TL;DR: The UIUC acceptance rate was 38.1 percent for fall 2026, the Class of 2030: Illinois admitted 32,322 of 84,833 first-year applicants and enrolled 9,332. That is up from 36.6 percent for fall 2025. Admission runs through the first-choice major, and only 32.8 percent of applicants were admitted to their first choice; the Grainger College of Engineering admitted 23.3 percent of first-choice applicants and the Gies College of Business 22.5 percent. Illinois residents were admitted at 49.8 percent, non-residents at 31.6 percent, and international applicants at 32.3 percent. Test scores are considered only if a student chooses to submit them. Early Action closes November 1 with decisions on January 29, and the regular deadline is January 5. To discuss your strategy, schedule a consultation.
Sources: University of Illinois Undergraduate Admissions; Illinois Enrollment Management 10th Day reports.
What Is the UIUC Acceptance Rate for Fall 2026?
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign admitted 38.1 percent of first-year applicants for fall 2026. It received 84,833 applications, admitted 32,322 students, and enrolled 9,332, according to the 10th Day First-Year Enrollment Report for fall 2026. Yield, the share of admitted students who enrolled, was 28.9 percent. The rate rose from 36.6 percent for fall 2025, when 30,384 of 83,045 applicants were admitted.
| Entering class | Applicants | Admitted | Enrolled | Acceptance rate | Yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2022 | 63,257 | 28,354 | 7,957 | 44.8% | 28.1% |
| Fall 2023 | 67,398 | 29,446 | 8,325 | 43.7% | 28.3% |
| Fall 2024 | 73,742 | 31,247 | 9,008 | 42.4% | 28.8% |
| Fall 2025 (Class of 2029) | 83,045 | 30,384 | 9,207 | 36.6% | 30.3% |
| Fall 2026 (Class of 2030) | 84,833 | 32,322 | 9,332 | 38.1% | 28.9% |
Source: University of Illinois Enrollment Management, 10th Day First-Year Enrollment Report, fall 2026.
Applications have more than doubled since fall 2017, when Illinois received 38,965 and admitted 61.5 percent. The rate fell in each cycle from fall 2022 to fall 2025 and then rose slightly for fall 2026 as admits grew faster than applications.
What Is the UIUC Acceptance Rate by College?
Illinois reviews each application for the major the student selects, and the admissions office considers how a student’s background, interests, and goals fit that major. For fall 2026, 32.8 percent of applicants were admitted to their first-choice major. The college rates below count first-choice applicants only.
| College (first choice) | Fall 2026 first-choice admit rate | First-choice applicants |
|---|---|---|
| Grainger College of Engineering | 23.3% | 29,211 |
| Gies College of Business | 22.5% | 12,424 |
| College of Applied Health Sciences | 28.9% | 4,393 |
| School of Social Work | 38.8% | 379 |
| College of Liberal Arts and Sciences | 40.6% | 26,330 |
| College of Education | 42.5% | 1,330 |
| College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences | 46.7% | 3,193 |
| College of Media | 48.2% | 962 |
| School of Information Sciences | 52.8% | 1,194 |
| Division of Exploratory Studies | 54.3% | 2,385 |
| College of Fine and Applied Arts | 55.5% | 3,032 |
Sources: University of Illinois Undergraduate Admissions, First-Year Admit Rates (2026); applicant counts from the fall 2026 10th Day First-Year Enrollment Report.
Grainger and Gies admitted fewer than one in four first-choice applicants, while Fine and Applied Arts, Exploratory Studies, and Information Sciences admitted more than half. Illinois does not publish a separate admit rate for computer science; the major sits in Grainger, and the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science also offers more than 17 blended CS + X degrees that pair the computing core with another field. The Oriel Admissions UIUC engineering admissions guide covers the Grainger application in depth, and our UIUC versus Georgia Tech computer science comparison frames a common decision for computing applicants.
The second choice matters. A student admitted to a second-choice major was not offered space in the first choice and is automatically wait listed for it, according to the admissions office. Oriel Admissions advises choosing a second major the student would genuinely study.
