Enrollment: 5065
Average SAT: 705
Average ACT: 30.2
Most Popular Majors: Biology/Biological Sciences, General,Economics, General,Political Science and Government, General,
Regular Application Deadline: 01/02
Student Faculty Ratio: 6:1

Undergraduate Receiving Need-Based Financial Aid: 64
Average Freshman Total Need-Based Gift Aid: $33,838.00

Best College Library
Intercollegiate Sports Unpopular or Nonexistent
Students Study the Most

School Says - General Information
A private university chartered in 1890, the University of Chicago has a longstanding reputation for academic excellence, and for good reason. The birthplace of both sociology and political science, Chicago does not just teach scholarly disciplines, it creates them. Across the entire range of its strong liberal arts and sciences curriculum, the University's distinguished faculty reflects this commitment to fundamentals and to breaking new intellectual ground. Chicago's 5,000 undergraduates are deeply involved in those enterprises. Small classes and spirited give-and-take characterize the undergraduate experience at Chicago. Drawn to theoretical inquiry and open discussion, Chicago students thrive on a free exchange of ideas. With abundant opportunities for involvement in research, some undergraduates even coauthor journal articles before graduation. Many others undertake independent projects, guided and challenged by dedicated faculty and their own high standards. The University of Chicago encourages a close-knit learning environment on campus, and promotes this by guaranteeing each student on-campus housing for four years. Chicago's ten residence halls, including modern dorm complexes and neo-Gothic buildings, as well as converted former luxury hotels and apartment buildings, are distinct communities made up of undergraduate students as well as Resident Heads, who are advanced graduate students or faculty members. These communities are a focal point for campus life.

School Says - Student Body
Chicago students are involved in more than 400 student organizations. Community service, academic interest, and cultural awareness groups provide a wide range of opportunities, perspectives, and support. In addition to three student newspapers, a campus radio station, and music, art, theater, and film organizations, the award-winning Model United Nations Team, Debate Society, and College Bowl Team offer forums for competition. An annual scavenger hunt and the winter festival Kuviasungnerk (from an Eskimo word roughly translated as "pursuit of happiness") are among the traditional and very "Chicago" events on campus. With one of the most extensive intramural and club sports programs in the country, Chicago students take athletics seriously, more than 70 percent participate in intramurals. Varsity athletics attract 14 percent of the undergraduate student population, where competition at the NCAA Division III level has resulted in numerous Academic All-American awards plus team league championships in women's cross-country, soccer, and softball, and men's basketball, wrestling, and cross country.

School Says - Academics
Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degrees are awarded in the following 53 major programs: Environmental Studies, African/Afro-American Studies, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Russian Civilization, South Asian Studies, Gender Studies, Computer Science, Education, Linguistics, Comparative Literature, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Slavic Languages and Literatures, Germanic Studies, South Asian Languages and Literatures, Romance Languages and Literatures, Early Christian Literature, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Classical Languages and Literatures, Classical Studies, Ancient Studies, English Language and Literature, Fundamentals:Issues and Texts, Tutorial Studies, Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities, Religion and Humanities, Biological Sciences, Biological Chemistry, Mathematics, Statistics, Medieval Studies, Philosophy, Jewish Studies, Religious Studies, Chemistry, Biological Chemistry, Geophysical Sciences, Physics, Psychology, Human Development, Public Policy Studies, General Studies in the Social Sciences, Anthropology, Economics, Geographical Studies, International Studies, Political Science, Sociology, Law Letters and Society, Cinema and Media Studies, Art History, Music, Visual Arts, History, Hist. Phil. and Social Sci. of Med.

