University in United States
Chicago, IL, United States
University profile
The University of Chicago is an urban research university that has pursued new ways of thinking since 1890. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, and it also has seven international campuses and centers around the world. The 217-acre campus is a designated botanic garden, and its core was modeled on the English Gothic architecture of Oxford, with quadrangles linking the original academic buildings. The university's motto is Crescat scientia; vita excolatur, and its teams are the Maroons.
Undergraduates enter the College, where a distinctive Core curriculum runs through the humanities, social sciences, and physical and biological sciences, alongside the historical development of civilizations. Students choose from 53 majors and 47 minors in the College. Graduate and professional study is offered through four divisions and seven professional schools, with more than 100 graduate degree programs in full-time, part-time, executive and online formats.
Divisions and schools
The university is affiliated with two U.S. Department of Energy laboratories, Argonne National Laboratory (prime contractor through UChicago Argonne LLC since 1946) and Fermilab (co-contractor since 2007). It also operates the Laboratory Schools and three charter school campuses on the South Side. 101 Nobel laureates are affiliated with the university.
Student life centers on seven residence halls that host 48 Houses of about 80 students each, with four dining commons. There are more than 350 recognized student organizations, 18 varsity sports teams and 39 intramural sport clubs. Students come from more than 100 countries, and international students make up 24% of the student population.
UChicago meets 100% of demonstrated need with grants rather than loans for all families, and provided over $225 million in financial support to its students in 2025. Families earning less than $250,000 per year receive free tuition. Aid packages are based on estimated full costs including tuition, housing, health insurance, a meal plan and personal expenses. Families who apply for aid pay no application fee.
Institutional aid deadlines for first-year applicants: Early Action and Early Decision I, November 15; Early Decision II, January 15; Regular Decision, February 15.
All first-year applicants are automatically considered for merit scholarships on the basis of academic and extracurricular achievement, leadership and community commitment; no separate application is needed. Awards include the University Scholarship, First Phoenix Scholarship, National Police and Fire Scholarship, Chicago Public Schools awards, the UChicago Partner Schools Scholarship, a scholarship for dependents of faculty and staff, and the City Colleges of Chicago Star Scholarship.
Odyssey Scholars come from lower-income families or are the first in their families to attend college, and receive extra academic, social and career support, funded study abroad, a funded summer internship or research opportunity, and paid university health insurance. All students applying for need-based aid are automatically considered.
International students from more than 100 countries are eligible for need-based aid only if they apply at the time of admission; nearly $20 million in need-based aid was offered to international students over four years. Aid is loan-free and meets 100% of demonstrated need. Applicants complete the Student Financial Aid Worksheet through their UChicago Account (not the CSS Profile or FAFSA) with family income and asset documentation. International merit scholarships are partial-tuition awards, either one lump sum or renewable annually, with winners notified on a rolling basis through the end of April.
Financial aid overview | International financial aid | Scholarships
UChicago Need-Based Financial Aid (College) →
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View scholarships for University of Chicago →First-year applicants apply through Apply Coalition, Powered by Scoir or the Common Application, both treated equally, and both include the UChicago Supplement: one extended essay chosen from several prompts and one short essay on why the applicant wishes to attend. Applicants also create a UChicago Account, used to update the profile, apply for financial aid, upload materials and view the decision. Admission is for the Autumn Quarter only, except for students-at-large.
Required materials: application and supplement essays, two teacher evaluations from academic-subject teachers, secondary school report and transcript (self-submitted transcripts are accepted for review; official ones are required only on enrolling), a mid-year report, and the application fee or an automatic fee waiver. The application fee is $90; there is no fee for students applying for need-based financial aid. Transcripts in another language need a certified translation and grading scale.
SAT and ACT scores are optional under a test-optional, "No Harm" policy: submitted scores are used only if they positively affect the admission decision. Self-reported scores are accepted. The SAT code is 1832 and the ACT code is 1152.
Transfer applicants submit a college report from a dean, registrar or adviser, transcripts from every post-secondary school attended and a final high school transcript, with two recommendations from college instructors. Transfer test scores are accepted from the February ACT or March SAT.
International applicants apply as other first-year applicants, with the same materials and deadlines, and are read in the context of their school. A student who is neither a U.S. citizen nor a U.S. permanent resident is an international applicant for financial aid purposes. English proficiency scores from any recognized examination may be submitted but are not required where English mastery is shown elsewhere in the application. No ESL program is offered. First-year international applicants are eligible for need-based and merit-based aid; international transfer applicants are not eligible for financial aid and must document that they can fully finance their education.
Graduate and professional admission is handled by each program through the university's online application system (more than 100 programs). Contact: [email protected].
Athletics fields 18 varsity teams and 39 intramural sport clubs, and the university runs the Laboratory Schools and three charter school campuses on Chicago's South Side.
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