- UIUC does not consider โdemonstrated interestโ in the admissions process. This means you will not gain an advantage by visiting campus, connecting through social media, emailing an admissions officer, etc.
- You can apply by November 1 to meet the Priority Admission deadline. The Regular Decision deadline is January 5.
- Students can apply via the Common App, Coalition App, or myIllini platform.
- Make sure to dedicate sufficient time and effort to the (up to) three short answer prompts that you may need to address. Each answer should be no more than 150 words. For more, check out our blog: UIUC Supplemental Essay Prompts & Advice.
Applying to a Major:
- Explain, in detail, an experience youโve had in the past 3 to 4 years related to your first-choice major. This can be an experience from an extracurricular activity, in a class youโve taken, or through something else.
- Describe your personal and/or career goals after graduating from UIUC and how your selected first-choice major will help you achieve them.
Applying Undeclared:
- What are your academic interests? Please include 2-3 majors youโre considering at Illinois and why.
- What are your future career or academic goals? You may include courses you took in high school and how these impacted your goals.
If Youโve Selected a Second-Choice Major (Including Undeclared):
- Please explain your interest in your second-choice major or your overall academic or career goals.
Should I Apply to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign?
UIUC students generally sport A-/B+ averages and possess average standardized test scores above the 90th percentile of all test-takers. If you fall below these numbers, there is still a good chance that you could gain acceptance to one of the University of Illinois branch campuses located throughout the state of Illinois.
UIUC Acceptance Rate โ Final Thoughts
All college-bound high school students should formulate an appropriate college list, containing a complement of โtargetโ and โsafetyโ schools. This can be done in collaboration with an admissions professional who is aware of the latest trends and strategies associated with your prospective colleges.
Ready to start crafting your college applications? Consider checking out the following resources:
- Common App Essay Prompts
- 10 Instructive Common App Essay Examples
- College Application Essay Topics to Avoid
- How to Quickly Format Your Common App Essay
- Should I Complete Optional College Essays?
- How to Brainstorm a College Essay
- 25 Inspiring College Essay Topics
- โWhy This College?โ Essay Examples
- How to Write the Community Essay