UChicago Undergraduate Requirements

August 30, 2022
By AdmissionSight

UChicago Undergraduate Requirements

Many people believe that the University of Chicago is one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the world. Because it considers itself to be “One of the world’s premier academic and research institutions,” it is extremely selective when selecting the students who will attend. It’s imperative that you know more about UChicago undergraduate requirements.

The University of Chicago, also referred to as UChicago by its students and faculty, was established in 1890, and it was ranked number six on the list of the best colleges in national universities in 2022.

Alumni of the University of Chicago include prominent figures from all over the world. The American politician Bernie Sanders, the American economist Milton Friedman, the American actress Morgan Saylor, and the American lawyer Harvey Levin are among the school’s most famous former students (American television producer). Annually, the university is presented with more than 30,000 admissions applications from prospective students.

The university provides its students with first-rate living quarters that are located on campus. In addition, it is mandatory for first-year students to find housing on campus. In addition, the university offers more than 450 different communities for its students to participate in for the purpose of providing social support. The University of Chicago is well-known for the numerous academically challenging and culturally engaging extracurricular programs it offers. In addition, students have their choice of 50 different majors and 40 different minors.

Two students walking in the school halls.

Students who wish to attend the University of Chicago must submit a compelling application if they wish to be accepted and secure a spot in the program of their choice. In the previous academic year, there were approximately 37,977 applicants interested in attending the university, but only approximately 2,468 were accepted. According to these numbers, the acceptance rate at the University of Chicago is 6.5 percent. The University of Chicago is considered one of the most competitive educational institutions due to its low acceptance rate.

Applicants who are familiar with the various UChicago undergraduate requirements have a better chance of being accepted. The University of Chicago will only accept cadets who are of the highest caliber and who come the closest to meeting its stringent admission requirements. In order to make the most of your application, we will provide a comprehensive rundown of the UChicago undergraduate requirements.

What are the requirements for UChicago?

What are the requirements for UChicago college admissions? As part of the UChicago undergraduate requirements, applicants have the option of submitting either the Coalition Application or the Common Application; however, the University of Chicago Supplement is included in both of these applications. Applicants will also be asked to create a UChicago Account, which will allow them to submit information and view their admissions decision after the account has been created.

Young man using a laptop while sitting on a sofa.

Pick One of These Two Applications

There are a number of online application platforms available, and many different colleges and universities accept these platforms. Using the online application platform, you provide fundamental information about your history, academic profile, and extracurricular activities, in addition to submitting an essay.

This information can be easily shared with any number of colleges to which you decide to apply. When you apply to the University of Chicago, in addition to the standard application, you will be required to submit two supplemental essays. as part of the UChicago undergraduate requirements, these essays will not be shared with any other educational institutions.

The Coalition Application and the Common Application are both accepted by UChicago. During the admissions process, they do not discriminate against either one. You will need to choose a single application platform to use, and you can use whichever one you believe will be most effective for you.

Extracurricular Activities

Include in your list of extracurricular activities everything that you do when you are not in school since that is how you spend your time outside of the classroom. This could be an organized club, team, or competition; a hobby that you pursue on your own; a part-time job; a responsibility toward your family; or anything else that you do with your time outside of the classroom.

As part of the UChicago undergraduate requirements, the reason why colleges request this information is not that they have any particular expectation or preference for how you spend your time; rather, they want to learn more about what you find significant, worthwhile, or interesting.

Personal Statement

It is your opportunity to present yourself and your ideas in your own words within the context of your personal statement. All of the colleges and universities to which you are applying will receive a copy of your personal statement if you use the Common or Coalition Application.

Unidentified person using a laptop in a table.

As a consequence of this, it should not be unique to any one particular school. Your personal statement needs to be written in a way that is appropriate for a wide variety of readers and should highlight your strongest qualities.

UChicago Supplement

The University of Chicago Supplement requires two essays: one longer one, chosen by you from a list of several possible topics, and one shorter one, explaining why you would like to attend the University of Chicago. You can obtain a copy of the Supplement by using either the Coalition Application or the Common Application.

Your UChicago Account

Students have the option of starting either the Coalition or the Common Application before or after creating a UChicago Account.

