Quad

Head-to-head

UT Austin
UIUC

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    UT Austin's yield is 20 pts higher than UIUC's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    UIUC's grants cover 26% of its full price on average, vs. 16% at UT Austin

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    UIUC's SAT midpoint is 85 points higher than UT Austin's

    SAT midpoint
  4. 4

    UT Austin is 1.7× more selective than UIUC

    Acceptance rate
  5. 5

    UIUC grads earn $5.9K more ten years out than UT Austin's ($81,054 vs. $75,121)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  6. 6

    UT Austin has 3 pts more first-gen students than UIUC (28% vs. 25%)

    First-generation students

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

UT Austin admits 22%, UIUC 38%; UT Austin's yield is higher, at 49%.

Acceptance rate
UT Austin22%
UIUC38%
Quad's selectivity
  • UT AustinHighly selectivefrom TexasUltra selectivefrom other states
  • UIUCVery selectivefrom IllinoisHighly selectivefrom other states
SAT middle 50%Axis 1100–1600
UT Austin
1250–1510
UIUC
1390–1520
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • UT AustinSchool record and prep program required
  • UIUCRigor and GPA very important

Who's on each campus

UT Austin is a bit larger than UIUC (42,855 vs. 37,562 undergrads) and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
UT Austin42.9K
UIUC37.6K
Pell Grant share
UT Austin26%
UIUC23%

Majors and faculty

Biology/Biological Sciences leads at UT Austin, and Research and Experimental Psychology at UIUC; UT Austin has 18 students per faculty member to UIUC's 20.

Students per faculty member
UT Austin18 to 1
UIUC20 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • UT AustinBiology/Biological Sciences, General7%
  • UIUCResearch and Experimental Psychology, Other6%

What each costs

UT Austin and UIUC cost about the same a year on average; UIUC's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
UT Austin$29.2K
UIUC$28.5K
Aid generosity
UT Austin16%
UIUC26%

What each pays off

UIUC's former students earn more, a median $81.1K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
UT Austin$75.1K
UIUC$81.1K
Graduation rate
UT Austin85%
UIUC86%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • UT AustinGrowing+88%
  • UIUCGrowing+106%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:The University of Texas at Austin (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;The University of Texas at Austin Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Fall 2026), Fall 2026;University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Common Data Set, 2024-25;University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2019About 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