University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Former names	Illinois Industrial University (1867–1885) University of Illinois (1885–1982)
Motto	"Learning & Labor"
Type	Public land-grant research university
Established	1867; 158 years ago (1867)
Parent institution	University of Illinois System
Accreditation	HLC
Academic affiliations	AAU URA Sea-grant Space-grant
Endowment	$3.82 billion (2021) (system-wide)
Budget	$7.2 billion (2022) (system-wide)
Chancellor	Robert J. Jones
President	Timothy L. Killeen
Provost	Andreas C. Cangellaris
Academic staff	2,548
Administrative staff	7,842
Students	53,271 (Spring 2023)
Undergraduates	33,186 (Spring 2023)
Postgraduates	20,085 (Spring 2023)
Location	Urbana and Champaign , Illinois , United States
Campus	Small City, 6,370 acres (2,578 ha)
Newspaper	The Daily Illini
Colors	Orange and Blue
Nickname	Fighting Illini
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division I FBS – Big Ten

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (often called U of I or UIUC) is a large public university in Champaign and Urbana, Illinois, USA. It is the main campus of the University of Illinois system. The university started in 1867. It is one of the biggest public universities in the country, with over 56,000 students.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is known for its strong research programs. It is part of the Association of American Universities, a group of leading research universities. In 2019, the university spent $652 million on research. Its library system has the fourth-largest collection of books and materials in the United States. The university also has the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, which is home to the fastest supercomputer on a university campus.

The university has 16 schools and colleges. It offers more than 150 different study programs for undergraduate students and over 100 for graduate students. The campus has 651 buildings spread across 6,370 acres (2,578 ha) of land. It also runs a Research Park. This park helps new companies and big businesses work together on new ideas.

The university's sports teams are called the Fighting Illini. They compete in NCAA Division I and are part of the Big Ten Conference. The Fighting Illini have won many conference titles. Illinois athletes have also won 29 medals in the Olympic Games. Many people connected to the university, including students, teachers, and researchers, have won important awards like the Nobel Prize and the Pulitzer Prize.

Exploring the University's Past

How the University Began

The original University Hall, which stood until 1938. Parts of it were used to build the Hallene Gateway in 1998.

The University of Illinois first opened as "Illinois Industrial University" in 1867. It was one of many universities created under the Morrill Land-Grant Acts. These acts gave public land to states to build colleges focused on agriculture and industry. Urbana was chosen as the location for the new school.

The first president, John Milton Gregory, wanted the university to teach a wide range of subjects, including liberal arts. This was different from some people who only wanted it to focus on "industrial education." The university welcomed its first 77 students on March 2, 1868.

John Milton Gregory, the university's first president.

The university library started with over 1,000 books in 1868. Later, President Edmund J. James suggested building a large research library. Today, it is one of the biggest public academic libraries in the world. The Mumford House, built in 1870, is the oldest building on campus. It was a model farmhouse for the school's experimental farm.

Changing the Name to University of Illinois

In 1885, the school officially changed its name to the "University of Illinois." This new name showed that it now taught agriculture, mechanical skills, and liberal arts.

During his time as president (1904–1920), Edmund J. James helped bring many Chinese international students to campus. He built connections with China. During this time, school spirit grew, partly because of exciting sports teams led by coach Bob Zuppke.

The Alma Mater statue by Lorado Taft.

The Morrow Plots in front of the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology.

The Alma Mater statue, a famous landmark on campus, was revealed on June 11, 1929. It was paid for by donations from alumni and student classes.

The Great Depression in the 1930s slowed down building on campus. After World War II, the university grew quickly. More students enrolled, and its academic reputation improved. The 1950s and 1960s saw some student protests, like "water fights," which were common at many universities.

Becoming University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

By 1967, the University of Illinois system had its main campus in Champaign-Urbana and two campuses in Chicago. People started calling the main campus "Urbana-Champaign" to tell it apart. The university officially changed its name to the "University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign" by 1977. Most of the campus is in Urbana. This name change helped the main campus have its own identity within the larger university system.

In 1998, the Hallene Gateway Plaza was opened. It includes the original sandstone entrance from University Hall, one of the first buildings on campus. In recent years, the university has received less money from the state. Because of this, most of its budget now comes from other sources, like tuition and donations.

In 2015, the university decided to create a new medical school, the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. This was the first new college built at Urbana-Champaign in 60 years. Classes began in 2018.

University Support from Donors

Over the past 20 years, state funding for the university has decreased. Private donations from people and groups have become very important. They now make up about 19% of the university's yearly budget.

