This article will not tell you whether your child should go there. An article or an IPEDS table cannot decide that. But it will give you a map of one part of the journey: what this university is, how it admits students, how much it charges, how much aid it provides, and what happens to the students who enroll. With that, you can begin to place this school within your family’s larger plan.
What Kind of University It Is
Illinois Institute of Technology is classified by Carnegie among doctoral universities with high research activity. It is a private, nonprofit institution offering programs of four years or more. IPEDS records the doctorate as the highest degree level it reports offering and places it among institutions that primarily award bachelor’s degrees or higher. It also reports offering graduate programs. None of these facts tells you whether the exact program your child is interested in exists here or whether it connects undergraduate and graduate study: that must be verified program by program.
Using data from 2019-20, Carnegie describes it as a medium-sized, highly residential four-year school: at that time, at least half of degree-seeking undergraduate students lived in institution-owned housing, and at least 80 out of every 100 studied full time. Being “highly residential” is not the same as being inexpensive: room and board are charged separately, as you will see later. On the other hand, in the 2021 Carnegie classification, its undergraduate profile places it among institutions that enroll many transfer students. If your child is considering coming here after studying somewhere else, this is exactly what you need to begin investigating in detail: which courses will count and which will not. The Carnegie label does not tell you that; it only tells you that it is worth asking.
Illinois Tech is in Chicago, Illinois, Cook County, within the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metropolitan area. The Census code places it in a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more. That does not tell you how to get to campus or what it is like to live nearby—you must handle that yourself, literally: if your child plans to live at home, make the trip on a weekday at the time of their classes. The actual travel time is almost never what the map says.
One point worth understanding clearly: Illinois Institute of Technology is not recorded as a historically Black college or university (HBCU), tribal college or university, or land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 universities in this directory, 138 have at least one of those three designations; this one has none. That says nothing about which students it serves or how your child will feel on that campus. You investigate that by asking about the cultural centers and student organizations that exist today and by speaking with someone who already studies there.
Its Actual Size and Who Shares the Classroom
In the official fall count, Illinois Tech had 8,563 enrolled students, a medium-to-large figure within the official range of 5,000 to 9,999. Compared with 941 selective private four-year schools in this same census, it is among the largest: at most one in ten schools in that group has more students.
But that large number conceals something important: of those 8,563 students, only 3,316 are undergraduates. The other 5,247 are graduate students. Graduate enrollment outweighs undergraduate enrollment here. If your child is entering a bachelor’s degree program, the number that matters to them is not 8,563. It is 3,316.
Within that undergraduate population, 22 out of every 100 students were reported as Hispanic or Latino in the fall of 2023. Compared with 941 selective private four-year schools reporting this information, it ranks in the top quarter: three out of four schools in that group reported an equal or lower proportion. They are not the majority, but this is not an unusual case either. This figure has a limitation worth remembering: peers are grouped by type of school, not by state, so the comparison does not account for Illinois Tech’s location in a region of the country with its own particular demographic composition. It also does not break the data down by major: it covers the entire school.
Two other facts about its composition: students ages 25 to 64 are a minority, at 9 out of every 100. And there are more men than women among undergraduates—out of every 100 students, 33 are women. For this school and this reporting cycle, IPEDS does not provide information about where first-time students came from; that information simply was not reported.
How the Academic Year Works
The year at Illinois Tech is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. In its 2023 report, the institution stated that it accepts credit from AP exams—and it did not check the box for credit based on life experience. It also reports accepting credit for military training and enrolling high school students in credit-bearing college courses through a formal dual-enrollment program.
Accepting AP does not mean the school grants credit for every exam at every score. It does not say what scores are required, how many credits are awarded, or whether those credits apply to your child’s specific major. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
In a recent year, Illinois Tech awarded 630 bachelor’s degrees across 14 fields of study. Engineering was by far the field with the most degrees: 273 of the 630, or 43 out of every 100. Compared with 942 similar schools, it ranks in the quarter awarding the most degrees per year. This figure counts degrees awarded; it does not measure quality or employment afterward. If your child is interested in engineering, this is an indication of genuine institutional emphasis. If they are interested in something else, ask specifically about that major: how many students graduated in it, how long they took, and what the curriculum is like.
