Looking into both areas of interest.
I don’t know if either publishes rates that specific, but I’ve seen claims for both in the 20-25% rates. My fact-free, gut feel is that they’re similar.
Rumor was last year Purdue CS acceptance rate was 17-18%, but it’s not officially broken out beyond the college of science which encompasses other majors.
IMO, both schools should be considered reaches for those majors, especially if you are out of state.
I read in an article that the CS acceptance rate to UIUC was <20%. The article didn’t calculate the percentage; it merely said X applied to fill Y number of spots, and if you did the math, the acceptance rate was extremely selective. As far as I have been able to determine, UIUC and Purdue are comparable for engineering and CS acceptance rates, both <20%. It is very risky to consider either one a “match” school for those majors - safer to put them, in the “reach” category.
I think the “category” is completely dependent on a student profile. With a middle 50% Engineering range of 1350-1470 and 30-34, Purdue certainly isn’t a “reach” for everyone. My D was in the middle of that range, and feedback during a visit was that she was pretty likely to be admitted (which she was). I considered it a somewhat safe match.
My D had friends who were above the 75th percentile for grades and scores and didn’t get into Purdue. As the acceptance rates drop and scores continue to rise, I think it’s really important to be realistic about the college list. Having true safeties and matches is crucial to building a solid list and having lots of options come Spring.
It sounds to me if you are trying to make a decision between CS and Computer Engineering. Purdue at least has both. I am going to say the difference in selectivity is going to be nil. Selectivity is not a way you should choose which program to select. Once in either a CS or CE program it will be a challenge to change as CS is typically in the College of Science and CE is an engineering discipline. They are going to have different focuses and will require different classes. Purdue requires you complete their First Year Engineering Program for Computer Engineering. You would select your engineering discipline the second semester of your freshman year and find out after your freshmen year. I don’t know how UIUC works things but I would not be surprised if the process is similar.
GPA and test scores alone won’t get you into Purdue, that’s where they went wrong. Good CS ecs and essays are also necessary for admission.