BA History at University of Chicago

Programme overview

The Department of History at the University of Chicago teaches skills and habits of mind that prepare students for a wide field of endeavors—from law, government, and public policy to the arts and business. Majoring in history prepares students to become producers of knowledge and responsible consumers of the same. As a history major, you will explore large-scale social, cultural, and political processes, locate the primary and secondary sources necessary to develop answers to critical historical questions, and, with the assistance of dedicated faculty, transform your research into historical

Faculty: The College | Department: History | Study mode: full-time | Intake: Autumn | Location: Chicago, IL, United States

What you will study

Colloquium Track —Students are not required to produce a final thesis or project and instead take additional electives. Students complete 12 courses, including Historiography and the Research Colloquium.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Admission is to the College, not to the major (university-level requirement): first-year applicants apply through the Common Application or Apply Coalition with the UChicago supplement essays and submit the secondary school report and transcript, two teacher evaluations and a mid-year report; testing follows the University's No Harm Testing Policy. Majors are declared after enrolment and must satisfy the College general education Core plus the major requirements listed in the catalogue.

USD 75,960 a year (2026-27). College tuition for the 2026-27 academic year (cost of attendance table); excludes student services fee, U-Pass fee, class fee, housing, food and books. Source

First-year admission is offered for entrance in the Autumn Quarter only (except prospective students-at-large).

First-year application plans (as published for the 2025-26 cycle): Early Decision I and Early Action deadline 3 November 2025; Early Decision II and Regular Decision deadline 5 January 2026. Applications are accepted through the Common Application and Apply Coalition, Powered by Scoir. An application fee or automatic fee waiver is required, SAT/ACT scores are covered by the No Harm Testing Policy.

Apply through the official page: https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/apply/application/

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