The student-to-instructional-staff ratio is 17 to 1. Compared with similar schools, it ranks in the quarter with the highest ratio. Both things are true at once: on the overall scale, it falls within a middle range, but among peers of the same type, it is at the high end. This number does not tell you the size of a classroom; it is an institutionally calculated ratio, not a direct classroom measure.
Illinois Tech also reports structured academic opportunities: study abroad, a full program that can be completed entirely during evenings or weekends, credit-bearing developmental education, and teacher preparation and certification pathways, including state approval for initial teacher certification.
How It Admits Students and What It Requires
Illinois Tech does not have open admissions: it reviews application components before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations, excluding admissions tests and legacy status, it marks four as required: the high school record, completion of the college-preparatory curriculum required by the university, the personal essay, and an English proficiency exam for applicants who need one. It also considers, if you send them, other optional components: high school GPA, class rank, letters of recommendation, a portfolio or competency exam, and work experience.
At this university, simply gathering paperwork is not enough. The essay is required, so your child has to write one. They should start it during the summer, not the week of the deadline. The first draft is never the one that gets submitted. One practical detail: the published undergraduate application fee is $0.
In the 2023 cycle, Illinois Tech received 8,912 first-time applications and offered admission to 4,939 applicants. That is 55 out of every 100. Compared with 942 selective private schools, it ranks on the lower side: seven out of ten schools in that group, or more, accepted a larger percentage of applicants. The outcome is divided almost in half: admission is not guaranteed, but it is not a lottery either. The application is reviewed.
Here is a number that surprises many families: out of every 100 admitted students, only 11 ultimately enroll. Compared with similar schools, it ranks on the lower side—in seven out of ten schools in that group, a larger share of admitted students enrolls. Of every 9 students who receive an acceptance, about one ends up attending. The others had a place here and did not take it.
Do not read that as a mark against the school. The fact that most admitted students do not enroll does not mean the school is bad; federal records do not explain why each person made their choice. What it does tell you is this: what other people decided does not predict what the school will offer you. Wait for your letter showing the net price—what the year would actually cost you—and decide with that number in hand whether this school stays on the list.
The SAT and ACT are not required at Illinois Tech. Among the students who did enroll, 45 out of every 100 submitted SAT scores—a high proportion compared with schools of the same type. Among those who submitted scores, the middle half scored between 570 and 690 in reading and writing and between 610 and 720 in mathematics. Those ranges describe already-enrolled students who chose to submit scores; they do not cover all applicants and do not prove that a score determined anyone’s admission. That 570 is not a minimum, and that 690 does not guarantee anything.
Regarding transfers: from a cohort of first-time, bachelor’s-degree-seeking students who entered in 2017, 15 out of every 100 transferred without completing here and enrolled at another institution. That is a common proportion within its comparison group, slightly below the midpoint of the table. Transferring is not failing. It is still wise for your child to know in advance how to request the necessary records if a move becomes necessary, and for you to confirm in writing, before any change, which credits would be accepted.
What It Costs and What You Would Actually Pay
At Illinois Institute of Technology, among 119 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $13,222. Among 57 students in the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $16,566; among 81 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $31,456. For dependent students, the range combines their parents’ income with their own.
There is a difference of $18,234 between the average for the lowest-income range (119 students) and the average for the highest-income range (81 students). These are group averages, not a prediction of your family’s price. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $25,001.
Among the 937 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same time coverage, this school ranks in the least expensive quarter for the lowest-income families after grants and scholarships are subtracted. That does not mean it will be inexpensive for your family. It is a meaningful fact when you decide which schools to apply to.
Because the price changes so much from one income range to another, correctly identifying your range comes first. The income ranges in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average with grant or scholarship aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The aid letter sent specifically to you is what matters.
The Aid Students Actually Receive and the Loans They Sometimes Need
97 out of every 100 degree-seeking students at Illinois Tech receive some grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid. Receiving something is the norm here, not the exception. Among recipients, the average was $38,027 for the year—a large figure, but an average: it includes people who received much more and people who received much less. The Pell Grant, for low-income families, reached 31 out of every 100 students.
An average grant or scholarship of $38,027 is real money, but it is not a price. What determines how much you pay is the number left after aid, and that number is not shown in this average: you have to request it from each school and review it with your letter in hand.
