History

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of the original 37 public land-grant institutions created after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act in 1862.

Important Dates

  • 1867 Illinois Industrial University founded
  • 1868 Illinois Industrial University opened
  • 1885 Renamed the University of Illinois

Location

The university is in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana (total population 207,000) in east-central Illinois. Situated about 140 miles south of Chicago, 125 miles west of Indianapolis, and 180 miles northeast of St. Louis.


Longitude + Latitude of the Quad

40°06'36.88"N 88°13'38.13"W

Academic Resources

Library Collections

  • 24,000,000+ Items mark one of the largest public university libraries in the world
  • 1,000,000+ Visitors to the online catalog every week
  • 20+ Area studies libraries; one of the larger engineering libraries in the country, state-of-the-art agricultural library, and world-renowned rare book and manuscript library

Campus Research

  • $731,000,000 in research and development expenditures in FY2021.
  • $120,000,000+ in National Science Foundation awards

Campus Life

Cultural Centers

These centers offer the entire campus community opportunities to learn about and to experience the rich historic traditions and modern living cultures that shape our world.

Facilities

  • 354 Buildings in the University District, 3.6 square miles (2,295 acres)

    All active university-owned buildings located inside the Campus Master Plan boundary

  • 651 Total Buildings, 9.9 square miles (6,370 acres)

    All active university-owned buildings located inside the Campus Master Plan boundary

Museums, Galleries, and Collections

  • 4 Theaters in the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts seat about 4,000 and annually host 350+ student and professional performances, as well as commencements, lectures, and other events, many of them free
  • 10,000+ Works of art at Krannert Art Museum and Kinkead Pavilion’s permanent collection, KAM hosts high-caliber temporary exhibitions and interdisciplinary programs
  • 54,000 Artifacts of global cultures at the Spurlock Museum
  • 75% Of John Philip Sousa's original music manuscripts, the world's largest collection, at the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Sports and Recreation

  • 21 Number of men's (10) and women's 11 NCAA teams (respectively) with 11 major facilities including Memorial Stadium (60,670 seats, State Farm Center (15,544 seats), Atkins Tennis Center, Huff Hall (4,152 seats), Illinois Field (1,500 seats for baseball), Eichelberger Field (1,500 seats for softball), Illinois Track and Soccer Stadium, and the Demirjian Golf Practice Facility.
  • 470,000 Square feet of recreational space between two newly expanded campus recreation and wellness centers. Includes indoor tracks, leisure pool with slide, climbing wall, basketball and racquetball courts, indoor and outdoor 50-meter pools, and much more; other recreational facilities include an ice arena, outdoor adventures center, inline skating rink, and several play fields
  • 300,000 People visit the Allerton Park and Retreat Center (1,500-acre national landmark located 24 miles from campus) each year
  • 16,000 Daily visitors to the Illini Union have access to a hotel, banquet facility, food court, art gallery, and bowling/billiards area; Two ballrooms and 24 break-out rooms are available for conferences, meetings, and events

Housing

  • 24 Undergraduate University residence halls accommodate 8,550 students, including 10 Living-Learning Communities
  • 6,000 Undergraduate students living in 15 private certified housing units and 61 Greek houses
  • 2,000 Single graduate students or students with families living in three University-owned apartment complexes; two residence halls are home for 720 graduate and upper division students
  • 1,000+ Registered student organizations, coalitions, honorary societies, and teams

Programs and Services for People with Disabilities

  • #1 Rated as one of the most "disability friendly" U.S. campuses
  • First First to provide students with disabilities access to all university services, curricula, and facilities; developed first architectural accessibility standards; designed & instituted a wheelchair-accessible bus system; first to offer comprehensive wheelchair sports programming
  • First Developed the first transitional living program for students with physical disabilities needing personal assistant support services. Students with physical disabilities who require personal assistant support services have an 87 percent graduation rate; nearly 60 percent obtain employment within a year of graduation, while another 32 percent enroll in graduate or professional schools

International Programs and Studies

  • 14,144 International students in 2022-23 from more than 130 countries.

Undergraduate Education

  • 34,492 Students from 48 states
  • 7,957 New freshmen enrolled in Fall 2022
  • 40,000+ Annual applicants (roughly)
  • 5,312 International undergraduate students from 87 countries (Fall 2022)
  • 5,000+ Courses offered
  • 150+ Programs of study

Student Success

Undergraduate Base Tuition and Fees (Fall 2022)

Guaranteed four-year tuition rate

  • $17,138 A year for residents entering in Fall 2022
  • $35,110 A year for nonresidents

Illinois Promise funds the estimated cost of tuition, fees, room, board, and books for low-income students

Illinois Commitment guarantees free tuition and campus fees for Illinois residents with a family income of $67,500 or less.

Graduate and Professional Education

  • 21,702 Graduate and professional students in fall 2022

Graduate Base Tuition and Fees (Fall 2022)

  • $18,512 A year for residents
  • $34,106 A year for nonresidents (law, medicine, and veterinary medicine assessed separately)

People

Faculty (FTE Fall 2022)

  • 2,848 Members
  • 1,885 Tenure/tenure track
  • 963 Specialized and visiting faculty

Staff (FTE Fall 2022)

  • 5,531 Administrative and academic professional
  • 5,170 Civil service staff

Alumni

  • 500,000+ Living alumni of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, one of the largest U.S. alumni organizations

Administration

Campus Administration

  • Robert J. Jones, Chancellor
  • John Coleman, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost
  • Barry Benson, Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement
  • Danita Brown Young, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
  • Michael DeLorenzo, Vice Chancellor for Administration and Operations
  • Susan Martinis, Vice Chancellor for Research

Admissions & Visitor Information

Undergraduate Admissions: Office of Admissions

901 West Illinois Street, Urbana, IL 61801; 217-333-0302, admissions@spicydom.com

Graduate Admissions

801 S. Wright Street, Champaign, IL 61820; International/Domestic: 217-244-4637, grad@spicydom.com

Campus Visits: Office of Admissions

901 West Illinois Street, Urbana, IL 61801, 217-333-0824, visits@spicydom.com (hosts 30,000 prospective students and their families annually)

This content managed and updated by Public Affairs