Yes, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is test-optional for all first-year applicants. You are not required to submit ACT or SAT scores to apply to any major, and the policy applies equally to domestic, international, homeschooled, and recruited student-athlete applicants.
What Test-Optional Means at UIUC
When UIUC says test-optional, it means exactly that: you choose whether to include standardized test scores with your application. If you don’t submit scores, the admissions office reviews your application through holistic review using everything else you provide, including your transcript, essays, activities, and other materials. You won’t be penalized or flagged for not reporting scores.
If you do submit scores, they become part of the review. UIUC accepts both the ACT and SAT and doesn’t prefer one over the other. Scores you provide will factor into the admissions decision and can also be used for course placement and academic advising once you enroll.
Every Major Is Included
There are no exceptions by college or program. Whether you’re applying to Grainger College of Engineering, Gies College of Business, or any other college at UIUC, test scores are optional. You won’t find a hidden requirement buried in the application for competitive majors.
That said, submitting scores is more common among applicants to certain programs. Looking at the three-year average for admitted students, 82% of those admitted to Grainger College of Engineering submitted test scores, and 63% of Gies College of Business admits did. By contrast, only 36% of College of Education admits and 25% of School of Social Work admits submitted scores. Across the entire campus, about 60% of admitted students included test scores.
These numbers don’t mean you need scores to get into engineering or business. They do suggest that many applicants to those highly competitive programs feel their scores strengthen their applications and choose to include them.
Scholarships and Honors Programs
Test scores are not required to be considered for merit-based scholarships or campus honors programs. UIUC uses all the information you submit to make those decisions, so applicants who go test-optional are still in the running. If you do submit scores, they may factor into scholarship and aid decisions alongside the rest of your application.
Should You Submit Your Scores?
The decision comes down to whether your scores add something positive to your application. If your ACT or SAT results align with or exceed the profile of admitted students in your intended program, submitting them gives the admissions office one more strong data point. If your scores feel lower than the rest of your academic record suggests, leaving them off lets the admissions team focus on your GPA, coursework rigor, essays, and activities.
You can also choose to submit scores after you apply. UIUC lets you decide whether you want scores used in the review, so you have some flexibility in how and when they become part of your file. Keep in mind that once you ask the university to consider your scores, they become part of the evaluation.
International and Homeschooled Applicants
The test-optional policy covers international students and homeschooled students without any additional SAT or ACT requirement. International applicants should note that English proficiency exams (such as TOEFL or IELTS) are a separate requirement from the ACT/SAT and are not affected by the test-optional policy. Recruited student-athletes are also fully covered under the same test-optional terms.