School Says - Admissions
No formula exists for the successful Chicago applicant; all have displayed the capacity to inquire, to contribute to their schools and communities, and to succeed at the tasks before them. Among 1306 students in the Class of 2012 (High School graduation year 2008), approximately 86 percent graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school classes. The middle 50 percent of admitted students had a combined score of between 1340 and 1510 on the SAT-I or between 28 and 33 on the ACT. To apply for admission or to obtain more information about the University of Chicago, please write to the Office of College Admissions, The University of Chicago, 1101 East 58th Street, Suite 105, Chicago, Illinois 60637, or call 773-702-8650. Information can also be obtained on the web from the University of Chicago College Admissions home page at collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu

School Says - Campus Life
The campus is 7 miles south of the main business district of Chicago, the Midwest's largest and the nation's third-largest city. The city's size and importance make it a valuable resource to students, an internationally acclaimed symphony, world-renowned museums, and numerous cultural opportunities are all accessible by public transportation. The University's neighborhood, Hyde Park, is a residential community of 41,000 situated on the shores of Lake Michigan. Home to more than 60 percent of the faculty, the neighborhood is often cited as a model of urbane and multi-ethnic city living. The University's 211-acre campus is distinguished by its English Gothic style architecture and its designation as a botanic garden. Campus buildings designed by Eero Saarinen, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Walter Netsch, and Frank Lloyd Wright, as well as newer buildings designed by Cesar Pelli and Ricardo Legorreta, contribute further eloquence to the learning environment.

Students Say - Academics
Dedication to enriching the 'life of the mind' is palpable at the "incomparable" University of Chicago. It is home to "the best economics department in the country," and one of the best (and most monstrously ugly) main libraries on Earth. Chicago students believe that "no university offers a better academic experience," and there is "an unexpectedly vibrant school spirit that comes not from athletics, but [a] shared academic involvement." Undergraduates must complete an intense, "interdisciplinary" core curriculum that "teaches them how to think about literature and philosophy and science." The core is "rigorous" and "you will spend about a third of your time here on it. But it's [also] fantastic, and you come out an incredibly well-rounded thinker with opinions on a wide variety of subjects." Naturally, "courses are tough." "Once you're out of the fire," though, "you realize how much more enriched you've become intellectually, with respect [as] to how to learn and…knowledge itself." Professors at Chicago "are the best in the world" and are "real celebrities in their fields of study," but they "make every effort to help every student who asks." Still, "there are duds." "Not everyone with the intelligence to do amazing research is capable of teaching." The "incredibly supportive" administration "takes pains to engage the entire campus in a sort of collective, community-wide conversation.…They bring in all sorts of speakers, allow student groups almost absolute freedom, and are very supportive of student initiatives."

Students Say - Campus Life
The quarter system "makes for a particularly fast-paced" schedule. "We wear t-shirts that say 'U of C: Where fun comes to die,' and we're proud of it," explains a first-year student. "Don't come here if you don't plan to work very hard," an economics major warns. "We spend a large chunk of our time studying and should be studying much of the time that we are not." However, according to one student, "As much as a lot of people complain about the extremely rigorous academics at this school, we all secretly love it or we wouldn't be here." And "contrary to popular belief," students "certainly do know how to have fun." There are "concerts, plays, movies," and "tons of truly brilliant events on campus." Students also spend a lot of time "just talking" with "fascinating" classmates "who can hold their own on any topic under the sun." "The frat party scene is not much at all compared to other schools, but it's still there. Room parties with extended friends and random people from the building are usually more popular." While "scorn for the lovely neighborhood" surrounding the campus is "exceedingly common," downtown Chicago is "very accessible." The city "is a huge asset and resource," "whether it's for an internship," "a night out," or "just a day away from campus."

Students Say - Student Body
Students at Chicago are "intense," "opinionated," "engaged with the world around them," and "somewhat zany." "Most everyone has a quirk," a senior reports, "like the center on the football team who's really into Dungeons & Dragons." Without question, "the popular stereotype" of the Chicago student is "a nerdy, socially awkward person." Living up to the hype are an abundance of students "religiously dedicated to academic performance" and "a bunch of strange people," "usually clutching some fantastic book." However, "there aren't as many extremely strange and nerdy students as there have been in the past." "A portion of the student body at the U of C [are] actually talented, cool, and (gasp!) attractive." "There are loads of people who are fascinating," a sophomore writes. There are "artists, communists, fashionistas, activists," and even "some who aren't posing at all." "Everyone who is at the University of Chicago considers themselves at the best possible university," concludes one student. "It's a self-selecting group," and most people are "happy to be here." Chicago students "look down on other schools, particularly the Ivies."

Yale University
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