What Is the UIUC Acceptance Rate for Out-of-State Students?
| Applicant group (fall 2026) | Applicants | Admitted | Acceptance rate | Enrolled | Yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois residents | 29,401 | 14,649 | 49.8% | 6,530 | 44.4% |
| Non-residents | 35,119 | 11,105 | 31.6% | 1,495 | 13.5% |
| International | 20,313 | 6,568 | 32.3% | 1,307 | 20.0% |
| Total | 84,833 | 32,322 | 38.1% | 9,332 | 28.9% |
Source: University of Illinois Enrollment Management, 10th Day First-Year Enrollment Report, fall 2026.
Illinois residents were admitted at 49.8 percent for fall 2026, against 31.6 percent for domestic non-residents and 32.3 percent for international applicants, and residents made up 70 percent of the enrolled class. For more on nonresident strategy, see the UIUC out-of-state acceptance rate guide.
What GPA and Test Scores Do You Need for UIUC?
For students admitted over the past three years, Illinois reports a middle 50 percent GPA of 3.70 to 4.00, an SAT of 1440 to 1540, and an ACT of 31 to 35, with 63 percent submitting a test score. The ranges are higher in the most competitive colleges: admitted Grainger students had a middle 50 percent GPA of 3.90 to 4.00, an SAT of 1490 to 1550, and an ACT of 33 to 35, and 84 percent submitted scores. For Gies, the ranges were 3.81 to 4.00, 1440 to 1520, and 32 to 34.
Test scores are optional: Illinois considers them only if a student chooses to submit them. Among students who enrolled in fall 2026, 56.4 percent submitted a score, with a middle 50 percent SAT of 1450 to 1530, an ACT of 30 to 34, and a GPA of 3.62 to 3.95. In Grainger, 81.3 percent of enrolled students submitted scores, so a strong score is common in that pool.
When Are the UIUC Application Deadlines?
For the 2026-2027 cycle, the application opens September 1. Early Action is nonbinding and due November 1, with all materials by November 7 and decisions on January 29. The regular deadline is January 5, with materials by January 11 and decisions on February 26. Illinois does not offer Early Decision. Honors and scholarship notifications arrive no later than April 1, and admitted students commit by May 1.
Decisions can include admission (sometimes to the second-choice major), a deferral to a later review with the full applicant pool, a place on the wait list, or denial. Illinois says it typically does not accept additional materials from deferred applicants, and its wait list is not ranked; students are admitted from it as space becomes available. Our comparison of Early Action and Early Decision explains how a nonbinding early deadline fits a full list.
Frequently Asked Questions About the UIUC Acceptance Rate
Illinois admitted 38.1 percent of first-year applicants for fall 2026: 32,322 of 84,833. The rate was 36.6 percent for fall 2025 and 42.4 percent for fall 2024.
Illinois does not publish a separate admit rate for computer science. Computer science sits in the Grainger College of Engineering, which admitted 23.3 percent of first-choice applicants for fall 2026, and admitted Grainger students had a middle 50 percent SAT of 1490 to 1550.
No. Illinois offers nonbinding Early Action, due November 1 with decisions on January 29, and a regular deadline of January 5 with decisions on February 26 for the 2026-2027 cycle.
For students admitted over the past three years, the middle 50 percent GPA was 3.70 to 4.00. Admitted Grainger students had a middle 50 percent GPA of 3.90 to 4.00, and admitted Gies students 3.81 to 4.00.
Yes. Illinois considers test scores only if a student chooses to submit them. Among students admitted over the past three years, 63 percent submitted a score, and among fall 2026 enrollees, 56.4 percent did.
The Illinois wait list is not ranked, and students are admitted from it as space becomes available, depending on the needs of the incoming class. A student admitted to a second-choice major is automatically wait listed for the first-choice major, so Oriel Admissions recommends listing a second major the student would genuinely study.
Sources: University of Illinois Undergraduate Admissions, First-Year Admit Rates, University of Illinois Undergraduate Admissions, Class Profile, University of Illinois Enrollment Management, 10th Day First-Year Enrollment Reports, University of Illinois First-Year Dates and Deadlines, University of Illinois, How Admission Works, Siebel School of Computing and Data Science, Undergraduate Admissions.
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