Undergraduate Admission: ADMISSION OF BEGINNING FRESHMEN

NOTE: This document was generated from the 1995-1997 UIUC Programs of Study. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, but be advised that requirements may have changed since this book was published. Errors may have also been introduced in the conversion to a WWW document. Thus for items of importance, it might be wise to seek confirmation from either the paper version or a live human being.

Dates for filing complete applications for admission are given in the following and other application calendars. Each deadline date applies as long as space remains available in the desired curriculum. Any applicant claiming exceptional circumstances that justify special consideration should appeal in writing to the director of admissions and records for an extension of filing deadline dates. Only rarely, however, are spaces available by these late dates, and applicants are encouraged to apply during the periods indicated in the application calendars.

Requirements for Admission

To assist prospective applicants in assessing their opportunities for admission, application guidelines based on previous years' admission decisions are published annually in the application materials. They are guidelines only. Final admission standards depend upon the number and qualifications of applicants to each program.

Admission decisions are based primarily on the following objective criteria: (a) the courses taken in high school and (b) a combination of high school rank in class and admission test score. Anyone approved for admission must have at least a one-in-two (50 percent) chance of achieving a 3.0 (C) average for one or more terms of the first academic year on the campus.

If the number of qualified applicants to a college or curriculum exceeds the admission quota, those best qualified will be admitted. "Best qualified" will be determined by a combination of high school rank in class and admission test score. In determining the admission of those applicants near the borderline of the competitive applicant pool, additional criteria may be considered. These additional factors are described in the Background Statement section that follows.

Admission Test Information

Each beginning freshman applicant, regardless of rank in class or length of time out of school, is required to submit an admission test score from either the American College Testing (ACT) program or the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) of the College Entrance Examination Board. An applicant will not complete the admission requirements until the test score is received by the Office of Admissions and Records in the form of an official score report sent directly from the testing agency concerned. Complete information concerning the test, the dates of test administration, and the location of testing centers may be obtained from high school counselors or by writing to the appropriate testing agency: American College Testing, Box 168, Iowa City, Iowa 52240, or College Board, 45 Columbus Avenue, New York, New York 10023-6917.

A prospective applicant is urged to complete an admission test in the spring of his or her junior year in high school.

Background Statement

Objective academic qualifications will be the major factors considered in admission decisions. In addition, the Office of Admissions and Records also attempts to identify those applicants whose class ranks and admission test scores or transfer grade-point averages may underpredict their likelihood of success, and those whose admission would add diversity to the educational and social environment of the campus.

An applicant who believes that his or her academic credentials do not adequately reflect his or her potential may complete the Background Statement on the application form. The applicant should be aware, however, that unless he or she is close to meeting the guidelines published for the college to which application is being made, the Background Statement may have little impact on the admission decision.

A student who attends a highly selective high school for which a profile may not be on file with the Office of Admissions and Records is urged to have a counselor attach the school profile to the student's transcript and to request a review through the Background Statement.

Among the factors the Office of Admissions and Records may consider in making decisions are (1) extenuating circumstances that significantly affected, for a period of time, an otherwise exceptionally good academic record; (2) an economically disadvantaged environment; (3) an age group or a cultural or ethnic background that will add diversity to the campus; (4) completion of Advanced Placement or honors-level courses in high school; (5) significant work experiences related to the requested field of study; and (6) performance at a level that has brought state or national recognition in a specific field of endeavor.

Application Documents

An applicant for admission as a freshman must submit the following (all credentials presented for admission or readmission become the permanent property of the University, are not subsequently released to the student or to another individual or institution, and are not held for reconsideration of admission to subsequent terms):

-- A completed admission application form. Admission application forms are available from high school counselors and from the Office of Admissions and Records. High school students should submit applications through their high schools.

-- A $30 ($40 for international students) check or money order (amount subject to change), payable to the University of Illinois, in payment of the nonrefundable application processing fee. The University is not responsible for cash sent through the mail.

-- An official high school transcript sent directly to the Office of Admissions and Records from the high school showing course work completed by the applicant, the date of graduation, and the size of the graduating class and the applicant's numerical rank. (Since it is the policy of the University to accept for admission the academically best qualified of applicants competing for limited spaces, the University needs an objective measure of the applicant's academic qualification that is comparable to measures used by other high schools. Descriptive statements are generally not comparable from school to school and probably will work to the applicant's disadvantage unless accompanied by a numerical class rank. Therefore, high school personnel are urged to provide a numerical class ranking. Students from three-year senior high schools should request that certification of work taken in the ninth grade be included on or with the transcript. Eighth-grade work for high school credit also should be included.)

-- An official admission test score report (ACT or SAT) sent directly to the Office of Admissions and Records from the testing agency.

-- A transcript of any college-level course work completed by the freshman applicant sent directly from the collegiate institution attended.

Next in section: Application Calendar: Freshman Applicants

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