@macleo, nope! We meet 100% of demonstrated need for all students regardless of when or how you apply.
@Julia_Li1, we don’t require that you send AP scores, and they don’t factor very highly into our admissions decisions. If you think they contribute to showing us you know the topics, great, send them. If not, also great, don’t send them.
You can always still submit scores after admission if they will qualify you for credit (though 3’s generally won’t).
@tommyshelby, the best place to submit documents is directly to your regional admissions counselor or to our general inbox at collegeadmissions@uchicago.edu. We’ll be able to get it to the right place from there.
@JustinAdmUChicago, if I may, just a quick follow-up. If the Fin Aid offer is less than we can afford after being admitted ED 1/2, what are our options, if any? Thank you!
@JustinAdmUChicago, what do you think is the most important part of one’s application?
@MeMiMoMum, we don’t expect any particular classes, so whether or not you choose to take AP English or AP History doesn’t really factor in. We do want to see that you challenge yourself, and do so in a variety of areas, but how you do that does not mean “take literally every AP course”.
I totally understand being worried about campus safety. Every university (UChicago included) invests heavily in the safety of its students and community. After all, what are we other than the people who study and work here? That said, I’d always caution people on extrapolating too much from statistics as numbers can only go so far. There’s a lot of context behind the lived experience in any given place, and a lot of being safe is understanding how to take advantage of your resources. Whether it’s programs our campus safety offices run like electronics and bike registrations or blue lights or campus safety officers, or transportation options, or orientation programs that help students acclimate to city life, our students usually feel safe taking advantage of this wonderful city. Anecdotally, being in this area for almost a decade, it’s a great place to be.
@AnonZoraDora, nope! We do not expect you to take the tests at any point, even if you took the class. No worries at all on that.
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@macleo, (this goes for any school, not just UChicago) if your ED school is not going to be able to adequately support you, there are ways to release you from your commitment. At schools like UChicago that meet 100% of need, this is extremely rare. I strongly encourage checking out our net price calculator to help you make the decision on whether a binding application is right for you!
@tommyshelby, no piece of the application is more important than any other. They all answer different kinds of questions for us. Think about it this way, am I going to learn the same kind of stuff from a transcript as I will from your essays? Nah. There will be some similar things we’ll get from the different components, but they’re all equally important when talking about holistic admissions.
got it
@Dylan_Kim1, my best last minute tip is to proofread. My best tip in general is to make sure you’re as direct as possible. Dense applications that make me feel like I just had a conversation with you, where I feel that you just explained something to me, those are the ones that tend to be more successful.
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@JustinAdmUChicago, what is the difference in acceptance rates in test submitted vs test optional?
What does admissions think about students who do independent research projects in high school? Can these help your application if you don’t plan to submit test scores?
Thanks, @JustinAdmUChicago! My main worry is that this score might play against me, but I might be just overthinking it. Like you said, we all want to put our best foot forward. That’s why I was hoping to get your opinion outside the context of the rest of my application, especially since the math part of the SAT isn’t in the 780-800 range.
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@JustinAdmUChicago, does the school offer any financial aid opportunities for students who are accepted early?
@bjmiller75, the acceptance rates are pretty similar, generally, as we typically try to have our incoming class be representative of our application pool overall. Again this is one of those things that can vary pretty widely year to year. For example, our first year of test optional admissions 4 years ago, we still saw the vast, vast majority of students apply with testing, and therefore the vast majority of admitted students had testing as well. Fast forward to 2020, and as you might expect the number of test-optional applications jumped up a lot and so did their proportion of our incoming class. We saw the number of test-takers go up again last year, and we can’t really say what that will look like this year.
@JustinAdmUChicago, I think I share @macleo 's concern. When you say “100% of need” does that mean actual need, or just the delta between the “expected family contribution” calculated via the net price calculator and the sticker price? Unfortunately, the “expected family contribution” is not a realistic number for a lot of families. So, if I got in ED, but the “100% of need” offered by UofC is not enough aid to make it affordable for my family, then could I be released from the commitment? Or do you think it’s better to just not apply ED if I already know the “expected family contribution” is not realistic?
@CC_Joy, research projects are great, regardless of whether students are sending in scores. If students want to submit research, the best way is to upload their abstract to their UChicago account portal. But certainly in the context of applications that don’t have test scores included, it can help us get some extra depth to the academic background.
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@Cassiopeia1, sure, totally get it. My other two cents on the subject is that, especially in the world of test-optional admissions, the middle-50% test ranges you’ll find on schools’ websites are going to skew higher. They aren’t necessarily going to be as representative of what a “competitive score” would have been if every applicant included testing. I hope that makes sense!
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Okay, yes I understand. Thanks a lot for your input!