Many people have given large amounts of money. For example, alumnus Thomas M. Siebel has given almost $150 million. This includes money for the Thomas M. Siebel Center for Computer Science and the Siebel Center for Design. The Grainger Foundation has also given over $300 million, including for the Grainger Engineering Library. In 2017, Larry Gies and his wife Beth donated $150 million to the business college, which was then renamed the Gies College of Business.

Exploring the Campus

Green Street in Campustown.

The university's main buildings are split almost equally between the cities of Urbana and Champaign. These two cities together form the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area.

The center of the university has four main areas, called quads. The Beckman Quadrangle and the John Bardeen Quadrangle are in the middle of the Engineering Campus. A small stream called Boneyard Creek flows through the John Bardeen Quadrangle. The Beckman Quadrangle has many research labs and a large solar calendar. The Main Quadrangle and South Quadrangle are next. The Main Quadrangle is home to many Liberal Arts and Sciences buildings. The South Quadrangle has many buildings for the College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES).

The research fields for the ACES college stretch south from Urbana and Champaign. The university also has beautiful gardens and a conference center at Allerton Park in nearby Monticello.

The campus is known for its beautiful design and buildings. Several buildings and sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, including Harker Hall and the Astronomical Observatory. The University of Illinois Willard Airport is one of the few airports owned by a university.

Panorama facing north on UIUC's Main Quad.

Protecting the Environment

Animal Science Laboratory.

College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.

In 2008, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign promised to become carbon-neutral as soon as possible. This means reducing its carbon footprint to zero. In 2010, the first Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) was created to help reach this goal. The iCAP is a plan to meet the university's goals of being carbon-neutral by 2050 or sooner. It also aims to build a stronger community. The iCAP is updated every five years to track progress.

In 2013, the university started the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE). This institute brings together different fields of study to find solutions for global problems related to sustainability, energy, and the environment. iSEE also involves students and staff in efforts to reduce waste and save energy, food, water, and natural resources.

In 2022, the university earned its fifth gold certification in the STARS program. This shows its strong commitment to sustainability. The campus now has 27 buildings that are LEED certified, meaning they meet high standards for energy efficiency and environmental design.

Academic Life and Programs

How to Get Admitted

Admissions statistics
2022 entering classChange vs. 2017
Admit rate	44.8
Yield rate	29.2 ( −4)
Test scores middle 50%*
SAT Total	1330–1510 (among 43% of FTFs)
ACT Composite	29–34 (among 24% of FTFs)
*Among students who chose to submit

U.S. News & World Report called the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign "more selective" in 2015. For the class that started in Fall 2021, UIUC received over 47,000 applications and accepted about 28,000 students. Of those accepted, about 8,300 chose to enroll.

About 43% of new students submitted SAT scores. Their middle 50% scores ranged from 1340 to 1510. About 24% submitted ACT scores, with middle 50% scores between 29 and 34.

Getting into different colleges within the university can vary a lot. For example, the overall acceptance rate is about 37.5%. However, the College of Engineering is more selective, accepting only about 23.2% of applicants. Popular majors like Computer Science, which is a top program, are very competitive.

In 2009, a newspaper reported that some students received "special consideration" for acceptance between 2005 and 2009. This happened even if their grades or test scores were lower than usual.

University Departments and Programs

The university offers many different programs. There are over 150 programs for undergraduate students and more than 100 for graduate students. These programs are spread across more than 15 academic departments. The university also offers online programs, like an online MBA.

In 2015, the university announced a new medical program focused on engineering. This was the first new college at Urbana-Champaign in 60 years. Students can also earn special honors if they achieve high grades. Their names are written on a Bronze Tablet in the Main Library.

Learning Online

The university offers online courses through its Illinois Online platform. In 2015, it partnered with Coursera, an online education company. This partnership offers master's degrees and special courses, including over 70 joint learning classes. An online Master of Business Administration (MBA) program started in August 2015.

In March 2016, Coursera launched an online Master of Computer Science in Data Science from the university. At that time, the university's computer science graduate program was ranked fifth in the U.S. In March 2017, the university also launched its online Master's in Accountancy (iMSA) program.

To get into these online master's programs, students need a bachelor's degree and a good GPA. They also need to show they are good at English. The University of Illinois also offers other online courses with Coursera, such as "Marketing in a Digital World."

University Rankings

In 2021, U.S. News & World Report ranked UIUC's undergraduate program tied for 47th among national universities. It was also tied for 15th among public universities. Its undergraduate engineering program was ranked tied for 6th in the U.S.

