University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS
University of Kansas
LAWRENCE, KS
COLLEGE COUNCIL · ATLAS · US UNIVERSITIES

Illinois Urbana-Champaign vs Kansas - US university comparison

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
Champaign, Illinois
World rank · ARWU#55
Acceptance42.37%
Median SAT1470
Graduation rate85.1%
Median earnings · 10 yrs$81K
University of Kansas
KANSAS
Lawrence, KS
World rank · ARWU#301-400
Acceptance93.48%
Median SAT1190
Graduation rate68.8%
Median earnings · 10 yrs$62K
🔒 UNDERGRADUATE 🔒 GRADUATE

KEY DATA

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign University of Kansas
#55 World rank · ARWU #301-400
#46 Rank · THE -
42.37% Acceptance rate 93.48%
1470 Median SAT 1190
85.1% Graduation rate 68.8%
59,238 Enrollment 29,792

HEAD-TO-HEAD STATISTICS

42.37% Acceptance rate 93.48%
28.8% Yield rate 25.5%
1470 Median SAT 1190
- Avg. GPA 3.68
73,742 Number of applications 22,363
14.9% Int'l students 3.1%
$81K Median earnings · 10 yrs $62K
$55K Bottom 25% earnings · 10 yrs $40K
$117K Top 25% earnings · 10 yrs $88K
85.1% Graduation rate 68.8%
94.8% Retention rate 86%
$19,500 Median debt $21,000
$38,400 Tuition · year $30,432
$23,217 Avg. aid package $19,700
0.8% % of need met 78.6%
$22,395 Avg. graduate debt $27,212
$50 Application fee $40
$5,836 Avg. int'l aid $11,164
At a glance
Illinois Urbana-Champaign leads in 9 of 11 measured metrics
% of need0.8% vs 78.6%
Acceptance42.37% vs 93.48%
Earnings$81K vs $62K

The verdict, from the data

A place is harder to win where the bar sits higher: Illinois Urbana-Champaign admits 42.4%, Kansas admits 93.5%.

The share of international students differs sharply: 14.9% (Illinois Urbana-Champaign) against 3.1% (Kansas).

The tuition gap is $7,968 a year: $30,432 (Kansas) against $38,400.

The gap in median earnings after a decade favours Illinois Urbana-Champaign: $81K against $62K.

None of these figures decides on its own; what decides is which course you want to be on, and on what budget.

Every sentence above comes from a field we hold in canonical. Where the data is missing, or the gap is small enough to be noise, the sentence simply does not appear.

EXPERT TAKE

Illinois Urbana-Champaign is the more selective of the two (42.37% vs 93.48% acceptance). Illinois Urbana-Champaign ranks higher in the ARWU world research ranking (#55 vs #301-400). Illinois Urbana-Champaign graduates earn a higher median 10 years after enrollment ($81K vs $62K). Kansas has lower sticker-price tuition ($30,432 vs $38,400 per year).

Both universities have complete, comparable data in canonical - the choice should come down to fit (campus culture, major, aid package) alongside the differences visible in the numbers below.

Choose Illinois Urbana-Champaign for: a higher world ranking, higher selectivity, higher graduate earnings.

Choose Kansas for: lower tuition.

College Council Atlas analysis · IPEDS / College Scorecard CDS 2024-25, ARWU 2024.

BY THE NUMBERS

Admissions

Illinois Urbana-Champaign is more selective (42.37% vs 93.48% acceptance); Illinois Urbana-Champaign has a higher median SAT (1470 vs 1190).

Graduate outcomes

Illinois Urbana-Champaign graduates earn a higher median 10 years after enrollment ($81K vs $62K); Illinois Urbana-Champaign has a higher 6-year graduation rate (85.1% vs 68.8%).

Cost and aid

Kansas has lower sticker-price tuition ($30,432 vs $38,400); Illinois Urbana-Champaign offers a larger average aid package ($23,217 vs $19,700).

VALUE LANDSCAPE

$35k$76k$117k$158k$11k$35k$59k$83kIllinois Urbana-ChampaignKansas TUITION · YEAR → MEDIAN EARNINGS · 10 YRS →
Each dot is a comparable US university; Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Kansas highlighted. Up and to the left = better value ratio.

FULL DATA TABLE

Metric Illinois Urbana-Champaign Kansas
World rank · ARWU#55#301-400
Rank · THE#46-
Acceptance rate42.37%93.48%
Yield rate28.8%25.5%
Median SAT14701190
Avg. GPA-3.68
Number of applications73,74222,363
International students14.9%3.1%
Median earnings · 10 yrs$81K$62K
Bottom 25% earnings · 10 yrs$55K$40K
Top 25% earnings · 10 yrs$117K$88K
Graduation rate85.1%68.8%
Retention rate94.8%86%
Median debt$19,500$21,000
Tuition · year$38,400$30,432
Avg. aid package$23,217$19,700
% of need met0.8%78.6%
Avg. graduate debt$22,395$27,212
Application fee$50$40
Enrollment59,23829,792

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Is it harder to get into Illinois Urbana-Champaign or Kansas?

It's harder to get into Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Illinois Urbana-Champaign accepts 42.37% of applicants, while Kansas accepts 93.48%.

Do Illinois Urbana-Champaign or Kansas graduates earn more?

Illinois Urbana-Champaign graduates earn more: the median 10 years after enrollment is $81K vs $62K.

How much is tuition at Illinois Urbana-Champaign vs Kansas?

Sticker-price tuition is $38,400 per year at Illinois Urbana-Champaign and $30,432 per year at Kansas.

What SAT score do you need for Illinois Urbana-Champaign or Kansas?

The median admitted SAT score is 1470 at Illinois Urbana-Champaign and 1190 at Kansas; aim for these values or higher to be competitive.

Which university ranks higher - Illinois Urbana-Champaign or Kansas?

Illinois Urbana-Champaign ranks higher in the ARWU world ranking: #55 for Illinois Urbana-Champaign vs #301-400 for Kansas.

Which university offers more financial aid - Illinois Urbana-Champaign or Kansas?

The average aid package is $23,217 at Illinois Urbana-Champaign and $19,700 at Kansas.

Compare Illinois Urbana-Champaign with
Harvard Stanford Massachusetts Institute of Technology Princeton Yale Cornell Penn Johns Hopkins Washington University Northwestern
Highest-ranked in ARWU. Click "↻ Change university" in the cards above to choose from all 47 universities (+35).
All metrics come 100% from College Council Atlas (canonical) - admissions, SAT, GPA, graduate outcomes, financial aid and costs from IPEDS / College Scorecard CDS 2024-25; rankings from ARWU 2024 and THE 2025. Zero manual fields. "-" = not yet in canonical.