University of Chicago is a highly regarded private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is a mid-sized university with around 16,000 undergraduate students. Admissions are extremely competitive with an overall admission rate of around 5%. Most popular majors are Economics, Political Science, Social Sciences, Computer Science, and Biological Sciences. The six-year graduation rate is approximately 96%, and University of Chicago graduates have a median starting salary of nearly INR 18,00,000 (about $23,000 median earnings ten years post-graduation).
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of the leading public research universities in the United States, situated in Urbana and Champaign, Illinois, USA. It's a large university with approximately 33,000 undergraduate students. Admissions are fairly competitive with a total acceptance rate of nearly 43.7%. Some common majors are Engineering, Business, Computer Science, Biological Sciences, and Social Sciences. The six-year graduation rate is about 86%, and the median starting salary for Illinois alumni is around INR 8,50,000 (about $11,000 median income ten years after graduation).
| University of Chicago | University of Illinois | |
|---|---|---|
| Collegedunia Score | 8.4 Out of 10 | 6 Out of 10 |
| ranking (overall) | # 13 QS World University 2026 # 15 Times Higher Education 2026 # 10 Center for World University Rankings 2025 | # 41 Times Higher Education 2026 # 70 QS World University 2026 # 22 Center for World University Rankings 2025 |
| Subject Strength | # 132 for Engineering by QS World University 2025 # 28 for Data Science and Analytics by QS World University 2025 # 34 for Medicine by QS World University 2025 | # 8 for Engineering by US News 2025 # 21 for Data Science and Analytics by QS World University 2025 # 201 for Medicine by QS World University 2025 |
| Programs | UG Programs -36 PG Programs -31 Doctorate Programs -9 | UG Programs -162 PG Programs -104 Doctorate Programs -4 |
| Acceptance Rate | 0.0 % | 43.7 % |
| Exam Score | GMAT-570 IELTS-7 SAT-1080 TOEFL-80 | IELTS-6.5 SAT-1340 TOEFL-79 |
| Cost to Study | Average Tuition Fees 56034 [For UG Program] Average Tuition Fees 72000 [For PG Program] Hostel + Meal - 29000 Per Year | Average Tuition Fees 43996 [For UG Program] Average Tuition Fees 27323.63 [For PG Program] Hostel + Meal - 14522 Per Year |
| placement (average package) | University of Chicago is one of the top private universities in Chicago, United States. It is ranked #10 in QS World University Rankings 2023. Top recruiters include McKinsey & Company Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Google LLC, JP Morgan Chase & Co., Accenture, Deloitte Consulting LLP etc
| 89% of graduates were employed or were working within 6 months of graduation. 5,700+ companies visited for campus recruitment. Average Salaries of The Degree :
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| application requirements | Transcripts, English proficiency scores, Supplemental essays, teacher evaluation, GMAT/ GRE scores, Supplemental material (art work, research papers, etc.) | 4 years of English and 3 to 3.5 years of Maths at high school level is required for UG admission; 300 to 400 words answer to Essay questions given by university; minimum 55% in bachelors for graduate admission |
| CollegeDunia Reviews | 7.6/10 Read 5 reviews | 7.9/10 Read 19 reviews |
Top Courses Comparison
| ranking | # 9 for Business by Times Higher Education 2025 # 17 for Business by QS World University 2025 | # 55 for Business by Times Higher Education 2025 # 99 for Business by QS World University 2025 |
| exam scores | IELTS - 7.0/9PTE - 54/90TOEFL - 100/120 | GMAT - 660/800 |
| cost to study | Total Cost (Tuition + Living) -74919 | Total Cost (Tuition + Living) -27323 |
| application dates | Sep 21, 2024 (Application Deadline For 2025 Intake 1) Jan 4, 2025 (Application Deadline For 2025 Intake 2) Apr 4, 2025 (Application Deadline For 2025 Intake 3) | Sep 7, 2023 (Application Deadline) |
| ranking | # 27 for Computer Science by US News 2025 # 40 for Computer Science by Times Higher Education 2025 # 50 for Computer Science by QS World University 2025 | # 5 for Computer Science by US News 2025 # 21 for Computer Science by Times Higher Education 2025 # 34 for Computer Science by QS World University 2025 |
| exam scores | IELTS - 7.0/9PTE - 54/90TOEFL - 100/120 | Duolingo - 105/160IELTS - 6.5/9TOEFL - 79/120 |
| cost to study | Total Cost (Tuition + Living) -67446 | Total Cost (Tuition + Living) -49742 |
| documents required | #Letter of Recommendation + Statement of Purpose | #Letter of Recommendation + Statement of Purpose |
| application dates | May 1, 2025 (Students Reply Due Date of Early Action & Regular Decision for Fall 2025 Intake) Nov 1, 2025 (Early Action And Early Decision 1 Deadline For Fall 2026 Intake) Jan 6, 2026 (Early Decision 2 And Regular Decision Deadline For Fall 2026 Intake) | Jan 5, 2026 (Regular Decision Application Deadline For 2025 Intake) Nov 1, 2025 (Early Action Application Deadline For 2025 Intake) |
Other Popular Comparisons
| General Facts | University of Chicago | University of Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| Type of University | University | University |
| Established | 1890 | 1867 |
| Student:Faculty Ratio | 5.9:1 | 21:1 |
| Male:Female | 53% Male, 0% Female | 55% Male, 45% Female |
| Location Facts | A 217 acres campus located in Chicago's Hyde Park and Woodlawn neighborhood eight miles of downtown Chicago. | UIUC is located a few hours from Chicago, Indianapolis and St. Louis in east-central Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. |
| Library | UChicago Library System is the 10th largest academic library in North America comprising 6 libraries. Contains a total of 11.9 million volumes, 65,330 ft. of archives and manuscripts and 245 TB of digital archives. | UIUC Library is one of the largest public university collections with over 24 million resources. Consists of 14 million volumes in 37 unit libraries. 53,000,000 people visit the online catalog every year. |
