Skip navigation

Section navigation

Admissions

Important Note: This is the archived version of the 2013–2015 Undergraduate Catalog. The information on these pages was archived on August 6, 2013 and will not be updated as requirement and/or program changes are approved. Please see www.uic.edu/ucat for the most up-to-date requirements.

Visiting Campus
Admissions Application Procedures

Guaranteed Professional Program Admissions
Honors College
Alternative Sources of Credit

Mailing Address:
Office of Admissions (MC 018)
1200 West Harrison Street
Box 5220
Chicago, Illinois 60680-5220

Office Location: 1100 Student Services Building (SSB)
(312) 996-4350
http://www.admissions.uic.edu

 

Visiting Campus

UIC encourages prospective students to visit the campus. A preadmission information session is offered weekdays (excluding campus holidays), and is followed by an optional campus tour. In addition, preadmission information sessions and campus tours are available on selected Saturdays throughout the year.

UIC Preview Days give prospective students an opportunity to tour campus, visit a residence hall, obtain information about campus housing and financial aid, and attend information sessions with academic advisors from each of UIC’s undergraduate programs.

For dates and reservations, prospective students should consult the Office of Admissions and Records (OAR) website http://www.uic.edu/depts/oar/visit/.

Refer to the Campus Map and Travel Directions and Visitor Parking for instructions on how to reach the UIC campus or visit the UIC website http://www.uic.edu for more information.

Admissions Application Procedures

All undergraduate applicants who wish to attend UIC, must submit the Common Application and UIC Supplement online. Please go to www.admissions.uic.edu/apply to start the application process. Applicants must also submit all supporting documents and the required nonrefundable application fee (or application fee waiver) by the appropriate deadline to ensure an application review. All credentials presented for admission become the permanent property of the University, cannot be subsequently released to the student or to another individual or institution, and cannot be held for reconsideration of admission to subsequent terms.

All students should carefully read the application instructions.

For information about registration as a visitor/auditor, see the Registering and Enrolling in Courses at UIC section of the catalog.

English Language Competency Requirement for All Applicants
Minimum requirements for competence in English apply to all applicants. An applicant may establish competence in English by certifying that the following requirements have been fulfilled in a country where English is the official/native language and in a school where English is the primary language of instruction: (1) graduation from a secondary school with three units, or the equivalent, of English; or (2) successful completion of a minimum of two academic years of full-time study at the secondary school or college level immediately prior to the proposed date of enrollment in the University.

Applicants who do not meet the above requirement may provide sufficient evidence of competence in English by achieving a minimum TOEFL iBT score 80, with subscores of Reading 19, Listening 17, Speaking 20, and Writing 21 on the TOEFL iBT OR a minimum IELTS score of 6.5, with subsection minimums as follows: listening 6, writing 6, reading 6, speaking 6. The iBT (Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language) is administered by the Educational Testing Service, http://www.ets.org/toefl. Higher scores may be required for some programs and colleges. This requirement may be waived by the managing director of admissions and the dean of the college concerned if the applicant can provide evidence of competence in English that will clearly justify a waiver.

Undergraduate Applications and Credentials Deadlines

Students are strongly encouraged to apply using the online application http://www.uic.edu/depts/oar/applyonline/undergrad within the filing period listed in the chart below. While applications submitted before the filing period will be accepted, processing for the term will begin at the start of the filing period. The application deadline is the last day of the filing period for the term for which the student wishes to enter. Applications and credentials must be postmarked by this deadline to receive an admission review.

Most upper-division and health sciences programs have special deadline dates that may be earlier than those on the chart. Refer to the Admissions website http://www.uic.edu/depts/oar/prospective_students/deadlines.html or the undergraduate application for current dates.

Undergraduate Applications and Credentials Deadlines
Applicant Type Fall Semester Spring Semester
Domestic and International First Year January 15 Not Available
Domestic and International Transfer March 31 October 15


First year applications are not accepted for spring semesters. Immigrant applicants (permanent residents, temporary residents, refugees-parolees, or conditional entrants) must provide proof of immigration status by submitting a notarized Certification of Immigration Status form (available online http://www.uic.edu/depts/oar/forms or from the Office of Admissions) or a copy of both sides of their Alien Registration Receipt Card, Temporary Resident Card, or other document.

First Year Applicant

A first year applicant is either (1) one who applies for admission while attending high school, regardless of the amount of college credit earned or (2) one who has graduated from high school, but has never attended a college or university.

