This is the official thread for those applying EA to University of Illinois Urbana Champaign.
List your unweighted GPA, any SAT /ACT scores, and ECs. What majors are you going into?
Ask your questions, the CC community is here to help!
Like some of their midwest peers, UIUC also had higher enrollment numbers for fall 2024. This is partly because of higher #admits and higher yield rate as seen in the data below.
It also has first year profile and enrollment numbers for different colleges as well.
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Hello. Just contemplating this school for my test optional senior- we are oos- does anyone know about merit options here? How likely? Seems like they have a lot of applicants-
OOS merit is very scarce at UIUC. Probably more so for an test optional applicant.
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OOS Applicants - are you planning to submit transcripts during application? It seems like this is optional or not required?
UIUC uses SRAR(self reporting) for classes and grades for admissions. You wouldn’t need to submit your transcript until you accept and matriculate.
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Can you ask the admissions team to consider you for Division of General Studies if you are rejected from 1st and 2nd choice majors?
Remember reading on their website that they prefer in-state students for DES. Is there a reason it cannot be the second choice?
I don’t think they discriminate against test optional students. My D22 did get merit scholarship being TO for Computer science major as OOS 2 years back.
Son just added Illinois to his application list. He’s interested in CS/data science. On the common app, you can choose Stats+CS OR IS+DS as the first choice, but you can’t put one as the first choice and one as the second. Does anyone know if there’s more flexibility if you apply directly through the school?
No, there isn’t. A handful of the most popular majors are not available as a second choice.
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Don’t think so. All schools will make sure they have the same options in all the different application platforms. You can pick undecided in the same school or DGS as the second option.
No, apps will not be evaluated for Undeclared in Div of Exploratory Studies if they are denied for first two major choices.
Note that DGS is changing its name for Fall 2025, and that is reflected in the common app. The new name will be Division of Exploratory Studies.
https://dgs.illinois.edu/discover-dgs/effective-fall-2025-exploratory-studies
If you are OOS, you should not choose Undeclared in Div of Exploratory Studies or Undeclared in LAS.
Due to space limitations, Illinois residents will be given preference for admission into second-choice majors. Historically, non-Illinois residents who have listed the Undeclared program in the Division of Exploratory Studies or LAS Undeclared in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences as their second choice haven’t been admitted to those programs due to space constraints.
SRAR Question: our high school reports grades on a 4.0 scale and doesn’t have an A-F conversion chart. The only conversion chart on the transcript shows how to convert a number grade (like a 92) to the 4.0 scale. Is that what gets entered into the SRAR? Or do they want us to figure out what an A would be? Anyone else have the same situation? D25 will ask her guidance counselor but would love to know what others have done
Is this what you are asking?
What should I do if my high school lists my grades numerically?
myIllini: This depends on whether your transcript includes a numerical to letter grading scale.
- If your transcript includes a numerical to letter grading scale, select the radio button for “A-F grades or numerical grades with a grading scale listed on the transcript” and enter the grading scale conversion. In the courses section, enter the corresponding letter grades.
- If your transcript doesn’t include a numerical to letter grading scale, select the radio button for “Other” and enter the grading scale. In the courses section, enter your numerical grades.
Yes but unfortunately that doesn’t answer my question. I know she needs to click the “other” option, and I know that means that her number grades will submitted into the course grade section. But it’s still unclear as to what conversion chart she enters
Got it…does this video help?
Thank you again. We’ve looked at all these videos and they don’t seem to address our situation. I’m getting the sense this is a very school specific question so hopefully her guidance counselor can help
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Agreed, it’s too bad your HS’s grading structure isn’t already in there. If the counselor doesn’t know, your D can call and/or email admissions and ask, they are typically quite helpful. Good luck.