| Campus Life | Famous campus attractions include UChicago's Metallurgical Laboratory, University of Chicago Press (largest university press in USA), Cobb Lecture Hall, Rockefeller Chapel, Gerald Ratner Athletics Center. UChicago also has over 400 Recognized Student Organizations (RSOs). | Campus facilities include multipurpose State Farm Center (16,500 seats); Memorial Stadium (70,000 seats), site of Big Ten Conference football games; the Activities & Recreation Center (ARC), Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Krannert Art Museum & Kinkead Pavilion, Spurlock Museum, 4 theatres, 24 residence halls, etc. |
| Hostel | #Housing and Food(4 Quarters) - $29000 | #Food & Housing - $14522 |
| Famous Alumni | University boasts of about 182,000 alumni. 100 Nobel laureates, 4 Turning Award winners, 54 Rhodes Scholars, 26 Marshall Scholars, 9 Field Medalists, 52 MacArthur Fellows, 25 Pulitzer Prize winners, 20 National Humanities Medalists, 16 Billionaire graduates. Edwin Hubble (American astronomer), Bernie Sanders (US Senator), Milton Friedman (American economist), Satya Nadella (CEO of Microsoft), Larry Ellison (Founder of Oracle Corporation) | One of the largest alumni networks in the USA with 470,000+ alumni. 30 Nobel laureates, 2 Turing Award winners, 1 Fields medalist, 29 Pulitzer Prizes. John Bardeen (Nobel laureate); Jawed Karim and Steve Chen (Co-founders of YouTube); Jack Welch (former CEO of General Electric); Sushanth (Indian actor) |
| City Life | Chicago is the 3rd most populous city, 3rd largest gross metropolitan product and 2nd largest central business district in USA. Located on the shores of Lake Michigan. Home to several Fortune 500 companies (such as Boeing, McDonald's, Walgreens, Kraft Heinz, etc.). Famous landmarks include Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Science and Industry, Navy Pier, etc. | Illinois is located at the industrial belt and fertile agriculture land of USA; its economy is supported by manufacturing, agriculture, mining, transportation, and tourism sector; unemployment rate was 4.2% in March 2020; major attractions are Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Science and Industry, and Field Museum of National History |
| Weather |
University of Chicago vs University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
Subject Strength & Global Rankings (2025/2026)
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and the University of Chicago are two quite distinct levels of academic reputation and international prestige. In QS World University Rankings 2026, UIUC is positioned 70th, while the University of Chicago is in an elite position at 13th. In the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2026, UIUC is ranked at 46th, as opposed to Chicago's much better 14th. In the U.S. News Global Rankings 2026, UIUC comes in at 109th position, whereas that of University of Chicago is 26th. Although UIUC is renowned around the world for engineering, computer science, and agriculture, University of Chicago is famous for economics, business, law, social sciences, and humanities, in addition to its intellectual tradition of disciplined inquiry.
General Information
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, founded in 1867, is a premier public research university in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. It has over 34,000 undergraduate students and provides robust academic programs through a research-intensive approach, especially in STEM and applied fields.
The University of Chicago, established in 1890 in Chicago, Illinois, is a private Ivy Plus research university with a small number of approximately 7,600 undergraduate students. The university places high value on rigorous learning, interdisciplinary learning, and intellectual freedom, and its faculty and alumni boast several Nobel laureates.
Acceptance Rate & Admissions
UIUC is 43.7% accepted, making it moderately selective, particularly in its engineering, computer science, and business schools.
UIUC's most competitive counterpart is the University of Chicago, with an acceptance rate of only 6%. Its admissions are highly selective, taking into consideration academic achievement, extracurricular activities, intellectual curiosity, as well as fit with the values of scholarly rigor that the university holds.
Research Impact & Facilities
UIUC is an R1 research powerhouse, known around the world for engineering innovation, data science, and supercomputing innovation. It hosts state-of-the-art facilities like the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) and has important contributions in applied sciences and agriculture.
The University of Chicago has a significant worldwide influence on economics, law, business, and social sciences, having established dominant schools of thought like the Chicago School of Economics. It also leads in medicine, public policy, and humanities studies, complemented by centers like the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and its collaboration with Argonne National Laboratory.
Cost & Financial Aid
UIUC, being a public institution, charges lower for in-state students but more for out-of-state and foreign applicants. It offers several scholarships, assistantships, and need-based aid, especially in STEM.
The University of Chicago, as a private institution, charges significantly higher tuition but provides very high need-based aid packages and merit awards. Many students receive generous aid that reduces the net price to affordable levels, particularly for high-performing applicants.
Career Outcomes & Alumni Success
UIUC graduates are very marketable in STEM fields, business, and research, with strong hiring connections to top companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon. Its alumni base is large and influential, especially in engineering, technology, and agriculture.
The University of Chicago graduates leaders in business, economics, law, politics, and academia. Its Law School and Booth School of Business are globally ranked among the top. Alumni consist of Nobel Prize laureates, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, policymakers with significant influence, and intellectual leaders, delivering a career benefit internationally.