Regarding loans: 33 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal loan in 2022-23. Among those who borrowed, the average was $6,848 that year. Compared with similar selective private schools, Illinois Tech ranks on the lower side: seven out of ten schools in that group had a larger proportion of students with loans. This is an average for a single year and covers only federal loans in the student’s name—it does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes sign for, bank or credit card debt, or debt accumulated by graduation. Determining that would require adding every year together, and that figure is not included in this report.
The institution also reports a tuition payment plan allowing payment in installments as a formal mechanism for managing costs.
Campus Life, Support, and Other Information Worth Keeping Handy
Illinois Tech does have its own housing, but it does not require all first-time students to live there. It also offers meal plans, although the number of meals per week varies by the plan selected. IPEDS reports a maximum housing capacity of 1,722 students. The existence of housing does not guarantee that a bed will be available in the year your child needs one: request the rate, application deadline, and whether a place is guaranteed or your child would join a waiting list in writing.
ROTC opportunities are reported in all three branches: Army, Navy, and Air Force—something uncommon: of the 3,012 universities in this guide, only 135 indicate all three. That gives you someone to call, but it does not confirm that the program is conducted on this specific campus or confirm available places or scholarships. Ask about each branch separately.
The school competes in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NCAA, with reported participation in basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. The affiliation belongs to the institution, not to your child: if they are interested in a team, write directly to the coach and ask about roster availability, division, and athletic scholarships.
Illinois Tech offers distance education at the undergraduate and graduate levels. In the fall count, 10 out of every 100 undergraduate students took their entire course load at a distance; the other 90 took at least one class in person. The institution also reported having at least one complete program that can be completed at a distance, although the level and field are not specified—that must be confirmed directly.
The library operates with employed staff and annual spending above the government’s reporting threshold of $100,000; it has physical and digital collections and participates in interlibrary lending. Exceeding that threshold does not tell you whether it has databases specific to your child’s major: ask about that by the name of the major.
Reported support services include combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services upon completion of programs, participation in Yellow Ribbon, a point of contact for veterans and military service members, a student veterans’ organization, and a disability-services web address.
Who Stays and Who Finishes
Of a cohort that entered in the fall of 2022—604 full-time, first-time, bachelor’s-degree-seeking students—87 out of every 100 were still enrolled or had already graduated one year later. Compared with 930 similar schools, that figure ranks near the top. But a high retention figure combines two distinct groups—those still enrolled and those who have already finished—without separating them. It is not a final graduation rate.
Regarding graduation: of a cohort that entered in 2017 (468 full-time, first-time students), 72 out of every 100 had earned a degree six years later. Compared with 920 similar schools, it ranks in the top quarter. But look at the four-year timeframe—the one almost every family uses in its budget—and the figure falls to 35 out of every 100. There is a difference of 37 percentage points between the two timeframes. In exact numbers, of those 468 students: 339 completed here, 69 transferred without completing, 8 were still enrolled without finishing, and 52 were classified as “no longer enrolled”—a category that does not explain why.
That 37-point gap between four and six years matters to the family’s finances, not just its pride. Before signing anything, request in writing how long the program your child is interested in typically takes, how its required courses are scheduled, and how the total cost would change if your child takes more than four years.
A third measure, at eight years, followed a cohort that entered between 2015 and 2016: 75 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this institution by August 2023. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure was 72 out of every 100, five points below the group without Pell Grants. Compared with 935 similar schools, it ranks in the top quarter. A high percentage does not predict the outcome of any particular person: it describes a cohort that entered years ago. It is worth asking about the program’s current support services and the outcomes of more recent cohorts.
What You Already Know and What You Still Need to Find Out
None of these numbers makes the decision for you. Your child needs to investigate the exact program they are interested in, write the required essay, and decide whether this city and this campus feel like the right place. You are responsible for the money: completing the FAFSA, waiting for the aid letter, comparing the actual net price—not the list price—and requesting written answers to everything this article cannot tell you: credit equivalencies, housing availability, athletic scholarships, and the program’s current support services.
You now know one of the pieces you need to make the decision in depth. Combine it with what your child wants, what they have built so far, and what your family can afford. A plan comes from that combination, not from a single article.
Source note: the information in this article comes from data reported by Illinois Institute of Technology to the U.S. Department of Education’s IPEDS system, primarily from the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles, along with Carnegie classifications from 2019-20 and 2021. Best College Aid does not represent Illinois Institute of Technology or any government agency; this text organizes and explains public data and does not replace the admission and financial aid letter the university sends directly to your family.