Personal Information
All applicants will be required to provide the following personal information: full legal name, permanent and mailing addresses, email address, birth date, legal sex, native language, country of citizenship, country of permanent residence, and birth location.
All applicants will be given the opportunity to provide additional personal information, such as their parents' level of education. This information is voluntary and not required.
Domestic applicants will also be given the opportunity to provide their social security number, race and ethnicity information, and veteran information. This information is voluntary and not required.
Domestic applicants will be required to provide legal state of residence information to determine if you qualify for Illinois resident tuition.
Program Information
The Proposed Program Information application section allows you to pick the program and term you are applying for, as well as answer program-specific questions.
Previous University of Illinois Affiliation
If you have previously been an applicant, student, or employee of the University of Illinois, please be prepared to provide your previously issued University ID Number (UIN).
Proposed Program of Study
You will be asked to pick your Proposed Program (department), Degree, Field of Specialization (if applicable), and Desired Term of Enrollment.
Once an application deadline has passed for a specific term, that term will no longer display. Check with your proposed program of study office for application deadlines.
You may be asked to indicate any faculty members you are interested in working with during your studies at Illinois. Some programs will have additional program-specific questions on this page. Please note that some departments may consider your application for multiple programs if your application is not selected for admission by your original proposed program.
Academic History
The Academic History application section requires you to provide detailed information about all post-secondary institutions you have attended.
For each institution, you will need to provide the following information: institution name and location, degree received or expected, attendance and degree date, academic major, and grade point average.
If you received multiple degrees from an institution, you will need to list this institution multiple times. For example, if you received a bachelor's and master's degree from an institution, you will need to list this institution twice in order to provide information about both earned degrees.
Please note that you will be required to upload your transcripts for each institution you have attended. English translations should also be uploaded if the credentials are not in English. If your degree has been awarded and your degree information is not listed on your transcript, you will also need to upload a copy of your diploma or certificate of degree. Please also include a copy of the transcript legend or university key (back page in most cases) for each institution. Please obtain an electronic version or scan a copy of the credentials at the lowest resolution that results in a legible document (we recommend using under 200 dpi whenever possible). Scanning in "gray scale" or black and white may produce the best results. Please be certain that your document is saved as a PDF file or Word document.
Important: The uploaded document must include your name and the institution name.
Multiple upload buttons will be available if needed. Once you upload one document, you will be prompted to upload another document if applicable. You will also be able to click the "view document" button to verify whether the uploaded document is legible. If it is not legible, then try again.
All credentials uploaded to the online application are considered unofficial. You will be asked to submit official credentials (transcripts, academic records, diplomas, certificates of degrees, etc.) only if you are admitted. These must be submitted during your first term of enrollment at the University of Illinois.
The University of Illinois reserves the right to require official credentials at any time during the admissions process and rescind any offer of admission made if discrepancies between unofficial and official credentials are found.
Test Scores
The Test Scores application section is where you should list the scores of any relevant test(s) you have taken, such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), or English Proficiency Scores, such as the TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test.
The GRE and GMAT tests are not required for admission to the Graduate College, but they may be required for admission to your proposed program of study; therefore, it is important to contact your proposed program of study office for specific requirements.
Important: The scores reported in this section are considered unofficial; you must request the official score to be sent to the University from the organization administering the test – our institution code number is 1836. You may also be asked to select a department code; please select the code that best matches your proposed program of study, but please note that it does not matter which department code you choose, as scores sent to the University will be accessible by all programs.
Resume and Application Statements
Resume / Curriculum Vitae
Most graduate programs require a resume or curriculum vitae.
Academic Statements
All applicants will be expected to upload an academic statement. The length of these statements is chosen by your proposed program of study and range from 500 to 1000 words maximum.
Most research-focused programs require students to answer the following prompts in this statement:
- How has your academic background, including any training, research, or other educational experiences, prepared you for graduate study?
- What are your intellectual interests, and what scholarly questions are you interested in exploring in graduate study?
- Are there any specific faculty members whose research interests align with your own with whom you would like to work?
- How will our program help you achieve your academic and professional goals?
Most professional-focused programs require students to answer the following prompts in this statement:
- How has your academic and professional background, including any professional training, prepared you for graduate study?
- How will our program help you achieve your intellectual and professional goals?
- What are your academic interests, and why do you wish to pursue graduate studies in this specific program?
Personal Statements
All applicants are presented with a series of short-answer personal statement essay questions. Each essay has a 250-word maximum. Questions 1-2 are required from all applicants, while questions 3-4 are optional (your response is voluntary and not answering these questions will not affect your admissions decision).
Question #1: Please describe pivotal experiences, opportunities, and/or challenges (including any financial or access barriers) that have influenced your educational and professional development.
Question #2: At Illinois, we value a student’s ability to contribute to a community of inclusion, belonging, and respect where our graduate students can learn and collaborate productively and positively. Please provide an example of how you contributed to or engaged with a community of students or colleagues with different perspectives, abilities, and experiences to achieve a positive outcome, and reflect on what you learned from this experience.