Beginning Freshman Admission Requirements
A first year applicant at UIC must complete the following:

  1.  Complete and submit the Common Application Online along with the UIC Supplement. Printed applications will not be accepted.
  2.  Submit the $50 nonrefundable application fee.
  3. Current high school students must submit an official high school transcript, electronically or through the mail, along with the Common Application School Form.
  4. Graduated applicants who have never attended another college or university must submit evidence of graduation from an accredited high school or submit passing scores on the General Educational Development (GED) test.
  5. Complete the American College Test (ACT) or the College Board Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or Scholastic Assessment Test-I (SAT-I). ACT and SAT test scores may be submitted electronically or printed on official transcripts.

Homeschooled students must satisfy all of the above requirements. A homeschool transcript is acceptable if it includes: (1) a list of all subjects/ courses attempted by year; (2) grades or examination results received (both passing and failing); (3) maximum and minimum grades obtainable; and (4) number of units earned.

International applicants must also display evidence of English competency and submit financial certification.

Admission is competitive, and preference is given to those applicants selected to have the best potential for academic success at UIC.

Transfer Applicant

A transfer applicant is one who (1) has completed a minimum of 24 semester or 36 quarter hours of transferable college classroom credit by the time of application and (2) does not meet the definition of a first year applicant or a readmission applicant. While 24 semester or 36 quarter hours are the minimum number of hours required, most curricula require additional credit hours and the completion of some specific core first-year courses. For specific requirements in each curriculum at the time of application and the time of enrollment, consult the undergraduate application online http://www.uic.edu/depts/oar/undergrad/apply_undergrad.html.

Illinois Articulation Initiative
The Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) is a statewide agreement that allows transfer of the completed IAI General Education Core Curriculum (GECC) between participating Illinois institutions. Successful completion of the GECC at any participating college or university in Illinois assures students that general education requirements for the baccalaureate degree have been satisfied. The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) is a participating university.

IAI policies, including GECC requirements, course codes and course descriptions, are presented on the website http://www.iTransfer.org and UIC’s implementation requirements are published below. Students who transfer out of UIC will be held to the requirements of their transfer institution.

Eligibility

Note: The GECC option is made available only when completion of the GECC requirements calls for at least two fewer courses than would be needed to complete UIC’s General Education requirements.

For students who complete the GECC prior to UIC enrollment
New transfer students who enter UIC with the GECC completed must meet with a college advisor to ensure that UIC General Education requirements are marked as fulfilled in the University’s degree audit system. To assist with first-semester course selection at UIC, students should bring a copy of a community college or participating Illinois university transcript which includes a statement showing completion of the IAI GECC to the Transfer Orientation Program.

For students eligible to complete the GECC at UIC


UIC’s GECC Courses
UIC courses approved for the IAI General Education Core Curriculum are listed officially on the IAI website http://www.iTransfer.org.

Acceptance of Traditional Transfer Credit

  1. Admission of transfer students to UIC is based on the transfer course work that is similar in nature, content, and level to that offered by UIC. Such courses are normally referred to as transfer work. Other course work completed, such as technical courses similar in content and level to courses taught at the University, will be used in evaluation for admission only upon the request of the dean of the college to which the student seeks admission.
  2. Transfer credit, as defined above, will be accepted at full value for admission purposes on transfer to the University if earned at institutions of higher education as defined below:
    a. Colleges and universities that offer degree programs comparable to programs offered by UIC and are (1) members of, or hold Candidate for Accreditation status from, the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools or other regional accrediting associations, or (2) accredited by another accrediting agency that is a member of the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation.
    b. Illinois public community colleges that are neither members of nor holders of Candidate for Accreditation status from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, but that are approved and recognized by the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) for a period of time not to exceed five years from the date on which the college registers its first class after achieving ICCB recognition.
  3. Certain colleges and universities do not meet the specifications in 2 above but have been assigned a status by the University Committee on Admissions that permits credit to be accepted on a provisional basis for admission purposes on transfer to UIC. Transfer credit, as defined in 1 above, from such colleges and universities is accepted on a deferred basis to be validated by satisfactory completion of additional work in residence. Validation through satisfactory work in residence may be accomplished by earning at UIC or another fully accrediteda college or university, at least a 2.00/4.00 or 3.00/5.00 grade point average (higher if prescribed by the curriculum the student wishes to enter) in the first 12 to 30 semester hours completed following transfer.
  4. In all cases, the precise amount of transfer credit applicable toward a particular degree will be determined by the University, college, and department concerned after the student has been admitted.
aColleges and universities that meet one or more of the specifications listed in 2 above.


