Undergraduate Admissions

• Bachelor of Science (B.S.) programs
  • Undergraduate Program Details
• Applying for admission to the program
  • Incoming first-year students
  • Transfer students
  • Undergraduate Open House
  • Undergraduate applications and credentials deadlines
• Financial aid
• Scholarships
• On-campus student housing
• Student organizations
• Special programs
  • Guaranteed Professional Program Admissions
  • Honors College
• Frequently asked questions

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) programs

The Computer Science Department offers the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) program in Computer Science, along with an optional Computer Systems or Software Engineering concentration.

Admission to the undergraduate Computer Science programs is administered by the UIC College of Engineering and the UIC Office of Admissions and Records.

Applying for admission to the program

The UIC Office of Admissions and Records (OAR) is responsible for evaluating all undergraduate student applications, and your first step is to complete the UIC Undergradutate Application. Select "Engineering" as your choice of programs. You may complete the application in one of three ways:

1. You may complete and submit the on-line application.
2. You may print a downloadable application, provide the requested information and documentation, and mail it directly to the UIC Office of Admissions and Records (OAR). (Note: Adobe Acrobat reader required. A free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader can be downloaded from Adobe's web site).
3. You may request a paper copy of the application from the Office of Admissions and Records.

Incoming first-year students

Students seeking admission to the College of Engineering who are recent high school graduates or who have earned less than 12 semester hours (18 quarter hours) of credit at another collegiate institution are classified as new freshman and must meet the entrance requirements to the college that are specified for new freshmen. The College of Engineering recommends that each new freshman complete a strong high school mathmatics curriculum that includes algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. The college will give admission priority to residents of the state of Illinois. Applicants who are not residents of the state of Illinois may be admitted only after review by the college.

As a new freshman applicant you must:

• Be at least 16 years of age
• Be a graduate of an accredited high school or submit passing scores on the General Educational Development Test (GED)
• Complete the American College Test (ACT) or the College Board Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or Scholastic Assessment Test I(SAT-I)
• Present a satisfactory combination of class rank and test scores
• Satisfy the high school subject pattern requirements listed below

Transfer students

Admission is based on credit hours earned and grade point average of all baccalaureate-oriented, college-level work attempted. In order to transfer into the College of Engineering, an applicant must have completed a minimum of 60 semester hours and have a GPA of 2.5 (A=4.0) for Illinois residents and 2.75 for nonresidents.

Additionally, certain courses must be satisfactorily completed before admission. These courses are: English Composition I and II, Chemistry I , Calculus I, II, III, an additional advanced mathematics course (e.g., Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, Abstract Algebra) and three laboratory science courses (including a sequence of two courses from the same department).

Transfer students from Illinois colleges and universities should consult the appropriate transfer guide.

Undergraduate Open House

Each year we have several undergraduate Open House events. This will help you get a feel for the faculty, students, and research in our department. You can register online and get additional information on the dates and times.

Undergraduate applications and credentials deadlines

Application and credentials deadlines are subject to availability of space and may change without notice.

Financial aid

The UIC Office of Student Financial Aid provides information on scholarships, fellowships, loans, and student work-study opportunities for both incoming and continuing students. The College of Engineering also offers special scholarships restricted to Engineering students.

Scholarships

The Department of Computer Science offers scholarships to outstanding first year students. If you are interested in applying for a Computer Science scholarship, please contact recruit@cs.uic.edu for more information.

The CS Scholars program offers $10,000 per year scholarships targeted towards financially needy undergraduate women, Latino, African-American and Native Americans. This is for both entering Freshman as well as Transfer students.

The SFS (Scholarships for Service) program offers a stipend of $20,000/year and Tuitions and Fees waivers. The program supports junior and senior students interested in cybersecurity and electronic security courses.

Housing

On-campus student housing

UIC offers on-campus housing for undergraduate and graduate students. Housing information and applications are available through the UIC Campus Housing.

Student organizations

Undergraduate students have the opportunity to participate in a broad array of student organizations. The Student organizations resource home page describes campus-wide organizations. In addition, the College of Engineering sponsors a wide range of student activities and organizations.

Of special interest to Computer Science students, UIC sponsors local chapters of the Association for Computing Machinery and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers Computer Society.

The College of Engineering also has active student chapters of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE-UIC), Tau Beta Pi (Engineering Honors Society), and Eta Kappa Nu (Honors Society for Electrical and Computer Engineers).

Special programs

Guaranteed Professional Program Admissions

The Guaranteed Professional Program Admissions initiative (GPPA) each Fall admits up to 300 highly qualified entering freshmen with admission guaranteed, if undergraduate course and performance criteria are met, to one of more than 25 professional degree programs.

In addition, the College of Engineering offers special financial aid opportunities to highly qualified applicants to the GPPA program.

Honors College

After they have been admitted to UIC, all incoming freshmen with an ACT composite score of at least 28 or an SAT total score of 1240, and who rank in the top 15 percent of their high school class, are invited to join the Honors College (membership is not automatic; students must submit an application).

Honors College students enjoy access to honors classes and seminars, an Honors College Fellow, undergraduate research opportunities, special scholarships, extended library privileges, and Access to Honors College facilities (computer lab, lounge, quiet study room, etc.).

Frequently asked questions

Q: I have applied to the Department of Computer Science, where can I find information regarding the status of my application?
	For information regarding the status of your application, please send an email with your first name, last name and date of birth to recruit@cs.uic.edu.

Q: Where do your students end up working after graduation?
	Our students end up working for a variety of today's most relevant companies, including Google, Microsoft, Intel, Motorola, Midway Games, Paypal/Ebay and Lockheed Martin.

Q: Is there someone who helps CS students find jobs after they graduate?
	Placement for students is handled primarily through the UIC Office of Career Services, and the College of Engineering Co-Op/Internship Program. Additionally, the college hosts a series of career fairs each semester, allowing students to find summer internships as well as part/full-time positions.

Q: Can I schedule a tour of the department?
	The CS Undergraduate Open House website features information pertaining to events which provide prospective students the opportunity to visit our department.

Q: I am a transfer student, can someone evaluate my transcripts before I apply to the program?
	Transfer student guides are available online. If you still have questions after reviewing the transfer guide, please send an email to ugrad@cs.uic.edu.