The University of Chicago

An educational ideal

Chartered in 1890, the University of Chicago quickly became a world leader in higher education and research. UChicago’s approximately 5,700 undergraduates comprise a community of exceptional student scholars who are eager to explore, take risks, challenge themselves intellectually, and determine the direction and focus of their own education. Students choose UChicago for its rigorous liberal arts curriculum, small Socratic-style seminars, and 6:1 student-faculty ratio. Students also prepare for challenging careers and competitive graduate schools through professional and recreational opportunities on campus and in Chicago.

An educational ideal
College seminar-style classes promote invigorating discussions that begin in the classroom and extend into the community. Focused on careful reading, analytical writing, and critical thinking, UChicago’s Core Curriculum is the perfect foundation for any major and all future endeavors. Through Core classes in the humanities, social sciences, mathematics, foreign language, natural sciences, physical sciences, biological sciences, fine arts, and civilization studies, students investigate the human experience and the natural world. With nearly 50 majors and 30 minors, students can double-major, create their own major, or explore interdisciplinary opportunities. Undergraduates choose electives from more than 3,000 courses offered in the College each year, and over 40% study abroad through more than 45 faculty-designed and taught programs.

More than 150 institutes and centers provide a home for true innovation. The Institute for Molecular Engineering provides a unique opportunity to pursue molecular-level science in both an academic and research context. Similarly, the partnership with the Marine Biological Laboratory furthers biological research and education across the world.

No Barriers, no loans
UChicago’s No Barriers, a new access and affordability program, ensures that students from every background, regardless of their financial need, will find a home on campus. No Barriers waives the application fee for every family who will be applying for need-based financial aid. UChicago meets 100% of every family’s demonstrated financial need, and need-based aid is awarded as grants, not loans. By eliminating loans in aid packages, students can chart their future around their personal passions and goals rather than change course due to debt or financial pressure.

At the forefront of research
Research is part of UChicago’s DNA. The College is uniquely positioned to lead in undergraduate science education; by attending a residential liberal arts college nestled within a world-class research university, every UChicago student gets the best of both worlds. Open inquiry and interdisciplinary approaches define the culture, from the Core Curriculum that enriches each student to the faculty who hold appointments in multiple departments.

More undergraduate research positions are available than undergraduates willing to fill such positions. Students take part in independent or team research projects alongside graduate students, medical students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty members. Each year UChicago undergraduates coauthor papers published in scientific and medical journals, including Endocrinology, American Journal of Physiology, Journal of Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Immunity, Journal of Biological Chemistry, and Journal of Neuroscience.

Lifelong support for careers in health professions
UChicago Careers in Health Profes-sions (UCIHP) is a comprehensive four-year, pre-professional program that provides college students with the resources and support to develop a customized portfolio of knowledge, skill sets, and experiences required for advanced study or employment in health and medicine. As early as their first year, pre-health students are advised on how to assess their strengths, hone their interests, and identify appropriate course work, research, internships, and clinical opportunities.

UCIHP provides comprehensive support to college students and alumni throughout the 18-month process of applying to health profession schools. Through a series of interactive seminars, personal essay consultations, practice interviews, and opportunities for reflection and feedback, students are equipped to produce highly competitive applications to schools that best match their interests.

Campus life
The residential housing system is a vital element of the College community. Modeled after the British house system, the 38 College houses eat together at shared dining tables, explore Chicago at sporting and cultural events, and compete against each other in intramural sports. Each student is guaranteed housing for four years, and though it is only required for first-year students, many remain to enjoy the house system’s perennial traditions.

Undergraduates actively participate in more than 400 student organizations encompassing athletics, the arts, community service, and Greek life. Varsity teams compete at the NCAA Division III level in the UAA Conference. More than 70% of the student body participates in UChicago’s extensive intramural and club sports programs, which offer a wide range of sports such as softball and inner tube water polo.

UChicago is also the birthplace of modern theatrical improvisation, which continues to thrive via weekly performances by student improv groups. Student actors, playwrights, designers, producers, directors, and technicians stage over 35 plays annually through University Theater. The music scene provides an equally broad array of opportunities for student involvement across many different genres. Daily film screenings happen at DOC Films, the nation’s oldest student-run film society. Additionally, the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs hosts dozens of cultural groups as well as the LGBTQ Resource Center.

The multitude of community service projects at the University Community Service Center (UCSC) includes the Neighborhood Schools Program (NSP) and Summer Links, an 11-week paid public service internship program.

Hyde Park and Chicago
The University’s neighborhood, Hyde Park, is a vibrant yet relaxed residential community located just seven miles from downtown Chicago. More than 65% of the faculty and their families call Hyde Park home. With its stimulating diversity, Hyde Park boasts a thriving cultural scene ranging from the Barack Obama Presidential Center to Promontory Point, a peninsula extending into Lake Michigan and an ideal site for Frisbee and barbecues, to the DuSable Museum of African American History. Because of its close proximity to UChicago’s many educational resources, Hyde Park is home to a community whose common bond is a shared passion for invigorating intellectual discussion.

Admission
Successful UChicago applicants will have succeeded in a wide variety of challenging high school courses and have impressive letters of recommendation, essays, extracurricular activities, and test scores. Applicants must submit the Common Application or the Universal Application and the University of Chicago Supplement, which includes an additional extended essay and two short-essay questions. Prospective students and families are welcome to visit campus for an information session and student-led tour. Interviews are optional.