Transfer Student Admission Requirements

  1. Complete and submit the Common Application Online along with the UIC Supplement. Printed applications will not be accepted.
  2.  Submit the $50 nonrefundable application fee.
  3. A transfer applicant must submit evidence of having achieved a minimum transfer grade point average of 2.50/4.00 or 3.50/5.00 on the basis of all transferable work attempted and submit evidence of having completed a minimum of 24 semester or 36 quarter hours of transferable college classroom credit at the time of application. However, most colleges and departments require a higher minimum grade point average, additional credit hours, and the completion of some specific core, first-year courses. For specific information on the requirements for each college, consult the Office of Admissions website http://www.uic.edu/depts/oar/prospective_students/index.html.
  4. For admission purposes, transfer grades for all baccalaureate-oriented course work attempted and accepted are used in computing the transfer student’s average. However, a particular UIC college or school may not accept all courses toward degree requirements.
  5. A transfer applicant who was previously dismissed from a collegiate institution for disciplinary or academic reasons must submit a petition to the Managing Director of Admissions, who will forward the petition to the appropriate committee.
  6. When a course is repeated the grade point average is computed using both grades and all hours for the course. However, credit for the course is only awarded once.
  7. Incomplete grades more than one year old are considered as failing grades in computing the grade point average.
  8. Only course work that is similar in nature, content, and level to that offered by UIC is acceptable.
  9. Technical, vocational, developmental, and remedial course work generally is not transferable.
  10. Courses from other postsecondary institutions must have been completed at the appropriate level to be transferable.
  11. Credit for nontraditional experiential prior learning is not transferable.
  12. Applicants enrolled in another college at the time they plan to apply to UIC should request a transcript from their current institution including a list of the courses they are taking at the beginning of the last term they are enrolled. (Fall applicants currently attending a quarter-based school should apply at the beginning of their winter term.) A final transcript should be sent to UIC as soon as possible after the final term is completed.

International applicants must satisfy additional requirements to be considered for admission. Information pertaining to the additional requirements is available in the following section titled International Applicant.

Admission is competitive, and preference is given to those applicants selected to have the best potential for academic success at UIC.

Intercampus Transfer Applicant
Undergraduate intercampus transfers among the University of Illinois at Chicago, at Springfield, and at Urbana-Champaign may be admitted to another campus provided (1) they meet the requirements of the program, (2) there is space available in the program, and (3) they submit the application and credentials by the application deadline.

Students who are currently enrolled and who are applying to one of the other campuses for the immediately succeeding semester do not pay an application fee. “Immediately succeeding semester” may mean either the spring semester if the applicant completed the fall semester at the other campus, or it may mean the summer or fall term, provided the applicant completed the spring semester at the other campus.

Readmission Applicant
Readmission applicants are former UIC students who were registered as degree-seeking undergraduates and who left the University for two or more semesters in succession (summer session excluded). Readmission applicants are considered for readmission on the basis of their status at the time they left the University, any college work they have completed elsewhere since their last attendance at the University, and the availability of space in the chosen program. Degree-seeking readmission applicants do not pay the application fee.

Students who interrupt their UIC enrollment by 24 months or two academic years in succession (summer session excluded) must reapply.

Former UIC students who left the University on academic dismissal status, regardless of whether they have attended another collegiate institution in the interval, must submit a petition with an application when they apply for readmission. Admission is granted upon approval of the dean of the college concerned and of the Managing Director of Admissions.

Former students who left the University on probation, or who left UIC on clear status but have attended another collegiate institution where they have earned an academic GPA below 2.00/4.00, may be readmitted to the University only with a petition approved by the dean of the college concerned.

A former UIC student who was dismissed for disciplinary reasons must submit a petition to the Managing Director of Admissions, who will forward it to the appropriate committee.

Applicants for readmission to any of the health professional programs should contact the program or department for instructions.

Nondegree Applicant
Students who do not presently wish to enroll in a degree program at UIC, but who wish to take courses for credit may apply for nondegree status. During the fall and spring semesters, acceptance of a student in nondegree status is at the discretion of the dean of the college to which the student is applying. Nondegree applicants for fall and spring semesters must meet all regular admission requirements and complete a current Undergraduate Application, available online http://www.uic.edu/depts/oar/applyonline/undergrad.

Nondegree students are not eligible for most financial aid. Priority in admission and registration is given to degree students.

Summer Session Only Applicant

A student who wishes to take undergraduate courses at UIC during the summer only and who does not intend to continue at UIC in the fall may apply as a Summer Session Only student. Typical Summer Session Only students include students enrolled in degree programs at other colleges or universities who are in the Chicago area for the summer. Individuals who have already completed undergraduate degrees but need to take undergraduate-level courses to fill deficiencies in preparation for advanced study may also apply as Summer Session Only students.

Prospective Summer Session Only students must complete a Summer Session Only Application, available online http://summer.uic.edu/.