Washington Monthly ranked UIUC 18th among national universities in 2020. This ranking looks at how much universities contribute to the public good. Kiplinger's Personal Finance rated Illinois 12th in its 2019 list of best value public colleges.

The university's Urban Planning graduate program was ranked 3rd nationally by Planetizen in 2015. The university has also been called a "Public Ivy," meaning it offers a high-quality education like private Ivy League schools.

Internationally, UIUC engineering was ranked 13th in the world in 2016 by the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). The university was ranked 38th overall in 2019 by ARWU. It was also ranked 48th globally by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings in 2020. The Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) ranked UIUC as the 20th best university in the world for 2019–20.

UIUC is also ranked 32nd in the world in Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings for 2018. Nature Index ranks UIUC 33rd among top academic institutions worldwide.

Round Barns found on the University of Illinois Experimental Dairy Farm Historic District part of ACES.

Amazing Research and Discoveries

The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology is the largest interdisciplinary facility on campus.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is known worldwide for its engineering and science research.

In 2018, the university spent $625 million on research and development. This ranked it 37th in the nation. It is also listed as one of the Top 25 American Research Universities. The university has a large and modern research setup. It has been a leader in computer-based education. For example, it hosted the PLATO project, which was an early version of the internet.

Research Park for New Ideas

Research Park is located on the southwest side of campus. It opened its first building in 2001 and now has 13 buildings. Over 90 companies have set up offices there, employing more than 1,400 people. Big companies like Capital One, John Deere, and State Farm have facilities in Research Park.

Companies in the park also hire about 400 student interns each year. The park is a hub for new businesses, with over 50 startup companies at its EnterpriseWorks Incubator. In 2011, Urbana, Illinois, was named one of the "14 Best Startup Cities in America," largely thanks to Research Park.

Supercomputing at NCSA

The university is home to the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). NCSA created Mosaic, the first graphical web browser. It also developed the Apache HTTP server. The university worked with Cray to build the Blue Waters supercomputer. This system has one of the largest public online storage systems in the world. The university even celebrates January 12, 1997, as the "birthday" of HAL 9000, the fictional supercomputer from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. HAL's origin is said to be "Urbana, Illinois."

Prairie Research Institute

One of the university's research fields, located off Florida Avenue.

The Prairie Research Institute is on campus. It includes groups like the Illinois Natural History Survey and the Illinois State Geological Survey. Researchers at the institute study many topics. These include agriculture, wildlife, climate, and water resources.

The Illinois Natural History Survey has large collections of animals and plants. The insect collection is one of the biggest in North America. The Illinois State Geological Survey keeps samples from drill holes in Illinois. It also has collections of ancient fossils.

Helping Student Entrepreneurs

The Technology Entrepreneur Center (TEC) at the university helps students with their business ideas. The center offers classes, competitions, and workshops. These programs teach students about technology innovation and how to bring products to market.

Events like the Cozad New Venture Challenge help students develop their business plans. They get advice on how to present their ideas and find customers. The Silicon Valley Entrepreneurship Workshop takes students to visit tech companies and startups. Students learn about entrepreneurship and meet successful alumni.

Plasma Research

The Center for Plasma-Material Interactions (CPMI) was started in 2004. It studies how ions, electrons, and energetic atoms in plasmas interact with material surfaces. This research includes topics like fusion plasmas.

University Achievements

Bill Gates visited the university in 2004. He said that Microsoft hires more graduates from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign than from any other university. William M. Holt, a senior vice-president at Intel, also said in 2007 that Intel hires more PhD graduates from UIUC than from any other university in the country.

In 2007, the Institute for Condensed Matter Theory (ICMT) was launched at the university. It is a research institute focused on advanced science. The University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) has given two awards to the University of Illinois for its achievements.

Discoveries and Innovations

Science Breakthroughs

• BCS theory – John Bardeen, along with Leon Cooper and John Robert Schrieffer, created the main theory of superconductivity. They won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1972 for this discovery.
• Sweet corn – John Laughnan, a professor at the university, grew corn with more sugar than normal.

Computer and Applied Science Inventions

• ILLIAC I – This was a pioneering computer built by the university in 1952. It was the first computer owned entirely by a U.S. educational institution.
• ILLIAC Suite – In 1957, this was the first music score created by an electronic computer.
• LLVM – This is a very important compiler system. Vikram Adve and Chris Lattner started developing it.
• Mosaic – The first popular graphical web browser was developed at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications in 1993.
• PLATO – This was an early computer system for teaching. It started in 1960 and led to many modern ideas in computing. These include forums, online testing, e-mail, chat rooms, and multiplayer video games.
• Touchscreens and Plasma displays – These technologies were developed by Donald Bitzer in the 1960s.
• Talkomatic – An early online chat system created in 1973 on the PLATO System.
• Synchronized Sound-on-film – Joseph Tykociński-Tykociner showed the first movie with sound recorded directly onto the film in 1922.

