University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Founded in 1867, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a public university. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 35,564 (Fall 2023) and a campus of 1,783 acres. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is ranked 33rd in the nation in the 2025 edition of Best Colleges. In-state tuition and fees are $17,640 and out-of-state tuition and fees are $36,760.

The University of Illinois is located in the Twin Cities of Urbana and Champaign in east-central Illinois, just a few hours from Chicago, Indianapolis and St. Louis. The school's Fighting Illinois teams compete in more than 20 NCAA Division I varsity sports and are part of the Big Ten Conference. The university has one of the largest Greek systems in the country, with almost one-quarter of the student body involved. With more than 1,600 student organizations, including professional, political and philanthropic clubs, it's not hard to find something to do on campus. All new students are required to live on campus.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign consists of 15 colleges. The university's School of Information Sciences, School of Engineering, and Department of Psychology are ranked among the best in the country. The university's School of Business, School of Education and School of Law are also highly ranked. According to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, the University of Illinois is considered to have the highest level of research activity. It was the first school to offer all university services, programs and facilities for people with disabilities. Notable alumni include Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Roger Ebert and YouTube co-founder Steve Chen.