  • Application Fee, as well as Waiver of Automatic Fees- Students who wish to apply for need-based financial aid at the University of Chicago, are not required to pay an application fee in order to do so. Our application fee is $75 for students who are not applying for need-based financial aid and can be submitted through either the Coalition Application or the Common Application.
  • Report from Middle and High School and a Transcript from High School- You should talk to the guidance counselor at your secondary school about filling out the Secondary School Report and submitting it along with your official transcript. If your secondary school does not have a counselor available to submit the Secondary School Report and transcript on your behalf, a teacher or school administrator may do so instead. You have the option to self-submit your high school transcript if you attend a high school in the United States.

Report from the Secondary School

The Secondary School Report gives us a summary of your performance academically during your time in secondary school. Through either the Coalition Application or the Common Application, guidance counselors at secondary schools have the opportunity to electronically submit letters of recommendation and school forms on behalf of their students.

Transcript from the High School

Your high school ought to provide you with an official transcript that details the classes you took and your grades throughout the entirety of your high school career. When we are reviewing your application, we will use your transcript as a roadmap to follow your academic journey through high school. The University of Chicago will examine your academic record throughout all four years of high school, primarily to determine whether or not you have effectively challenged yourself through the courses that you have taken and whether or not you have performed well in those classes.

Two different evaluations of the teachers- For first-year applicants, UChicago requires two recommendations from teachers from their high school, and for transfer applicants, UChicago requires two recommendations from college instructors. Academic subjects include mathematics, social studies, history, science, English or literature, a foreign language, and other classes in which you are doing substantial amounts of reading, writing, or class discussion.

This definition of “academic subjects” was developed for the purpose of defining what should be included in letters of recommendation. Feel free to get in touch with the Admissions Counselor for your region if you have any questions about whether or not a specific class would be beneficial for you to take.

Submitting Letters of Recommendation

Through either the Coalition Application or the Common Application, all school counselors and teachers have the opportunity to upload electronic versions of their recommendation letters and school forms. Recommendation letters should never be written by the applicant; rather, the recommender should write the letter and send it directly.

Young woman opening a letter on a table.

Because you can add letters of recommendation to your application after the application deadline, you do not need to ask your recommender to submit their letter before or at the same time as you have submitted your application. This is because you can add letters of recommendation to your application after the application deadline.

Supplemental Recommendations

If you believe that without a third letter of recommendation from another teacher, an employer, a role model, a youth leader, or a friend, we won’t be able to get a complete picture of who you are, you are welcome to submit one additional letter. It is not expected that you will submit a supplemental letter of recommendation, and before you ask a potential recommender for a letter of recommendation, please be considerate of the significant time commitment it takes to write a good letter of recommendation.

  • Midyear Report -Please have your high school counselor submit a midyear report with grades or a transcript for your first semester or first trimester by the 1st of February of the year in which you have applied, or as soon as possible after that date. Students will not be penalized for submitting the report after the due date because we are aware that some schools may delay the issuance of midyear grades until a later date.
  • Standardized Test-The policy at UChicago is one of test-optionality. It is therefore up to you to decide whether or not to send the SAT score. Your UChicago undergraduate requirements will be taken into consideration by the university regardless of the score you submit. You should send in your scores if you have high confidence that they will play a significant role in determining the outcome of the competition.
  • Optional requirements-The following are the UChicago undergraduate requirements that can be waived if desired:
  • Application for Financial Assistance
  • Video Profile
  • Additional Sources and Materials

What GPA is required for UChicago?

What GPA is required for UChicago?  On a scale from 4.0 to 4.0, the high school grade point average of students who were accepted to the University of Chicago was a perfect score. Students who enter the University of Chicago typically rank in the top one percent of their class and earn primarily A’s. However, UChicago does not specify a minimum GPA requirement anywhere in the UChicago undergraduate requirements.

The University of Chicago does not impose a minimum GPA requirement on applicants. The University of Chicago is a very selective institution; however, they do conduct a holistic review of their first-year applicant pool. This indicates that other aspects of your application that stand out can give you an advantage over other candidates for admission to the University of Chicago.

Does UChicago require SAT for 2022?

Does UChicago require SAT for 2022 admissions? Since one school can be very different from another, it is helpful to see evidence of academic achievement that exists outside of the context of your school. Your transcript displays your academic record within the context of your school, but it is also useful to see evidence of academic achievement that exists outside of the context of your school.

