UIUC vs USC: admit rates, GPA and how Taiwanese applicants choose
OfferLand users have reported 230 application results for UIUC and 206 for USC; 71 applicants applied to both. The table puts admit rates, admitted applicants’ scores, top fields and programs side by side.
Self-reported sample from OfferLand users, not official school data; figures based on fewer than 5 results are not shown. Data as of 2026-10-22.
Side by side
Admit rate = (admitted + enrolled) ÷ (admitted + enrolled + rejected); waitlisted and pending results are left out. Median GPA and TOEFL count each admitted applicant once. Figures based on fewer than 5 results are not shown.
| Metric | UIUC | USC |
|---|---|---|
| Country | United States | United States |
| QS ranking (2027) | #74 | #153 |
| US News ranking (2027) | #34 | #27 |
| Application results | 230 | 206 |
| Applicants | 214 | 192 |
| Admit rate | 68.3% | 77.5% |
| Median GPA (admitted) | 3.70 | 3.71 |
| Median TOEFL (admitted) | 102 | 100 |
| Most-reported fields | Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (100),Finance & Investment (27),General Engineering (25),Information Technology (24) | Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (105),General Engineering (21),Business Analytics (18),Finance & Investment (12) |
Most-reported programs
Programs with at least 5 results, by number of results.
UIUC
| Program | Results | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science, M.C.S. (Master's) | 58 | 39.7% |
| Electrical and Computer Engineering, M.Eng. (Master's) | 35 | 60.0% |
| M.S. in Finance (MSF) (Master's) | 27 | 100.0% |
| Information Management, Master of Science (Master's) | 21 | 95.2% |
| Materials Science & Engineering, MS (Master's) | 12 | 83.3% |
USC
| Program | Results | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Engineering, M.S. (Master's) | 54 | 61.1% |
| Electrical Engineering, M.S. (Master's) | 25 | 92.0% |
| Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) (Master's) | 18 | 72.2% |
| MS Finance (MSF) (Master's) | 12 | 90.9% |
| Mechanical Engineering, M.S. (Master's) | 10 | 90.0% |
Applicants to both schools
71 applicants reported results at both schools: 41 were admitted to UIUC, 51 to USC, and 33 to both.
Of those admitted to both who reported a final choice, 7 chose UIUC and 2 chose USC. A small sample; treat it as a hint only.
AI summary (from OfferLand data and posts on the site, 2026-10-21)
In results reported to OfferLand, USC admits a larger share than UIUC (77.5% vs 68.3%), the median GPA of admits is about the same (3.71 vs 3.70), and the median TOEFL is 102 at UIUC and 100 at USC. Of the 71 people who applied to both, 33 were admitted to both and 9 of them reported a final choice: 7 chose UIUC and 2 chose USC, a lean toward UIUC from a small group. Beyond EECS, both schools have many business master's results: finance (MSF) and information management at UIUC, business analytics (MSBA) and finance at USC.
- The gap is clearest in computing programs: UIUC's MCS has 58 reports and a 39.7% admit rate, while USC's MS in Computer Engineering has 54 reports and 61.1%.Source: data on this page
- A business analytics applicant who applied to USC, UIUC and others chose USC's MSBA, citing its 16-month length, which gave them more time to settle in and prepare for internships and job hunting, and USC's alumni network.Source: MSBA 申請｜把興趣當優勢拿下夢校 Offer？美國、新加坡商業分析申請分享！
- Another MSBA applicant wrote in their essays that UIUC's business analytics program has a financial track, which matched their earlier finance analytics project and was one reason they applied.Source: MSBA申請心得(二)
Written by AI from the data on this page and the cited posts and interview reports. It may contain mistakes and is neither official school information nor application advice; check the original posts and the schools’ own announcements.
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When citing these figures, please credit OfferLand. How the data is collected: About the data.