University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Overview

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) is the foremost school in the University of Illinois network. This public research institution has earned the distinction of being an “R1: Doctoral University,” a ranking given to schools with the highest research activity, and is part of the Association of American Universities.

UIUC is home to the United States’ second-biggest university library and has the world’s fastest university-based supercomputer. Spanning over 6,000 acres, the institution provides over 150 undergraduate degrees and more than 100 postgraduate programs, housed by over 15 major colleges. Some of its most popular majors are business, engineering, social sciences, marketing, journalism, management, biological sciences, and communication.

In line with its business and engineering programs, the university operates a trade space for startups and large-scale firms, which serves as both an incubator and an avenue for corporate research. Research Park has more than 50 startups and has landed multinational enterprises like Abbott Laboratories, Yahoo, Caterpillar, and State Farm.

UIUC is known as one of the more selective universities in the U.S., and its College of Engineering comes as the school’s most selective department. Despite its high standards, the university offers technical courses and master’s degree programs online. However, it maintains its strict requirements for its online admissions, requiring applicants to earn a bachelor’s degree, a GPA of at least 3.0, and a high degree of English proficiency to have a chance at being admitted.

Founded in 1867, UIUC was a product of the first Morrill-Grant Act, which mandated the creation of land-grant colleges throughout the U.S. The university’s first president, John Milton Gregory, envisioned a school rooted in a strong liberal arts program. A research library was soon created while the curricula were eventually expanded to take in agriculture, medicine, and other sciences.

Now, UIUC accommodates more than 33,000 undergraduate students, over 16,000 graduate students, more than 2,000 faculty, and over 7,000 administrative staff. Prominence is a state shared by many of its faculty, some of whom are Nobel Prize laureates and winners of the Pulitzer, Turing, and Fields awards. These include two-time Nobel Prize in Physics winner John Bardeen.

Meanwhile, UIUC’s notable alumni include PayPal creator Max Levchin, JavaScript inventor Brendan Eich, MRI inventor Paul Lauterbur, NFL founder George Salas, and Playboy founder Hugh Hefner.

Looking ahead, UIUC aims to leverage its instruction, research, and economic engagement to boost local and international economies while alleviating their respective issues. It also seeks to produce well-rounded learners as it plays host to more than 1,000 student organizations and a nationally competitive athletics program.