Public
Accredited · Higher Learning Commission
Springfield, Illinois
84.4% Acceptance Rate
University of Illinois Springfield — Admission Snapshot 2026
A complete at-a-glance picture of every metric that matters for your 2026 application
84.4%Acceptance Rate
3.46Avg GPA
1118Avg SAT
25Avg ACT
$23,643Annual Cost
$57,103Grad Salary
35.9%Pell Grant
Acceptance Rate
84.4%
Avg GPA
3.46
Avg SAT
1118
Avg ACT
25
Selectivity
Inclusive
Institution Type
Public
Campus
Main Campus
Accredited By
Higher Learning Commission
SAT Middle 50%
1010–1210
ACT Middle 50%
21–28
Avg Net Price
$8,916
Need-Based Aid
35.9% receive Pell
University of Illinois Springfield is a public, regional university known for its commitment to small class sizes, high-quality instruction, and student success. As part of the prestigious University of Illinois system, it offers a focused and supportive academic environment that provides students with practical, career-relevant experiences in the heart of Illinois' capital.
University of Illinois Springfield Acceptance Rate
University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) runs an open-access admission policy. With a 84.4% acceptance rate, the focus is on getting qualified students in, not filtering them out.
What to Expect
- Eligibility First: A high school diploma or GED typically clears the main bar.
- Plan Ahead for Placement: Placement tests can shape which courses you start in. They are worth preparing for.
Selectivity at a Glance
Inclusive
Selectivity scale: Inclusive — 84.4% acceptance rate
Most Selective (0%)Open Enrollment (100%)
Recommended Academic Profile
Candidate GPA Range
Admission Category
Strategic Requirement
3.46 – 4.00
Target Match
Maintain Rigor & High Testing
3.26 – 3.45
Competitive Reach
Focus on Score Compensation
Below 3.01
Secondary Reach
Requires Contextual Support
Source: IPEDS & College Scorecard (Nov 2025).
University of Illinois Springfield Application Deadlines & Admission Dates 2026
University of Illinois Springfield follows a Rolling Admissions policy, meaning applications are reviewed as they arrive and there is no single fixed deadline, though the priority deadline of November 15 is recommended for the best chances of admission and financial aid.
Key Admission Dates
⏳ 97 days left — Priority
Rolling Admissions — Apply Anytime
UIS reviews applications continuously throughout the year. Seats and scholarships are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so applying early gives you a significant advantage for both admission and financial aid.
Priority
November 15
💡 The scholarship deadline (Merit scholarship priority: 2025/11/15) often falls before the regular admission deadline. Submit your application and FAFSA early to be considered for maximum aid.
Deadlines are verified from official institutional sources but may change each cycle. Always confirm final dates on the official website.
UIS GPA Requirement
The average GPA of admitted students at UIS is 3.46. That makes admissions here competitive, but not extremely selective. Most admitted students carry a mix of A's and B's.
In the 3.16–3.46 range, a high SAT or ACT score still carries real weight.
Most schools report GPA on a weighted or unweighted 4.0 scale differently. For an unweighted profile like this, students with AP/IB coursework typically carry a weighted GPA of 3.66–3.86.UIS GPA & Admission Outlook
Assessment: Selective; solid academic performance is expected.
Recommended Strategy: Focus on a Strong 'Spike' in extracurriculars or research.
Where your GPA falls in this range shapes what the rest of your application needs to do:
Candidate GPA Range
Admission Category
Strategic Requirement
3.46 – 4.00
Target/Match
Maintain Rigor & High Testing
3.26 – 3.45
Competitive Match
Focus on SAT/ACT Compensation
3.06 – 3.25
Secondary Reach
Personal Statement & Impact
Below 3.05
Institutional Reach
Requires Significant Contextual Factors
Evaluation Metrics That Matter Here
- Public University of Illinois system campus in Springfield, IL (formerly Sangamon State, renamed 1995); test-free for first-year admission, ~$60 undergraduate application fee, rolling biweekly decisions, ~80?86% acceptance, and four colleges plus a large online portfolio.