Companies Started by Alumni

Many companies and organizations have been founded by UIUC alumni and faculty.

Student Life at Illinois

Who are the Students?

In spring 2018, the university had 45,813 students. As of 2015, over 10,000 of these students were from other countries. The largest group of international students came from China. The university welcomes students from over 100 different countries. About 55% of students are men and 45% are women.

Student Groups and Clubs

Illini Union.

The university has over 1,000 student organizations. These groups are shown off at "Quad Day" at the start of each school year. The Student Programs & Activities Office helps these groups. Their goal is to "enhance classroom education" and "prepare students to be contributing and humane citizens."

The Daily Illini is a student-run newspaper that has been published since 1871. Students also run a commercial radio station, WPGU 107.1 FM. The Varsity Men's Glee Club, an all-male choir, started in 1886. It is one of the oldest glee clubs in the United States. The university also has the largest chapter of Alpha Phi Omega, a service fraternity, with over 340 members.

Greek Life on Campus

There are 59 fraternities and 38 sororities on campus. About 3,463 women are in sororities and 3,674 men are in fraternities. The Greek system at the university largely governs itself. Student councils manage most daily operations. Many fraternity and sorority houses are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Student Government

Foellinger Auditorium.

The university has a long history of student governments. In 1868, students and the first president created a student government. For a while, this government could even discipline students. However, it ended in 1883.

The next university-wide student government, the Student Senate, was created in 1934. This Student Senate lasted for 35 years. In 1969, it changed its name to the Undergraduate Student Association (UGSA). It became more focused on representing students' interests.

Today, the university's student government is the Illinois Student Senate. It includes both undergraduate and graduate students. The student senators are elected by their colleges. They represent students on various university committees.

Where Students Live

Busey-Evans Residence Halls is one of many buildings on the NRHP.

The university provides housing for undergraduate students in 24 residence halls in Urbana and Champaign. New students are usually required to live in student housing during their first year. Graduate students can live in two graduate residence halls or university-owned apartments. Many students choose to move into apartments or Greek houses after their first year.

There are also private dorms and 15 private, certified residences that work with the university. These offer different housing choices, including co-ops or places linked to religious groups. The university was one of the first to provide housing for students with disabilities. In 2015, a new residence hall was named after Carlos Montezuma, the first Native American graduate of the university.

Libraries and Museums

Krannert Art Museum.

The University of Illinois Library system is one of the largest in North America. Only Harvard's collection is bigger. The university has over 20 libraries and departments. They hold more than 24 million items, including over 12 million print books. As of 2012, it had the largest "browsable" university library in the U.S. This means 5 million books are directly available in one place.

The university also has the largest public engineering library in the country, the Grainger Engineering Library. The Main Library building has many subject-specific libraries. The Isaac Funk Family Library serves the agriculture college.

Main Library and home to Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

The Residence Hall Library System is one of only three in the nation. These libraries started in 1948 to help students living in the dorms. The Rare Book & Manuscript Library (RBML) is one of the largest special collections in the U.S.

The university has several museums and galleries. These include the Krannert Art Museum, the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music, and the Spurlock Museum.

Fun and Fitness

Campus Recreation Center East.

The campus has two main recreation centers: the Activities and Recreation Center (ARC) and the Campus Recreation Center – East (CRCE). The ARC was renovated in 2006 and reopened in 2008. It is one of the largest on-campus recreation centers in the country. CRCE was also renovated in 2005.

Getting Around Campus

A Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit bus.

The bus system in the campus area is run by the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District. University students and staff can ride the buses for free because the university pays a transportation fee.

Six daily Amtrak trains connect Champaign-Urbana with Chicago and other cities. The City of New Orleans train also goes to Memphis and New Orleans.

Willard Airport opened in 1954. It is named after a former university president. The airport is used for university research and flights from American Airlines.

Campus bus routes.

University Sports

The University of Illinois has teams for ten men's and eleven women's sports. They compete in the NCAA's Division I. The teams are called the Fighting Illini.

The university has many sports facilities. These include Memorial Stadium for football and the State Farm Center for basketball. The men's basketball team had a great season in 2005, winning many games. They reached the national championship game. Illinois is a member of the Big Ten Conference. Famous songs played at games include "Illinois Loyalty" and "Oskee Wow Wow."

Memorial Stadium with the State Farm Center in the background.

