TL;DR: The UIUC out-of-state acceptance rate was 31.6% for fall 2026 (Class of 2030): the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign admitted 11,105 of 35,119 non-resident applicants, against 49.8% for Illinois residents (14,649 of 29,401), 32.3% for international applicants and a 38.1% overall rate, per the Illinois Enrollment Management 10th Day report for fall 2026. Only 13.5% of admitted non-residents enrolled, against 44.4% of admitted residents. Admission runs through the first-choice major: 32.8% of applicants were admitted to their first choice, 23.3% at the Grainger College of Engineering and 22.5% at the Gies College of Business. Non-resident base tuition for students entering in fall 2026 is $35,928 a year, guaranteed for four years. For fall 2027 entry, the November 1, 2026 Early Action deadline has passed (required materials are due November 7, 2026); the regular deadline is January 5, 2027. For out-of-state families weighing Illinois, Oriel Admissions builds the major and residency strategy together: schedule a consultation.
How Competitive Is the UIUC Out-of-State Acceptance Rate?
Illinois publishes its admission results by residency in its 10th Day reports. For fall 2026, the Illinois Enrollment Management 10th Day first-year report shows 29,401 applications from Illinois residents, 35,119 from non-residents and 20,313 from international students, with admit rates of 49.8%, 31.6% and 32.3%. Overall, 32,322 of 84,833 applicants were admitted, a 38.1% rate, up from 36.6% for fall 2025, when 30,384 of 83,045 were admitted. The resident edge is about 18 points by our calculation, and in our view families should treat the rate for the applicant group, not the overall acceptance rate, as the planning number.
Yield shows how differently the groups behave once admitted: 44.4% of admitted Illinois residents enrolled for fall 2026, against 13.5% of admitted non-residents and 20.0% of admitted international students. The enrolled class of 9,332 included 6,530 Illinois residents, 1,495 non-residents and 1,307 international students, about 70%, 16% and 14% of the class, per the report. Applications have more than doubled over the decade, from 38,965 for fall 2017 to 84,833 for fall 2026, per the report; in our view, that growth keeps pressure on out-of-state acceptance rates even when the overall rate rises.
What Do the UIUC Admission Numbers Show for Fall 2026?
| Applicant group (fall 2026) | Applications | Admitted | Admit rate | Enrolled | Yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois residents | 29,401 | 14,649 | 49.8% | 6,530 | 44.4% |
| Non-residents (out of state) | 35,119 | 11,105 | 31.6% | 1,495 | 13.5% |
| International | 20,313 | 6,568 | 32.3% | 1,307 | 20.0% |
| All first-year applicants | 84,833 | 32,322 | 38.1% | 9,332 | 28.9% |
Source: Illinois Enrollment Management, First-Year Enrollment 10th Day Report, Fall 2026 (September 9, 2026).
Why Does the First-Choice Major Matter as Much as Residency at UIUC?
Illinois admits by first-choice college and major. Its admit rates page shows that for fall 2026, 32.8% of applicants were admitted to their first-choice major, with first-choice rates of 23.3% at the Grainger College of Engineering, 22.5% at the Gies College of Business and 40.6% in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, against 55.5% in Fine and Applied Arts. Illinois does not publish those college rates by residency. Per its admission process page, a student can also be admitted to a second-choice major, in which case the student is automatically wait listed for the first choice. For an out-of-state family, the two filters stack: a non-resident applying to Grainger Engineering or Gies faces both the lower non-resident rate and the most selective colleges. In our experience, program strategy, including a realistic second-choice major, does more work at Illinois than at most flagships. Families weighing impacted programs should read our UIUC versus Georgia Tech computer science comparison before anchoring the list.
What Do Out-of-State Families Pay at UIUC?
| Guaranteed tuition, entering fall 2026 | Illinois resident (per year) | Non-resident (per year) |
|---|---|---|
| General (base) rate | $13,252 | $35,928 |
| Engineering and business rate | $18,740 | $44,340 |
Source: University of Illinois Board of Trustees, January 15, 2026 tuition approval. The Illinois Undergraduate Admissions Tuition and Costs page, based on 2026-2027 data, lists tuition and fees of $18,530 to $24,018 for residents and $41,206 to $49,618 for non-residents, which matches these tuition rates plus $5,278 in fees by our calculation. Mandatory fees are additional, and entering international students pay an added $521 per semester.