- First-year students admitted with an unweighted 3.0+ GPA automatically qualify for merit scholarships up to $8,000/year with no test scores; a Common App essay (or equivalent) is required unless entering via a direct-admission program.
- Regional in-state tuition extends to first-year students from St. Louis/St. Charles County, Missouri, and Scott County, Iowa; Illinois community-college students with an AA/AS transfer degree are covered by the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) satisfying general-education requirements.
- Distinctive capital-city mission: the Center for State Policy and Leadership, the paid Graduate Public Service Internship (GPSI, up to 21 months with tuition waiver and stipend, competitive and mostly Springfield/Chicago-based), and the Capitol-based ILSIP legislative internship for credit.
- Rigor Over Raw Number: A slightly lower GPA (say 3.8) paired with multiple AP or IB courses often outweighs a flat 4.0 from a standard curriculum.
- Trajectory Matters: A lower start in 9th or 10th grade, followed by a clear upward trend senior year, reads as academic resilience rather than a weakness.
Data verified via IPEDS, College Scorecard (Nov 2025) and the Common Data Set (CDS). Expert Review led by Sohaib Khan and Dr. Waseem.
Check Your Admission Chances at UIS
Admission Chance Predictor
Real-Time Sensitive Analysis — based on University of Illinois Springfield's verified institutional data
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Calculating Profile...
Adjust the sliders to see how every decimal point affects your outcome.
Your SAT Score 1200
Your Unweighted GPA 3.00
✅ Verified Data: Institutional records for 2026.
Calculated via College Portal's Human-Intelligence (HI) Methodology & Editorial Standards. Verified by Sohaib Ahmad Khan.
University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) Test Requirements
Standardized scores still matter here: aim for the middle 50% range of the 2026 admitted class below, and if UIS is test-optional, a high score submitted voluntarily still helps with merit scholarships.
Can I Get Into UIS Without SAT or ACT?
UIS considers scores when submitted, without requiring them. Prepare well and submit your best attempt. Most applicants test 2–3 times.
University of Illinois Springfield Average SAT Score: 1118
The average SAT score of admitted students at University of Illinois Springfield is 1118 on the 1600-point scale.
SAT Competitiveness
SAT 1118 — Less Competitive
This average is slightly below the national mean SAT score.
Key Insight: Aim for the 75th percentile (1210 SAT or 28 ACT) to stand out. Below average? University of Illinois Springfield allows Score Choice for the SAT, so a retake only helps — a low sitting never has to be sent.
If your score is below 1010, retaking the SAT is strongly recommended to improve your chances at UIS. Retaking multiple times is completely normal. Most competitive applicants sit for it two or three times. There's no official limit on attempts.
SAT Scores Breakdown by Sections
| Section | Average | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Math | 550 | 500 | 600 |
| SAT Reading | 560 | 510 | 610 |
| SAT Composite | 1118 | 1010 | 1210 |
Below 1010, you're behind most admitted students; at 1210 or above, you're ahead of 75% of them. (25th/75th percentile = the score below which that share of admitted students fall.)
View list of all colleges with average SAT score of 1100
Can I get into University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) with a 1200 SAT?
A 1200 SAT puts you ahead of most of UIS's admitted class, but admissions still weighs GPA, course rigor, and essays alongside it. A strong score opens the door; the rest of your profile decides what happens next.
University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) ACT Requirements
The average ACT score at UIS is 25.
ACT Competitiveness
ACT 25 — Slightly Competitive
This sits close to the national average ACT score.
ACT Scores Breakdown by Sections
| Section | Average | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACT Math | 24 | 20 | 27 |
| ACT English | 24 | 20 | 28 |
| ACT Composite | 25 | 21 | 28 |
Can I get into University of Illinois Springfield with a 28 ACT?
A 28 ACT puts you ahead of 75% of UIS's admitted students. That's a strong position, though the ACT is only one benchmark among several that admissions weighs.
