UIUC Financial Aid

About University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign

The University of Illinois' flagship campus at Urbana-Champaign is, by all accounts, an awesome school. It is considered a Public Ivy, and is one of the top 15 public universities in the country. The University excels in academic research, and is a land, sea, and space-grant institution, factors that led U Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to develop particularly robust programs in engineering and the sciences. Its 1,500-acre campus was named as one of 50 campuses that are works of art, and it is home to the nation's 3rd largest university library (only to be outsized by Harvard and Yale). Not only is the campus gorgeous, but it's also going to be super environmentally-friendly: as of 2011, the university adopted the US LEED Gold standard as a benchmark for all new campus construction, which is sort of a big deal/pretty cool thing.

Budgeting and UIUC Financial Aid

The UIUC financial aid office estimates personal expenses for a year on campus will run you about $2,500, so be sure to give yourself at least that much room. That figure includes textbook costs, which will be pretty high, as well as travel and random incidentals. Some expenses to consider that you might not immediately think about include student ticket packages: the fighting Illini are crazily popular, and a student ticket package for football games can run you between $99 for a regular flex package to $135 if you're an Illini Pride member and want Block-I tickets. Men's basketball tickets will run you $156 for the season, so that can be a quick $250 or even almost $300.

Applying for UIUC Financial Aid

Applying for UIUC financial aid is a pretty standard procedure, just as at any school. The main part of the aid application process is filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. Submit that form to the UIUC financial aid office and the federal government, and all you have to do is wait. The information you provide on your FAFSA will be used to evaluate your financial need, and ultimately the amount and types of financial aid you receive. After submitting the forms required, you'll receive a financial aid package with your next tuition bill, whether upon admission or in the summer.

University of Illinois Financial Aid Packages

As with most schools, UIUC financial aid packages consist of university grants, scholarships, work-study programs, and student loans. A balance of these forms of aid will usually cover all of a student's assessed need, but for some students, their UIUC financial aid packages will not be enough to let them totally cover the cost of college. In these cases, federal student loans are good funding options, but if these are not enough, then private student loans can be a good final way of covering the gap between tuition and your UIUC financial aid package. To search, compare, and apply for a private student loan that could help you cover the financial gap and pay for UIUC, just use our student loan comparison tool above.