UIC rises in 2025 U.S. News Best Colleges rankings

The University of Illinois Chicago continues to be a national leader in public higher education and social mobility, according to the 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings.  

In the latest rankings, UIC rose one spot to tie at 39th among public national universities and improved two spots to tie at 80th among the top 100 universities in the nation. 

In the social mobility category, the university tied for 10th, a jump of six spots from the 2024 ranking. The category measures the top-performing schools that enrolled and graduated students who received federal Pell grants, given to students whose total family incomes are less than $50,000 annually. 

“The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) continues to deliver on its mission to provide the broadest access to the highest levels of educational, research and clinical excellence,” said Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda. “I am delighted that UIC is recognized for the many ways we accelerate social mobility by minimizing financial burdens and preparing our students to compete globally and lead meaningful lives.” 

UIC’s undergraduate nursing program rose three spots to tie for 13th place. Other UIC undergraduate programs ranked in the top 100 nationally are psychology, computer science, engineering, economics and business.  

UIC is also ranked 28th (tie) for campus ethnic diversity, 46th in least debt, 47th (tie) in economic diversity and 48th (tie) among the best colleges for veterans. 

The recently unveiled UIC Aspire grant program is the latest example of the university’s commitment to affordability and access to higher education. Starting in fall 2025, the program will cover the cost of tuition and mandatory fees for new UIC students who are Illinois residents and have a family income or assets of $75,000 or less.   

Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal and College Pulse ranked UIC as the top university in Illinois for value and social mobility.