The University of Illinois at Chicago Enrollment & Degree Options
The University of Illinois at Chicago appears in our ranking of the Top 30 Best Chicago Area Colleges Ranked by Affordability.
Students attending the University of Illinois at Chicago may enroll in more than 85 undergraduate degrees and 70 minors in areas as varied as technology, urban planning, the arts, and business. The university also offers more than 110 master’s degrees and more than 65 doctoral degrees in areas like law, public health, engineering, and education.
Some of the most popular degrees at the university include business, biology, engineering, psychology, and health professions. The overall student-to-faculty ratio is 18:1, and more than 34 percent of classes feature fewer than 20 students. In addition to hundreds of degree programs, the university also makes it possible for students to earn multiple degrees simultaneously.
Some of the combined degree programs include the M.D./Ph.D. program, the MD/MBA program, and the PharmD/Ph.D. program. Students who want to enroll in these and other programs online will enroll in the university’s Extended Campus option, which features degrees in areas like education, nursing, business, and the liberal arts & sciences.
Some of the university’s programs are very highly ranked by publications like “U.S. News & World Report,” which placed the university’s online bachelor’s degree programs in a top 5 spot in its list of best online bachelor’s degree programs. The university also offers a variety of certificates and continuing education classes online, so students can choose their preferred method of education delivery and the type of degree or certificate they want to earn.
Some of the certificates available to students enrolled online at the University of Illinois at Chicago include the Survey Research Methods Certificate from the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs and the Disaster Management Certificate from the College of Engineering.
Full degree programs available online include the Master of Engineering, the Master of Education in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics and Assessment, and the Master of Health Professions Education. Students can even enroll in single courses like Patient Safety & Quality Care Improvement from the College of Medicine or degree-completion programs like the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Degree Completion Program.
About the University of Illinois at Chicago
The University of Illinois at Chicago is located in Chicago and is the largest university in the state, with more than 33,000 students enrolled. The university’s official colors are Indigo blue and Flame red, and the school’s campus covers 244 acres in a spot that’s adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The university’s official mascot is named Sparky D. Dragon, and the varsity teams play as the Flames in their NCAA Division I games.
The earliest iteration of the University of Illinois at Chicago was a health college in the 19th century called the Chicago College of Pharmacy, which was in operation as early as 1859. At the conclusion of the 19th century, the university was created by combining the Chicago College of Pharmacy with the nearby College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Columbian College of Dentistry.
The University of Illinois at Chicago Accreditation Details
The Higher Learning Commission, which is an accrediting agency approved by the U.S. Department of Education and recognized by the Council for Higher Education, has granted regional approval to the University of Illinois at Chicago. This regional accreditation is considered institutional and applied to the overall university. The university also offers several programs that have earned specialized or programmatic accreditation, and the university is also authorized to operate by the Illinois Board of Higher Education.
Specialized accreditations include one from The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, which has approved the bachelor’s degrees in accounting, finance, management, and several other areas, as well as the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, which has approved programs like those in bioengineering, civil engineering, and mechanical engineering. The Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education have also approved programs.
The University of Illinois at Chicago Application Requirements
Applying for a spot at the University of Illinois at Chicago requires submitting the common application, paying a $60 non-refundable application fee, submitting standardized test scores, and having official high school transcripts sent to the university. Some students may need to submit additional documents or adhere to different application timelines. For example, students must submit an essay and two recommendations when applying to the Honors College.
Students who want to apply to any of the university’s graduate programs will need to check with their intended program when applying for application specifics. However, general application requirements include the online application, a $70 application fee, and transcripts from the student’s undergraduate degree program and all post-baccalaureate coursework completed. Program-specific materials may include GRE scores, letters of recommendation, and a personal statement.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Undergraduate students at the University of Illinois at Chicago will pay $4,763 for tuition each semester if they’re from Illinois or $10,924 if they’re from outside the state. There are some programs that require additional tuition. For example, the architecture, design, and arts programs require additional tuition of $1,320. The nursing program requires an additional tuition payment of $2,135. The engineering program requires an extra tuition payment of $1,200.
For graduate students, the tuition rate is $5,830 for in-state students and $11,950 for students who are from outside Illinois. Like undergraduate programs, there are some degrees that require additional tuition. Students in the architecture, design, and arts programs will pay an extra $3,042. Students seeking graduate degrees in business will pay an extra $4,600, and graduate and Ph.D. students in the biomedical visualization program will pay an extra $4,038.
Students with questions about financial aid may contact the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships with questions about financial aid options like loans, scholarships, and grants. The university indicates that almost two-thirds of the students attending the University of Illinois at Chicago receive some type of grant or scholarship. The official UIC application is all most students will need to qualify for most institutional scholarships and awards.
However, students should also complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid because some aid types are only available through the federal government, and certain scholarship opportunities require a FAFSA application. Institutional and state aid students may qualify for at the University of Illinois at Chicago include the Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver and the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois program.