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

Kansas vs Illinois Urbana-Champaign - US university comparison

University of Kansas
KANSAS
Lawrence, KS
World rank · ARWU#301-400
Acceptance93.48%
Median SAT1190
Graduation rate68.8%
Median earnings · 10 yrs$62K
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
🔒 UNDERGRADUATE 🔒 GRADUATE

KEY DATA

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

HEAD-TO-HEAD STATISTICS

93.48% Acceptance rate 42.37%
25.5% Yield rate 28.8%
1190 Median SAT 1470
3.68 Avg. GPA -
22,363 Number of applications 73,742
3.1% Int'l students 14.9%
$62K Median earnings · 10 yrs $81K
$40K Bottom 25% earnings · 10 yrs $55K
$88K Top 25% earnings · 10 yrs $117K
68.8% Graduation rate 85.1%
86% Retention rate 94.8%
$21,000 Median debt $19,500
$30,432 Tuition · year $38,400
$19,700 Avg. aid package $23,217
78.6% % of need met 0.8%
$27,212 Avg. graduate debt $22,395
$40 Application fee $50
$11,164 Avg. int'l aid $5,836
At a glance
Illinois Urbana-Champaign leads in 9 of 11 measured metrics
% of need78.6% vs 0.8%
Acceptance93.48% vs 42.37%
Earnings$62K vs $81K

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 (#301-400 vs #55). 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 Kansas for: lower tuition.

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

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$83kKansasIllinois Urbana-Champaign TUITION · YEAR → MEDIAN EARNINGS · 10 YRS →
Each dot is a comparable US university; Kansas and Illinois Urbana-Champaign highlighted. Up and to the left = better value ratio.

FULL DATA TABLE

Metric Kansas Illinois Urbana-Champaign
World rank · ARWU#301-400#55
Rank · THE-#46
Acceptance rate93.48%42.37%
Yield rate25.5%28.8%
Median SAT11901470
Avg. GPA3.68-
Number of applications22,36373,742
International students3.1%14.9%
Median earnings · 10 yrs$62K$81K
Bottom 25% earnings · 10 yrs$40K$55K
Top 25% earnings · 10 yrs$88K$117K
Graduation rate68.8%85.1%
Retention rate86%94.8%
Median debt$21,000$19,500
Tuition · year$30,432$38,400
Avg. aid package$19,700$23,217
% of need met78.6%0.8%
Avg. graduate debt$27,212$22,395
Application fee$40$50
Enrollment29,79259,238

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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

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

Do Kansas or Illinois Urbana-Champaign graduates earn more?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Compare Kansas 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.