Because of this, some educational institutions require applicants to provide either their SAT or ACT scores. In this broader context, an applicant’s score on either the SAT or the ACT can be interpreted as a reflection of their academic preparedness.

Group of students answering a test in a room.

There are some applicants who might have the impression that their score on the SAT or ACT does not adequately represent their academic preparedness or potential. If this describes your situation, you have the option of applying to UChicago using the test-optional method, in which case you will not be required to submit your SAT or ACT scores along with your application.

UChicago encourages all students, regardless of the testing plan they have chosen, to send in any additional materials (details of which can be found in the Supplements section) that they consider to be the most representative of their abilities, interests, and possible contributions to the University of Chicago.

The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), the American College Testing Program (ACT), and other standard measures can continue to be an important component of the University of Chicago’s holistic admission process for students who elect to send scores. Additionally, the SAT and ACT are required components of the application process at many other highly selective schools. These examinations have the potential to provide useful information about a student, which we and other colleges will take into consideration along with the other aspects of an applicant’s application.

Students are strongly encouraged to take standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT and to report their scores to the University of Chicago if they believe that their scores accurately reflect their abilities and potential. They expect that the vast majority of students, given that many of their peers do require testing, will continue to take tests and may still submit their test scores to UChicago. This is because many of their peers do require testing.

What kind of student does UChicago look for?

Who does the University of Chicago want to enroll there? The University of Chicago is looking for a student who is academically well-rounded, has an interesting perspective on the world, and has interesting extracurricular experience (ideally in seemingly unrelatable areas).

The Office of Undergraduate Admission at the University of Chicago uses these three categories to evaluate applicants for admission to the university:

  • Academics
  • Extracurriculars
  • Intellectual Fit

The following qualifications would be expected of the applicant with the highest possible academic rating:

  • Placed in the top five percent of their high school class
  • The most rigorous curriculum available among the AP options
  • A composite score on the SAT, ACT, and SAT II that falls within the 99th percentile (1540/34)

An applicant who received a grade of three out of six in academics would have the following credentials:

  • Position within the top 15 percent of your high school class
  • Some of the most difficult Advanced Placement (AP) course loads available in essential subject areas
  • SAT, ACT, and SAT II scores in the neighborhood of 700 (per section)/30 (per section)

Students who excel in a specific area or who are involved in a wide variety of activities are ideal candidates for admission to the University of Chicago.

It is not uncommon for the University of Chicago to admit a student who does not have exemplary extracurricular accolades as long as their involvement is thoughtful and thematic to their interests. This is because the strongest students will have exemplary involvement and score the highest in this category. However, it is also not uncommon for UChicago to admit a student who does not score the highest in this category.

Your recommendations and the supplements you take will both factor into the Intellectual Vitality rating you receive from the University of Chicago. Students who are interested in learning for the sake of learning, who strive to make deeper connections between subjects, and who are equally involved in their own education, as well as the education of their classmates, are described as receiving the strongest recommendations from their teachers.

UChicago Application Deadline for 2022

When  will be the UChicago application deadline for 2022? First-year applicants at the University of Chicago submit their applications to the undergraduate College, which encompasses all of the institution’s various majors, minors, and programs of study. First-year applicants, who are also known as QuestBridge Applicants, Home-Schooled Applicants, and International Applicants, are the only ones who are permitted to submit an application for entry during the Autumn Quarter.

First-year applicants to the University of Chicago have the option of selecting one of four different application plans. Find out more about the application plans you can choose from and the deadlines associated with each option. Early Intervention The First Early Decision, the Second Early Decision, and the Regular Decision

Early Action Early Decision I Early Decision II Regular Decision
Application Due Date November 1 November 1 January 4 January 4
Admission Decision Release Date Mid-December Mid-December Mid-February Late March
Student Reply Due Date May 2 Mid-January Early March May 2

If you need help putting the finishing touches on your early applications, or want some advice on whether or not applying Early Decision or an Early Action is a good option for you, at AdmissionSight, we have over 10 years of experience guiding students through the competitive admissions process, including our athletic recruitment program.

AdmissionSight can help you put your best foot forward when applying to college this fall. Contact us today for more information on our services.

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