University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Featured Rankings
- #1 Most Affordable Colleges in Illinois 2025
- #1 Best Online MBAs Illinois
- #1 Best Public Colleges in Illinois 2022
- #2 15 Best Self-paced Online Colleges
- #2 Fastest Accelerated Online Master’s of Computer Science
- #2 Best Online Master's of Public Relations
- #2 Online Colleges That Start Anytime
- #3 Best Colleges in Illinois
- #3 Most Affordable Online PhD of Education Degree Programs
- #3 Most Influential US Universities by State
- #3 Best Research Universities in Illinois 2022
- #3 Best Grad Schools Illinois 2022
- #4 Most Affordable No GRE Online PhD Degree Programs
- #4 Non-GMAT Online MBAs
- #7 Best Online One Year MBAs
- #10 The Most Influential Colleges in Tennis Today
- #13 Best Value Colleges
- #17 Most Affordable Colleges in the U.S. 2022
- #18 Best Public Grad Schools
- #18 Best Public Colleges
- #24 Social Work Research Universities
- #30 The Best Traditional MBA Programs
- #37 Best Grad Schools 2025
- #41 Best US Universities 2025
- #92 Best Universities World 2025
About University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois began life as the Illinois Industrial University, located in the city of Urbana. Although the original intention of lawmakers and the preference of many state residents was for the new school to concentrate on vocational training, the university’s first president, John Milton Gregory, wisely insisted on offering a full spectrum of liberal arts and science courses.
With time, the university grew considerably, causing the original campus to spread across the dividing line between Urbana and its sister city of Champaign, to the west. That is why the flagship campus of the University of Illinois System is now officially known as the “University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign” to distinguish it from two other satellite campuses—one in Chicago and the other in the state capital of Springfield—that were incorporated into the System in 1913 and 1995, respectively.
Illinois has long been particularly known for its emphasis on the natural sciences and engineering, notably information and computer engineering. This can be seen in the fact that a number of semi-independent scientific research institutes have grown up on or near the main campus, including the Illinois Applied Research Institute, the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, and the National Center for Superconducting Applications.
The latter center’s location here is explained by the fact that it was a trio of Illinois physicists—John Bardeen, Leon Cooper, and John Schrieffer—whose collaboration on what is now known as “BCS theory” in their honor, provided the first deep theoretical understanding of the phenomenon of superconductivity.
Practical applications of all of this cutting-edge research at Illinois are not neglected, either. The university also houses the Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership, as well as a Research Park, which gives space to more than 120 private companies employing some 2100 students and full-time researchers. Both of these centers help to make the University of Illinois a technology hub, as much for startups as for established corporations’ R & D operations.
Illinois has some 30 Nobel Prize–winners to its credit, including:
Physics
- John Bardeen
- Leon Cooper
- John Schrieffer
- Anthony Leggett
- Brian Josephson
Chemistry
- Martin Karplus
- Elias Corey
- Rudolph Marcus
Physiology or Medicine
- Salvador Luria
- Robert Holley
- Rosalyn Yalow
- Phillip Sharp
Economics
- Franco Modigliani
- Leonid Hurwicz
Other noteworthy Illinois-connected people include:
- Novelist, Richard Powers
- Film critic, Roger Ebert
- Composer, George Crumb
- Animal behaviorist and autism spokesperson, Temple Grandin
- Playboy founder and publisher, Hugh Hefner
- Former General Motors CEO, Jack Welch
- Software engineer and entrepreneur, Marc Andreessen
- Oracle founder, Larry Ellison
- YouTube co-founders, Steve Chen & Jawed Karim
According to Wikipedia, The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a public land-grant research university in Champaign, Illinois, and Urbana, Illinois. It is the flagship institution of the University of Illinois system and was founded in 1867. With over 56,000 students, the University of Illinois is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the United States.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Online Degrees
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
Annual Applications | Acceptance | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
63,257 | 45% | 85% | 1415 | 31 |
How Much Does University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Cost To Attend?
Tuition (in-state) | Fees (in-state) |
---|---|
$14,542 | $3,240 |
How Much Do University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Graduates Make?
If you graduate from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, then you can expect to earn an average of $70,900 per year. You also have a 93% chance of being employed after 10 years.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Demographics
Demographic data is for full-time, on-campus students.
Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
---|---|---|
62,303 | 36,800 | 25,503 |
Where is University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign?
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is located at 601 E John Street, Champaign IL 61820-5711
How Safe is University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign?
Champaign has a violent crime rate of less than .01% and a property crime rate of less than .01%.
What Is University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Known For?
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is known for it's academic work in the following disciplines:
- Computer Science
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Engineering
- Chemistry
- Psychology
- Economics
- Biology
- Philosophy
- Communications
- Sociology
- Anthropology
- Earth Sciences
- Law
- Literature
- History
- Political Science
- Education
- Business
- Medical
- Social Work
- Religious Studies
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Who Are University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Most Influential Alumni?
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Computer Science, Psychology, and Engineering. Here are some of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's most famous alumni:
- Paul Halmos
- An American mathematician.
- Jack Kilby
- An American electrical engineer .
- Eugenio Calabi
- An Italian American mathematician.
- Richard Hamming
- An American mathematician and information theorist.
- James Tobin
- An American economist.
- Steven Best
- An American activist.
- Roger Ebert
- An American film critic and author .
- Jerome Lettvin
- An American psychiatrist.
- Irving Azoff
- An American entertainment executive.
- Temple Grandin
- An American doctor of animal science, author, and autism activist.
- Hamilton O. Smith
- An American biologist, (1931 – ), New York, New York, USA.
- Brendan Eich
- An American computer programmer and technology executive.
Who Are University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Most Influential Faculty?
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Computer Science, Psychology, and Engineering. Here are some of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's most famous alumni:
- Fei-Fei Li
- An American computer scientist.
- Vikram Adve
- A Computer scientist.
- Justin Kruger
- An American psychologist.
- Julian Rappaport
- An American psychologist and university teacher.
- Gul Agha
- A Computer scientist.
- Huimin Zhao
- An American chemist.
- Canan Dağdeviren
- A Turkish scientist.
- Pramod Viswanath
- A Researcher.
- Nikita Borisov
- A Cryptographer.
- Tami Bond
- An American scientist and academic.
- Chelsea Walton
- An African-American mathematician & academic.
- Bruce Hajek
- An Electrical engineer.