Chicago, IL · Public · Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
How to pay for University of Illinois Chicago
What a year costs here, what brings it down, and what a SmartTuition plan could save a family like yours.
Paying for four years here
Four years here, after grants
$97,094
A SmartTuition plan could save a family like this about $5,600.
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester, using your own numbers.
Build your SmartTuition plan for University of Illinois Chicago, $99 →Best once your award letter arrives. No letter yet? Get the monthly email.
A family of four with good credit and $500 a month for college. How we worked these out ↓
A year at University of Illinois Chicago
| Full price, in state | $36,998 |
| Full price, out of state | $44,546 |
| After grants, at your income | $23,126 |
At this income, 20 of Illinois's other 38 colleges cost less after grants, and 18 cost more. See them all →
What can bring it down
University of Illinois Chicago's promise. UIC Aspire: tuition and fees for new Illinois undergraduates with a family income and assets of $75,000 or less, for the fall 2027 class. The conditions ↓
Pay less for college
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester.
At University of Illinois Chicago, our scenarios for Illinois households with good parent credit show a SmartTuition plan saving a median of about $7,600 over four years. How we worked this out ↓
Considering more than one college?
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We do not assume you qualify for any of these, and our plans never bank on them. Check each against your own situation with the aid office.
UIC Aspire: tuition and fees for new Illinois undergraduates with a family income and assets of $75,000 or less, for the fall 2027 class
Household income up to $75,000. Covers tuition, fees.
- For a new first-year or transfer student in an on-campus program who is eligible for in-state tuition. The student attended an Illinois high school or community college for at least two years, files the FAFSA by March 15 and enrolls for at least 12 credit hours a term. Family assets must also be $75,000 or less. It does not pay housing, food, books or supplies.
“To qualify to receive a UIC Aspire grant for Fall 2027, you must meet all of the following criteria: ONE of the following: Attended a public or private high school in Illinois for at least 2 years AND graduated from a public or private high school in Illinois or received the equivalent of a high school diploma in Illinois AND does not hold one of the following visas: F-1, J-1, F-2, J-2, H-4 Attended a public community college in a community college district organized under the Public Community College Act in Illinois for at least 2 years AND does not hold one of the following visas: F-1, J-1, F-2, J-2, H-4 AND Demonstrate a family income and assets of $75,000 or less which will be certified by the University The UIC Aspire program pays 100% of UIC tuition and fees (including tuition differentials) and mandatory fees. UIC Aspire does not cover the cost of food, housing, books or supplies.”
How we worked these out
The family
A family of four with good parent credit and $500 a month to put toward college, and the savings you pick. In state, the grants are what University of Illinois Chicago reports families at that income got, on average. Your own will differ, and a family with no aid pays close to the full price. Out of state, there are no grants: the price is before any scholarship from the college.
What a SmartTuition plan saves
The difference, over four years, between a SmartTuition plan and the standard approach: savings first, then loans for the rest. It counts loan interest and the federal tax credit. For a family that lives in Illinois, it also counts Illinois' tax deduction for money you put through its 529 plan.
The $7,600 in the “Pay less for college” box near the top of this page is the median saving in University of Illinois Chicago's own scenarios. Each scenario is a household that lives in Illinois, with an income from $45,000 to $200,000 and savings of none, $40,000 or $100,000 in a 529. We price University of Illinois Chicago at the aid it reports for that income.
Every scenario has parents with good credit and $500 a month toward college. The card above uses the same two. A scenario where the parents would borrow more than $65,000 is left out.
The prices by income
- They describe students who got aid.
- “Over $110,000” has no upper limit, so it averages families just over $110,000 with far wealthier ones. A family at $115,000 should expect to pay less than it shows.
- Each range is reported on its own, so the prices do not always rise with income.
Where the prices come from
Where the prices come from: University of Illinois Chicago's own 2026-27 tuition, fees, housing, food and books, from its website, carried forward to 2027 at 3.0% a year. The grants are the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (2025-26 figures), carried forward the same way. Each price after grants is the cost less those grants. The out-of-state figure uses the published out-of-state tuition instead. The average price after grants counts the students who get federal aid. Your own figure will be different.
University of Illinois Chicago fixes tuition for four years for every class that starts in fall 2004 or later, under its Guaranteed Tuition Program. For students who start in fall 2027, our four-year figures keep that flat and let the rest of the cost rise.
SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by University of Illinois Chicago. Aid policies change; check current terms with the college's aid office.
Nearby at your income
- Augustana College$22,757 a year
- North Park University$23,044 a year
- University of Illinois Chicago$23,126 a year
- Wheaton College$23,383 a year
- Bradley University$23,412 a year
What each college charges, less the average grant for your income. Every Illinois college →