The number families should anchor on is not only the $35,928 non-resident base rate but the structure around it. Tuition for new undergraduates is set as a guaranteed rate for four years, so an entering cohort knows its tuition schedule in advance. The base rate applies to majors without a tuition differential; the Grainger College of Engineering, engineering-related majors in other colleges including several CS + X degrees, and business carry the higher $44,340 non-resident rate, so the exact major on the application changes the four-year math as well as the admit odds. Per the Registrar rate tables, the differential is charged by major, which makes the first-choice decision a cost decision too.
How Should Out-of-State Applicants Approach UIUC?
Start from the published math: a 31.6% non-resident admit rate overall, and first-choice rates near 23% at the most selective colleges. Illinois reports that admitted students over the past three years had a middle 50% GPA of 3.70 to 4.00 on its class profile page, and the fall 2026 10th Day report shows enrolled first-years with a middle 50% GPA of 3.62 to 3.95. Test scores are considered only if a student chooses to submit them; per the same report, 56.4% of enrolled first-years for fall 2026 submitted scores, with a middle 50% SAT of 1450 to 1530 and ACT of 30 to 34. For fall 2027 entry, per the first-year dates page, nonbinding Early Action closed November 1, 2026, with required materials due November 7, 2026 and decisions on January 29, 2027, and the regular deadline is January 5, 2027 (materials by January 11, 2027), with decisions on February 26, 2027. In the view of Oriel Admissions, the first-choice major is the single highest-leverage decision on a non-resident application, and the second-choice major deserves real strategy because it is the fallback built into the admission decision itself.
Frequently Asked Questions About the UIUC Out-of-State Acceptance Rate
For fall 2026, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign admitted 11,105 of 35,119 non-resident applicants, a 31.6% rate, against 49.8% for Illinois residents and 32.3% for international applicants, per the Illinois 10th Day report. The overall rate was 38.1%, with 32,322 of 84,833 applicants admitted.
Yes. Illinois residents were admitted at 49.8% for fall 2026 against 31.6% for non-residents, a gap of about 18 points. Yield differs even more: 44.4% of admitted residents enrolled, against 13.5% of admitted non-residents.
The fall 2026 entering class of 9,332 included 6,530 Illinois residents, 1,495 non-residents and 1,307 international students, per the 10th Day report. That is about 16% non-resident and 14% international by an Oriel Admissions calculation.
Often. For fall 2026, 32.8% of applicants were admitted to their first-choice major, and the first-choice rate was 23.3% at the Grainger College of Engineering and 22.5% at the Gies College of Business. Illinois does not publish college rates by residency, so a non-resident applying to those colleges faces both filters.
For students entering in fall 2026, guaranteed non-resident tuition is $35,928 a year at the general rate and $44,340 for engineering, engineering-related majors and business, before mandatory fees. Illinois residents pay $13,252 and $18,740. The rate is guaranteed for four years.
No. Illinois considers test scores only if a student chooses to submit them. Enrolled first-years for fall 2026 had a middle 50% SAT of 1450 to 1530 and ACT of 30 to 34, with 56.4% submitting scores, per the 10th Day report.
For fall 2027 entry, nonbinding Early Action closed November 1, 2026, with required materials due November 7, 2026, and decisions arrive January 29, 2027. The regular deadline is January 5, 2027, with decisions on February 26, 2027, and admitted students commit by May 1, 2027.
Illinois says a student admitted to a second-choice major is automatically placed on the wait list for the first choice. Other outcomes are admission to the first choice, a deferral, a place on the wait list, which is not ranked, or a denial.
Sources: Illinois Enrollment Management, First-Year Enrollment 10th Day Report, Fall 2026; Illinois Enrollment Management, Reports and Data; Illinois Undergraduate Admissions, Admit Rates; Illinois Undergraduate Admissions, How Admission Works; Illinois Undergraduate Admissions, Class Profile; Illinois Undergraduate Admissions, First-Year Dates; Illinois Office of the Registrar, 2026-27 Tuition Rates; Illinois Undergraduate Admissions, Tuition and Costs.
About Oriel Admissions
Oriel Admissions is a college admissions consulting firm advising families nationwide on elite university admissions strategy, with offices in Princeton, New Jersey and New York. Our team brings deep expertise across every dimension of the application, and our distinctive 360 approach develops strategy, positioning, activities, essays, and interviews as one coherent whole. To discuss your family’s admissions strategy, schedule a consultation.