On October 15, 1910, the Illinois football team won a game against the University of Chicago. Illinois claims this was the first homecoming game, a special event where alumni return to campus. In 2007, the Illinois football team beat the top-ranked Ohio State team in their stadium.

The University of Illinois Ice Arena is home to the university's club ice hockey team. It was built in 1931. The arena is also open for students to use for fun.

In 2015, the university started broadcasting its American football games in Mandarin Chinese. This was done to help its many Chinese international students.

The Fighting Illini logo, used for athletics and campus-wide since 2017.

The University Mascot

Chief Illiniwek, also known as "The Chief," was the official symbol of the university's sports teams from 1926 to 2007. A student would dress in Sioux clothing to represent the Chief. However, some groups felt that using a Native American figure in this way was disrespectful and promoted stereotypes.

In 2005, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) expressed concerns about this symbol. In 2007, the university decided to officially retire the Chief, its name, image, and clothing. Even so, some students still unofficially support the Chief. There are ongoing discussions about how to resolve this issue and ensure all students feel respected.

Famous Alumni and Faculty

• Notable University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni include:
• 

  Jon Corzine (BA), Former CEO of Goldman Sachs and Governor of New Jersey.

• 

  Yi Gang (PhD), Governor of the People's Bank of China.

• 

  Neel Kashkari (BS, MS), President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

• 

  Ray Ozzie (BS), CTO and CSA of Microsoft.

• 

  Lew Allen (BS), Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force.

• 

  Julius B. Richmond (BS), Surgeon General of the United States.

• 

  Robert O. Work (BS), Deputy Secretary of Defense.

• 

  Giorgi Kvirikashvili (MS), Prime Minister of Georgia.

• 

  Rafael Correa (MS, PhD), President of Ecuador.

• 

  Fidel V. Ramos (MS), President of the Philippines.

• 

  Lin Chuan (PhD), Premier of the Republic of China.

• 

  Annette Lu (LLM), Vice President of the Republic of China.

• 

  Mustafa Khalil (PhD), Prime Minister of Egypt.

• 

  Ang Lee (BA), Taiwanese filmmaker.

• 

  Jesse Jackson, civil rights activist.

• 

  Avery Brundage, President of the International Olympic Committee.

• 

  Larry Ellison, CoFounder of Oracle Corporation.

• 

  Dorothy Day, journalist and social activist.

• 

  Red Grange, football player.

Many people connected to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have achieved great things. Twenty-seven alumni and faculty members have won a Pulitzer Prize. As of 2019, 30 Nobel laureates have been connected to the university, including 11 alumni. John Bardeen is the only person to have won two Nobel Prizes in physics. He won them in 1956 and 1972 while teaching at the university.

Alumni of the university have started many well-known companies and created important products. These include Netscape Communications (co-founded by Marc Andreessen), AMD (Jerry Sanders), PayPal (Max Levchin), National Football League (George Halas), YouTube (Steve Chen and Jawed Karim), and Tesla Motors (Martin Eberhard).

University alumni and faculty have also invented many technologies. These include the LED and the quantum well laser (Nick Holonyak), DSL (John Cioffi), JavaScript (Brendan Eich), the integrated circuit (Jack Kilby), the pH meter (Arnold Beckman), MRI (Paul C. Lauterbur), and the plasma screen (Donald Bitzer). They have also designed famous buildings like the Willis Tower and the Burj Khalifa.

Monument for the HKN Honor Society, which was founded at U of I.

Mathematician Richard Hamming, known for the Hamming code, earned his PhD from the university in 1942. Engineer Alan Bovik invented tools to measure video quality. Structural engineer Fazlur Rahman Khan earned multiple degrees from the university.

Alumni have also led major companies like BitTorrent, McDonald's, Goldman Sachs, and General Motors. They have founded organizations like Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Project Gutenberg.

Hallene Gateway dedicated in 1998 by donations from alumni Alan M. and Phyllis Welsh Hallene.

Rafael Correa, who became President of Ecuador in 2006, earned his master's and PhD degrees from the university. Nathan C. Ricker was the first person in the U.S. to graduate with an architecture degree from U of I in 1873. Mary L. Page, the first woman to get an architecture degree, also graduated from U of I.

In sports, baseball pitcher Ken Holtzman threw two no-hitters in his career. In sports entertainment, David Otunga became a two-time WWE Tag Team Champion.

Eta Kappa Nu (HKN), an honor society for electrical engineering, was founded at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1904. It is now the international honor society for IEEE.

See also

In Spanish: Universidad de Illinois en Urbana-Champaign para niños