All students wishing to receive financial aid are required to 1) submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to UIC and 2) must have their correct social security number on file.

FAFSA recommends that students and their parents prepare and submit the form as soon as possible after January 1st. UIC’s priority deadline for completing the FAFSA is March 1st.

The social security number should be on file with UIC in order for Financial Aid to connect the FAFSA information to the student account. If the social security number was not entered on the application or was entered incorrectly, please contact the Office of Admissions at (312) 996-4350 for further instructions.

UIC encourages students to submit ACT/SAT test scores electronically directly from the testing agency. The UIC code for the ACT is 1155. The UIC code for the SAT is 1851. Test scores presented on official high school transcripts may also be accepted.

UIC looks for well-rounded students who possess a strong high school transcript which includes A and B grades in college preparatory courses. Taking advantage of Honors and Advance Placement courses is also recommended, as well as involvement in extracurricular activities.

The admissions committee carefully reviews each application individually. Due to the holistic review approach, this process does take some time to complete. A majority of the decisions will be issued between the January 15th application deadline and the end of March, because applications are reviewed based on the strength of the applicant pool as a whole. This is not a hard deadline, however, and if your child has not received a decision by the end of March you can contact the Admissions Office at (312) 996-4350 for further details regarding a decision time frame.

Each recommender role has a different type of form to complete, except for Advisors, who do not submit forms. Counselors, Teachers, and Other Recommenders all have the opportunity to upload a letter of recommendation and share how they know the applicant.

To begin working on a student’s forms, click on their name in the Student section.

Counselors and Teachers also have additional information to complete and share.

No, you may select either opt out or decline rather than writing an individual recommendation for every student. Applicants will not be penalized if their counselor is unable or chooses not to supply a recommendation. Counselor recommendations, just like personal statements, are often beneficial during our review process but they can never hurt an applicant's chances of admission.

No, UIC has not required letters of recommendation in the past and will not require them as we switch to the Common Application. Students will not be penalized in any way if recommendation letters are not submitted. Letters of recommendation will continue to be used as a positive consideration but if not submitted, will not negatively affect a student's chances of being admitted.

However, if a student is applying to the Honors College or GPPA, letters of recommendation are required.

UIC will accept either the NACAC or College Board fee waiver request forms for First-Year applications. Both forms must be signed and submitted by the high school counselor. The NACAC form can be submitted electronically through the Common Application School Forms as long as the applicant supplied their counselor’s email address when assigning the School Forms.

Students can submit test scores through the College Board or ACT website. We can also accept test scores submitted directly by counselors from the student's transcript. Students can also upload an unofficial copy of their score through the applicant portal. To review our test optional policy, please refer to the test optional FAQs at go.uic.edu/test-optional.