Unlike the SAT, the ACT scores four separate sections: English, Math, Reading, and Science, each on a 1–36 scale. A noticeably weak section, especially Science at STEM-focused schools, stands out to reviewers, so it's worth checking your section breakdown for outliers before applying.
Your ACT score clears the first filter, but GPA, course rigor, extracurricular depth, recommendations, and essays are what carry an application the rest of the way at UIS.
Your 2026 Admissions Roadmap for UIS
Accessible Strategy: Academic Foundation
Getting into UIS isn't the hard part. Building a solid academic foundation and securing aid early is where the real strategy lives.
Apply Test-Free and Trigger the Automatic $8,000 Merit Award at a 3.0 GPA
UIS is genuinely test-free for first-year admission - no ACT/SAT required - and it converts that into money automatically: first-year students admitted with an unweighted 3.0+ GPA are eligible for merit scholarships up to $8,000 per year, no test scores necessary. The decisive move is to present the strongest possible college-prep transcript (UIS weighs course rigor and grade trends) and apply early in the biweekly rolling cycle, since merit awards are made upon admission and space is finite. Don't self-handicap by chasing a test score you don't need; a clean upward GPA trend in rigorous courses is what unlocks both admission and the largest automatic award here.
Claim Regional In-State Tuition if You're From Greater St. Louis or the Quad Cities
UIS quietly extends its affordable in-state tuition rate to first-year students from St. Louis or St. Charles County, Missouri, and Scott County, Iowa - a deep discount most out-of-state families never discover. If you live in those areas, this single eligibility can rival a large scholarship in value, so confirm it with admissions up front and let it drive your enrollment math. For Illinois community-college students, pursue the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG): completing an AA/AS transfer degree at a regionally accredited Illinois community college is treated as satisfying UIS general-education requirements, smoothing the path and protecting credits.
Build Your Whole Plan Around the Capital-City Public-Service Pipeline
UIS's defining advantage is location and mission: it sits in the Illinois state capital, houses the Center for State Policy and Leadership, and runs the Graduate Public Service Internship (GPSI) - a paid, up-to-21-month internship in state government that comes with a tuition waiver and monthly stipend for master's students, plus the ILSIP legislative internship at the Capitol for credit. Undergraduates targeting political science, public administration, criminal justice, or public health should map a four-year-to-master's arc that lands them in GPSI, and say so in their application. Signaling intent to use the Statehouse pipeline reads as mission-fit for a university built around governmental and nonprofit leadership.
Leverage UIS's Strong Online Portfolio and Small-Class, U-of-I-Degree Value
UIS is the University of Illinois system's designated small, public liberal-arts campus, so you earn a University of Illinois degree with right-sized classes and close faculty access - and it has an unusually deep menu of fully online programs, letting students blend on-campus and online coursework for flexibility. Working students, transfers, and place-bound applicants should use the online options strategically to stay full-time, protect the 3.0 GPA that drives merit aid, and (for graduate students in select programs) remain GPSI-eligible via the Chicago placements. Emphasize how UIS's flexibility fits your goals; it's a value play, not a fallback, positioned as Illinois's No. 1 public regional university.
Expert Insight:
UIS's test-free, ~80?86% admission profile makes it look effortless, but two high-value opportunities have conditions students miss. The $8,000 merit award requires an unweighted 3.0+ GPA and is awarded at admission, so a weak transcript or a late application in the biweekly rolling cycle can quietly cost thousands. And the flagship GPSI internship is graduate-level and competitive - completing the application never guarantees a placement, several online College of Business programs and Public Affairs Reporting are excluded, and you generally must live within commuting distance of Springfield or Chicago. Don't treat GPSI as an automatic undergraduate perk; plan the master's-level, geography-bound reality early.
UIS Profile
Full Name
University of Illinois Springfield (UIS)
City
Springfield
State
Illinois
ZIP Code
62703-5407
Type
Public
Campus
Main Campus
Official Website
Accredited By
Higher Learning Commission (NCACHE)
Is a UIS Degree Worth It?
Whether UIS is worth it depends less on its reputation and more on your program choice, financial aid package, and career goals. Here's the data to weigh it against.
