University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) vs CU-Boulder

Nestled in the heart of the Midwest, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) stands as a beacon of academic excellence, while nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) captivates with its stunning natural beauty. Both universities offer a world-class education, but they differ in several key aspects. UIUC boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students, while CU Boulder's smaller student body fosters a more intimate learning environment. UIUC excels in engineering and computer science, while CU Boulder shines in environmental studies and business. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover more distinctions between these two prestigious institutions and make an informed decision about your academic future.

	University of Colorado Boulder	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Overview
Location	Boulder, Colorado	Champaign, Illinois
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	87.0%	93.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	79.6%	59.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $70
SAT range	1170 - 1390	1320 - 1510
ACT range	25 - 31	29 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	32.0%	43.0%
Students submitting ACT score	16.0%	24.0%
Total number of applicants	54,756	47,593
Total number of admissions given out	43,576	28,395
Admitted students who chose to enroll	6,785	8,297
Yield rate	15.6%	29.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $29,725 Out of state: $55,543	In state: $31,636 Out of state: $49,086
Average net price	$22,532	$14,272
Tuition	In state: $10,728 Out of state: $36,546	In state: $12,254 Out of state: $29,704
Room & board	$15,220	$12,494
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	53.0% Average amount $9,214	82.0% Average amount $11,212
Students receiving federal student loan	27.0% Average amount $4,986	33.0% Average amount $4,889
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $24,094	8.0% Average amount $7,014

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	30,886 Men 54.8% Women 45.2%	34,779 Men 54.1% Women 45.9%
Graduate students	8,114 Men 57.8% Women 42.2%	21,828 Men 55.8% Women 44.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	48.8%	19.1%
International students	7.1%	20.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	7,500	16,111
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Colorado California Texas Illinois New York	Illinois California New Jersey Texas New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Engineering Communication and Journalism Visual & Performing Arts Legal Profession	Engineering Business Computer and Information Science Agriculture Education
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	21:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	74.0%	84.9%
Dropout rate	8.6%	14.2%
Transferred out	15.9%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Engineering, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,752 Year 2: $116,679 Year 3: $121,033 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $97,071 Year 3: $118,373 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,907 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $108,458 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $85,254 Year 2: $89,641 Year 3: $97,860 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,200 Year 2: $75,706 Year 3: $92,272 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $87,191 Year 2: $80,503 Year 3: $87,258 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,023 Year 2: $75,204 Year 3: $86,676 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,804 Year 2: $75,921 Year 3: $85,563 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $75,633 Year 2: $83,177 Year 3: $85,039 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,440 Year 2: $71,957 Year 3: $83,132	Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $144,200 Year 2: $138,932 Year 3: $205,343 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $101,262 Year 2: $101,592 Year 3: $118,452 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,177 Year 2: $95,930 Year 3: $115,158 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $88,455 Year 2: $84,100 Year 3: $103,246 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $87,923 Year 2: $93,033 Year 3: $99,026 Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,057 Year 2: $99,404 Year 3: $96,431 Veterinary Medicine (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $83,448 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $93,057 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $87,643 Year 2: $87,604 Year 3: $92,498 Law (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $67,633 Year 2: $74,200 Year 3: $92,189 Engineering Physics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,606 Year 2: $74,845 Year 3: $90,556

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