So I did pretty bad my freshman and sophomore years of high school. My cumulative GPA is 2.935. Right now, I’m working really hard and I have all A’s, but only two B’s, so I have a 3.7 GPA. So my question is, can I still get into UIUC or UIC? Those two schools are on the top of my list, but I’m also considering Iowa State, Eastern Illinois, and Northern Illinois. I’ll also be taking the ACT this spring, so if I pass the exam, will UIC or UIUC still accept me? Also, if I take 4 AP classes senior year (it’ll be the first time I’ll be taking AP courses), will that increase my chances? I’m going to take AP Calculus, AP Government, AP Physics 1, and AP Human Geography. If it helps, I’m thinking of majoring in computer engineering and physics.
Engineering at UIUC is very competitive…average ACT is 31-34 I think. I also think your cum GPA is too low for COE but see where you are after this year and look up the average class profile to see how you match up.
The issue is how they will view the upward swing. For you, ACT and showing interest in the school will be very important.
For UIC College of Engineering, your GPA is very low. The average ACT for engineering is 26-30 and class rank is 79th-94th percentile. Physics is in LAS. The average ACT for them is 22-28 and class rank is 72nd-91st percentile. You might have a chance with LAS but engineering is a long shot. UIC values grades over ACT scores for admissions.
The chances for UIUC for either engineering or LAS are fairly low.
Your best bet is probably Eastern with NIU as a reach and UIC as a high reach. It’s probably not worth the money to apply to UIUC.
For both UIC and UIUC, you need to visit them. For border line students, a record of a visit can be what gets them admission.