Question #3: If you believe that your academic record does not demonstrate your true capabilities, please explain why. You may also discuss any gaps in your academic and professional experience.
Question #4: If there is something that you would like to share with the admissions committee that you have yet to discuss in other areas of the application, please do so here. If needed, you may also use this space to expand upon the topics discussed in the above essays.
AI Guidance
Applicants are expected to write authentic responses to these questions. While AI and search engine services can provide guidance and suggestions, admissions committees are looking for your unique experiences and perspectives. Responses generated exclusively by AI should not be submitted.
Additional Materials
Some programs require additional materials such as a writing sample, research statement, or specific program essay. These requirements will be outlined in the online application but you should visit your proposed program of study's website to help you prepare these documents.
Recommendation Letters
Most graduate programs require three letters of reference. Check with your proposed program of study office regarding the number required. Your recommenders will be required to submit letters of reference using the online recommendation system.
The application will require this information prior to allowing you to submit your online application. However, you do not need to wait for your recommenders to submit their letters before you submit your online application. You can and should submit your online application prior to your recommenders submitting their letters.
If you have submitted an application to another program or term previously, you are able to import these recommendations to this application. If you are asking these references to provide a new letter, do not import these reference records as they will not receive a new request to submit a new letter.
Recommendation Selection
Recommendations should be provided from employers, supervisors, professors, or others who are able to comment on your professional and educational goals and potential (no friends or relatives please).
Recommendation letters should specifically address your ability to succeed in your proposed academic program and discuss any experience that may have prepared you to succeed in the program.
Right to View Letters
For each recommendation record you add, you will be asked if you wish to waive your right to view these letters. Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, students have access to their education record, including letters of recommendation. However, students may waive their right to see these letters, in which case the letters will be held in confidence. Please note that the right to access these letters only applies to those students who are admitted and matriculate into a graduate program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
If you chose to NOT waive your rights to view your letter of recommendation and later want to change this decision, the only way to do so is to exclude the original recommender record and then add a new recommender record with all the same information for the recommender, but change your waiver section response.
Making Changes to your Recommender
You can make changes to your recommender list by logging back into your application. To add a recommender, simply click the “Add Recommender” link and follow the provided instructions.
If you wish to exclude a recommender, you may do so as long as the recommendation letter has not yet been submitted. You’ll need to click on the name of the recommender that needs to be excluded and following the prompts to exclude them. This will remove the reference from consideration. If you later want to reinstate a previously excluded reference, you will need to access the References page again, then click the excluded recommender’s name and click the grey “Reinstate” button at the bottom to reinstate the reference and have it available for consideration.
Application Fee
Once you have submitted your application, you will be required to pay your application fee by credit card. The fee must be paid prior to your program's deadline, or your application will be unsubmitted. The fee is non-refundable, and your application cannot be reviewed until the application fee has been processed.
The application fee amount is determined by your citizenship and/or visa status.
- Domestic applicants are required to submit a $70.00 application fee.
- International applicants are required to submit a $90.00 application fee.
Application Fee Waivers
The below listed domestic applicants are eligible for an application fee waiver or exemption and can indicate so on the online application. International applicants are not eligible for an application fee waiver unless coming under a valid exchange agreement that has an approved application fee waiver.
University of Illinois Employees: This includes Civil Service Staff, Academic Professionals, and Faculty only. Academic Hourly and Student Employee positions do not qualify for an application fee waiver.
Illinois Promise (I-Promise) Scholars: I-Promise Scholars are eligible for application fee waivers when applying to a graduate program.
Big Ten Academic Alliance FreeApp Applicants: FreeApp is a program designed to increase access to graduate education for students who possess qualities and experiences that enhance the diversity of the intellectual, cultural, and social environments at Big Ten Academic Alliance universities. As long as you have submitted your FreeApp application and indicated interest in Illinois prior to submitting your online application to Illinois, we will approve your fee waiver. The Big Ten Academic Alliance sends us a list of all applicants who complete the FreeApp application and indicate interest in Illinois, so no additional documentation is needed. For more information on this program and the eligibility requirements, and to submit your FreeApp application, please visit this page.
SROP Participants: If you have participated in an SROP (Summer Research Opportunities Program) at the University of Illinois or another institution in the United States, you may qualify for an application fee waiver. You will be prompted to upload documentation of your SROP participation on this page. This documentation is required prior to submitting your application.
McNair Scholars: If you are a current McNair Scholar, please ask your current institution to provide you with a letter of proof of your McNair status that you can upload to your online application. This documentation will be required before you can submit your application. For more information about the McNair Scholar program, please visit the Office of Minority Student Affairs (OMSA) website.
United States Military Service: If you have previously or are currently serving in the United States Military, you are eligible for an application fee waiver. You will be prompted to upload documentation of your service on this page. This documentation is required prior to submitting your application.
Allied Agencies Applicants: If you are affiliated with one of our allied agencies, you may indicate your allied agency in this section. You will be prompted to upload documentation of your affiliation with this allied agency on this page. This documentation is required prior to submitting your application.