The average household income among admitted students is $59,000, with a graduate unemployment rate of 3.38%.
How much does a degree from UIS Cost?
The sticker price is $23,643/year, but the average net price students actually pay, after Pell and federal grants, is closer to $8,916.
35.9% of students receive a Pell Grant and 38.3% take federal loans at UIS. File your FAFSA early and list UIS as a choice to be considered for both.
How much does a UIS Graduate earn?
Median earnings 10 years after enrollment (roughly 4–6 years post-graduation) are $57,103. That's about 41% above the U.S. median graduate income.
Compare Similar Colleges
Less Competitive Schools
These schools have lower average SAT or ACT scores than University of Illinois Springfield. If your SAT or ACT score is slightly lower, you'll be competitive for these schools.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn University at Montgomery | Montgomery, AL | 1090 | 21 |
| Spring Hill College | Mobile, AL | 1090 | 22 |
| Troy University | Troy, AL | 1086 | 22 |
| Grand Canyon University | Phoenix, AZ | 1095 | 22 |
| University of the Ozarks | Clarksville, AR | 1088 | 21 |
| Pacific Union College | Angwin, CA | 1093 | 22 |
| Fort Lewis College | Durango, CO | 1084 | 20 |
| Colorado Mesa University | Grand Junction, CO | 1070 | 23 |
| University of Northern Colorado | Greeley, CO | 1077 | 22 |
| Central Connecticut State University | New Britain, CT | 1091 | 24 |
Equally Competitive Schools
These schools have the same range of average SAT or ACT scores as University of Illinois Springfield. If your SAT or ACT score is competitive, you'll be competitive for these schools also.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of South Alabama | Mobile, AL | 1119 | 23 |
| Tuskegee University | Tuskegee, AL | 1121 | 22 |
| Arkansas State University | Jonesboro, AR | 1119 | 22 |
| University of Central Arkansas | Conway, AR | 1117 | 22 |
| University of La Verne | La Verne, CA | 1116 | 22 |
More Competitive Schools
These schools have higher average SAT or ACT scores than University of Illinois Springfield. If you improve your SAT or ACT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham-Southern College | Birmingham, AL | 1197 | 24 |
| Huntingdon College | Montgomery, AL | 1148 | 23 |
| University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR | 1174 | 25 |
| Harding University | Searcy, AR | 1187 | 25 |
| Azusa Pacific University | Azusa, CA | 1155 | 22 |
Degree Programs at UIS
Bachelor Degree Programs
Frequently Asked Questions About UIS Admissions
Median graduate earnings at University of Illinois Springfield run about $57,103 a year.
At about $23,643 a year, University of Illinois Springfield is on the more affordable end.
About 35.9% receive a Pell Grant at University of Illinois Springfield. The odds are moderate and largely income-dependent, but an early FAFSA filing still helps.
At 84.4%, University of Illinois Springfield's acceptance rate is on the more attainable end compared to top-tier selective schools.
Admitted students at University of Illinois Springfield average a 3.46 GPA.
University of Illinois Springfield doesn't publish a hard GPA floor, but landing at or above 3.16 keeps you in the typical applicant range; below it, lean on essays and recommendations.
Below 3.06, University of Illinois Springfield becomes a harder reach, though a strong test score, meaningful activities, and AP/IB coursework can still make a real case.
A strong SAT score matters at University of Illinois Springfield — aim above 1118, ideally within the 1010–1210 range admitted students typically fall in.
The application deadline for University of Illinois Springfield is November 15. Rolling Admissions is also offered, so applying early improves your chances.
The application fee is 50. Fee waivers may be available. Check with admissions.
The scholarship/financial aid priority deadline is Merit scholarship priority: 2025/11/15. Submit FAFSA before then for maximum consideration.
Yes, transfers are common. Have transcripts, recommendation letters, and a solid personal statement ready to make your case.
Strong academics, a focused extracurricular profile, and standout essays move the needle most, along with a competitive SAT/ACT score where relevant.
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