Key differences on Getting in

1
U. Houston's yield is 2 pts higher than U. Illinois Chicago's
Yield rate
2
U. Illinois Chicago's SAT midpoint is 15 points higher than U. Houston's
SAT midpoint
3
U. Illinois Chicago admits 76% vs. 76% at U. Houston
Acceptance rate

Admissions

Getting in, fall 2024

Acceptance and yield, test score ranges, test policy, and what each college weighs.

The funnel

Acceptance rate

U. Houston76%

U. Illinois Chicago76%Most selective

Applicants

U. Houston34.7KMost

U. Illinois Chicago29.9K

Admitted

U. Houston26.3KMost

U. Illinois Chicago22.7K

Yield rate

U. Houston25%Highest

U. Illinois Chicago24%

Quad's selectivity

U. HoustonSelective
U. Illinois ChicagoSelective

Men and women

Acceptance rate for men and women who applied, where a college reports admissions by sex.

Women admitted

U. Houston76%

U. Illinois Chicago80%

Men admitted

U. Houston72%

U. Illinois Chicago74%

Test scores

SAT total,

U. Houston

1140–1310

U. Illinois Chicago

1130–1350

Axis runs 1000–1600. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

ACT composite,

U. Houston

22–28

U. Illinois Chicago

24–31

Axis runs 18–36. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

Submitted SAT

U. Houston55%

U. Illinois Chicago30%

Submitted ACT

U. Houston7%

U. Illinois Chicago4%

Test policy

U. HoustonTest-optional
U. Illinois ChicagoTest-optional

How they read a record

U. Houston
GPA and tests are both important; and class rank are both considered. 25% of first-years had a 3.75 or higher.
U. Illinois Chicago
, GPA, and class rank are all very important; tests are considered. 25% of first-years had a 3.75 or higher.

What they look at

Factor	U. Houston	U. Illinois Chicago
High school GPA	Important	Very important
High school record	Required	Required
Class rank	Considered	Very important
College-prep program	Required	Required
Recommendations	Not considered	Considered
Essay	Considered	Important
Legacy status	Not considered	Not considered
Work experience	Considered	Not considered
Demonstration of competencies	Considered	Not considered
English proficiency test	Required	Required
Other tests	Not considered	Not considered

All admissions numbers in the table

Sources:University of Houston (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;University of Houston Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;College Scorecard, most recent release;University of Illinois Chicago (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;University of Illinois Chicago Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;University of Illinois Chicago Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;University of Illinois Chicago Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why