Students who wish to attend UIC in the summer and continue in the fall or spring semester need to submit a Summer Session Only application for the summer and the Common Application and UIC Supplement, along with providing the required credentials, for the later term. Each application must be submitted by the appropriate deadline for the specific term of admission.

International Applicant

An international applicant is a person who is a citizen or permanent resident of a country or political area other than the United States and who has a residence outside the United States to which he or she expects to return, and either is, or proposes to be, a temporary alien in the United States for educational purposes.

The University is authorized under federal law to enroll academically qualified nonimmigrant alien students.

International students who will need to apply for F-1 or J-1 immigration status must register as full-time, degree-seeking students and are not eligible for financial aid.


English Language Competency Requirements
See the earlier section on English Language Competency Requirement for All Applicants.


Financial Resources Requirement

In order for international students to enter or remain in the United States for educational purposes, evidence of adequate financial resources must be provided before visa documents can be issued. Acceptable documentation of adequate financial resources includes a UIC Declaration and Certification of Finances available online http://www.ois.uic.edu/students/prospective/certification__declaration_of_finance/ or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Affidavit of Support. Either of these documents must be accompanied by a certified letter from a bank showing evidence of adequate funds in U.S. dollars. The University of Illinois at Chicago does not offer scholarships or other types of financial assistance to international undergraduate students.

Guaranteed Professional Program Admissions

The Guaranteed Professional Program Admissions (GPPA) is one of UIC’s programs for academically talented students. Each fall, up to 150 motivated and highly qualified entering freshmen can be admitted to UIC with admission guaranteed to one of the following professional or graduate programs if undergraduate course and performance criteria are met:

aOffered pursuant to an agreement between UIC and The John Marshall Law School, which is a private institution and is not part of UIC.

Admission to GPPA is competitive, based on each professional program’s requirements for ACT or SAT score, high school percentile rank, preparatory course work, and other criteria. The most successful applicants will have at least a minimum ACT score of 28 or an SAT-I score of 1240 and a high school rank in the top 15% if the high school ranks.  

To be considered for GPPA, students must complete the UIC GPPA section when completing the UIC Supplement on the Common Application website. Applicants are also required to submit two letters of recommendation prior to the appropriate deadline. Applications are accepted from September 1 through January 15 with the exception of College of Medicine applications. Applications to the College of Medicine are accepted from September 1 through December 1. All GPPA decisions will be announced in early April.

To request more GPPA information, consult the website http://www.gppa.uic.edu. Application and program information questions can be directed to (312) 355-3407 or gppauic@uic.edu.

Honors College

The UIC Honors College enhances opportunities for intellectual challenge and leadership by fostering a community of academic excellence, connecting outstanding undergraduate students with premier faculty mentors and promoting scholarly engagement. By bringing together exceptional undergraduate students, faculty and staff, the Honors College provides an environment for advanced intellectual growth and a foundation for life-long learning.

First Year applicants, transfer students, or currently enrolled UIC students may apply to the Honors College. Honors College students may pursue any undergraduate major.

First Year applicants who have strong academic records as well as extracurricular or leadership experience are encouraged to apply. Transfer students who have earned a minimum 3.4 grade point average are also encouraged to apply to the Honors College, as well as current UIC students who have earned a minimum 3.4 UIC grade point average and have at least three semesters left before graduation.

For specific instructions on how to apply please consult the Honors College website: http://www.uic.edu/honors/applying/

Alternative Sources of Credit

Credit Through ACT or SAT

See Credit by Examination in the Academic Standing section of the catalog.

Credit for Military Service
Completion of not less than six months of extended active duty in any branch of the armed forces of the United States entitles an applicant to 4 semester hours in basic military science. These four hours will not be used in determining grade point average for transfer admission. Some colleges may limit or not allow credit in basic military science to count toward the degree. Refer to the sections for the individual colleges in this catalog for details.

Credit is also allowed for those United States Armed Forces Institute (USAFI) courses for which the American Council on Education recommends credit at the baccalaureate level, provided the student has passed the appropriate USAFI end-of-course test or examination.

Credit for service school courses successfully completed and for other courses taken while the student was in service may be allowed after the applicant is approved for admission. It is the enrolled student’s responsibility to contact the Office of Admissions for an evaluation of service courses for which transcripts are presented.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP) Credits
See Credit by Examination in the Academic Standing section of the catalog.

Credit Through Advanced Placement Program (AP)
See Credit by Examination in the Academic Standing section of the catalog.

Credit Through the International Baccalaureate Program (IB)
See Credit by Examination in the Academic Standing section of the catalog.