United States · Chicago, Illinois
University of Chicago
Economics, physics and the social sciences, taught in discussion-heavy seminars
Photo: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
- QS World Ranking 2027
- #24
- Founded
- 1890
- Students
- 16,000
- Bachelor's degree
- 4 years
- Acceptance rate
- ~4.5% overall (Fall 2025 entry, CDS 2025-26); international rate not published
- How admission works
- Same materials and deadlines as for domestic first-year applicants. English proficiency scores are optional if your application already shows mastery of English; there is no ESL programme.
- Language of instruction
- English
The university publishes no IB or A-level requirement.
Worth knowing
UChicago runs on quarters, not semesters. International students make up 24% of the university and come from more than 100 countries.
How hard is it to get in, and why
The Common Data Set for Fall 2025 shows 45,533 first-year applicants and 2,039 admitted (4.5%); it gives no admit rate for international applicants. Applications are read in the context of your school and country. English test scores are optional for international applicants, and the university accepts InitialView interview recordings.
What it costs
Tuition
$76k per year
2026-27 tuition is $75,960. Living costs come from the Common Data Set: first-year with on-campus food and housing ($21,414) plus fees $2,715, books $1,800, travel $702 and other $1,950 gives $28,581; off-campus food and housing is $18,000 with fees of $1,995, which gives $24,447.
Living costs
$24k–29k per year
Scholarships and financial aid
First-year international applicants are eligible for both need-based and merit-based aid. Need-based gift aid is meant to cover tuition and fees as far as possible, and an international stipend can help with food, housing and travel. Aid that is not requested in the admissions process cannot be requested in later years.
How to apply
International applicants apply in the same way and on the same deadlines as domestic first-year applicants, and are read in the context of their school. English scores are optional. Interview recordings from InitialView are welcome. If you will need aid at any point in four years, you must apply during the admissions process: you complete the UChicago Financial Aid Worksheet and send proof of family income and assets.
Official websiteWhat makes it special
- 7,453 undergraduates in the College and 16,406 students in total (Fall 2025).
- 323 of the 1,786 first-years in Fall 2025 were international.
- International students get a stipend on top of grants for food, housing and travel if their need requires it.
- The College has a 95.0% six-year graduation rate (2019 cohort).
About studying in United States
Four-year degrees and holistic admissions: universities read essays, recommendations and a record of what you have built or led, not only grades. Applications go through the Common App by early November (early rounds) or early January; most top universities have brought back SAT or ACT scores. Sticker prices are the highest in the world, but Harvard, MIT, Yale, Princeton and a few others admit international students without looking at family income and then cover the full demonstrated need.
Teaching staff
The dossier on teaching staff for this university is still being written.
The campus in photographs
Photographs come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences; the author and licence are shown on each image.
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