University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign vs. Purdue University

Illinois is the harder admit. It takes about 36.6% of applicants, roughly 30,400 of more than 83,000, against about 50% at Purdue, which admitted around 36,600 of 72,800. Both run admission by major, so engineering and computer science applicants face odds well below the campus-wide rate, since those programs draw far more candidates than they can seat. The geography splits too: Illinois enrolls only about 16% of first-years from outside the state, while Purdue draws roughly 51% from out of state.

Illinois wins for a computer-science-first path, admitting you straight into the major and pulling a heavy applicant pool at the more selective school. Computing makes up about 9% of its degrees and trails engineering at 19%. Purdue runs the more engineering-saturated campus, where engineering hits about 34% of degrees and computing another 11%, all wrapped in a co-op and recruiting culture aimed at industry. So Illinois gives you a dedicated CS track, while Purdue puts computing inside a denser, industry-facing engineering environment.

Purdue concentrates harder on engineering, which accounts for about 34% of its bachelor's degrees, the single largest field by a wide margin, with strength in aerospace and a co-op pipeline. Engineering leads at Illinois too, near 19% of degrees, but it sits inside a broader mix that runs deep in computer science, the sciences, and agriculture. Purdue also keeps a lower student-faculty ratio, about 14-to-1 against 20-to-1 at Illinois. The split favors Purdue for a recruiting-heavy, engineering-dominated campus and Illinois for engineering paired with a top CS program at a more selective flagship.

Purdue charges out-of-state students meaningfully less, about $28,794 in tuition and fees against $38,398 at Illinois, helped by a multiyear tuition freeze that keeps in-state cost under $10,000. Illinois softens its higher sticker by meeting more demonstrated need, about 82% on average to Purdue's 79%, and its average need-based package runs larger, near $26,429 to Purdue's $13,941, with about 38% of Illinois first-years getting need-based aid versus 26% at Purdue. Illinois also runs the Illinois Commitment, covering tuition and fees for in-state families earning $75,000 or less. A full-pay non-resident still lands a clearly lower bill at Purdue.

They split on this. Illinois stays test-optional, so scores help when submitted but count only as a considered factor, while Purdue requires the SAT or ACT and treats scores as a very important factor in review. Admitted ranges sit higher at Illinois: a middle-50% SAT of 1390–1520 and ACT of 31–34, against Purdue's 1210–1450 and 27–34. Purdue reports an average admitted GPA of about 3.78, whereas Illinois publishes class rank rather than a GPA.

Non-residents fare better at Purdue. About 51% of its enrolled first-years come from out of state, so applicants from beyond Indiana show up well represented, and state residency counts only as a considered factor. Illinois enrolls just about 16% of first-years from out of state and leans heavily toward in-state students, leaving non-residents to compete for a far smaller slice of the class. Coursework rigor and your academic record carry the most weight at both, yet the seat math tilts toward out-of-state applicants much more at Purdue.