Illinois Institute of Technology

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U.S. News Rankings

Ranking score and category

U.S. News rank Category Name #113 National Universities

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Summary

Illinois Institute of Technology is a private institution that was founded in 1890. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 2,714, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 120 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Illinois Institute of Technology's ranking in the 2013 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 113. Its tuition and fees are $37,093 (2012-13).

The Illinois Institute of Technology, a private university in Chicago, provides a variety of options for students interested in the sciences. IIT offers a wide range of engineering degree programs, including telecommunications and software engineering, biomedical imaging and signals, and food process engineering, as well as a range of degrees in architecture and the sciences. (For liberal arts-minded students, the school awards degrees for majors including journalism of technology, science, and business and political science.) The school also runs an Institute of Design; the Chicago-Kent College of Law, which is particularly well known for its trial advocacy program; the Stuart School of Business;  and other graduate student programs.

For undergrads, there are about 100 clubs and organizations to join, including TechNews, the student newspaper. Freshmen do not have to live on campus, though undergraduate and graduate housing is available through the university. Each year, the campus comes together for events including Pumpkin Launch, a day in which students, faculty, and alumni showcase homemade launching devices as they try to catapult pumpkins the furthest, and a spring formal in downtown Chicago. Students can also show their school spirit at IIT Scarlet Hawks athletic events, though the school does not have a football or basketball team. Notable alumni include Victor Tsao, founder of network hardware firm Linksys, and James Roche, former Secretary of the Air Force.

School mission and unique qualities (as provided by the school):

Founded in 1890, Illinois Institute of Technology is a private, Ph.D.-granting research university with more than 7,700 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business, and law. IIT's interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum provides students with a distinctive and relevant education in an environment of scientific, technological, and professional knowledge creation and innovation. IIT students have the resources of a major global city along with the intimacy of a 120-acre green campus. IIT's Main Campus is located just three miles from the downtown business district of Chicago and across the street from U.S. Cellular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox. The American Institute of Architects named IIT's campus one of the 200 most significant works of architecture in the United States. In 2011, Forbes magazine named it one of "America's Most Beautiful Colleges Campuses." Main Campus features 19 buildings designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, one building by the architect Helmut Jahn, and one by Rem Koolhaas. IIT recognizes the importance of moving our world toward a more sustainable path, and is dedicated to making IIT the most sustainable urban university in the United States. IIT was listed in the Princeton Review's Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2012 Edition. As part of IIT's energy and sustainability research initiative, the university launched a Perfect Power System that consists of smart microgrids. It will offer IIT the opportunity to eliminate costly outages, minimize power disturbances, moderate an ever-growing demand, and curb greenhouse gas emissions. In 2011, IIT installed Chicago's first research-based advanced wind turbine on its campus. Students experience IIT's Interprofessional Projects (IPRO) Program in the new Idea Shop. The Idea Shop is a 13,000-square-foot facility with several projectors, 3-D rapid-prototyping equipment, information technology for iPad and app development, a laser cutter, and other equipment that provides students enhanced productivity. Each semester-long IPRO project course is a team-based learning environment in which students from various academic disciplines work together to study a real-world problem. Student IPRO projects have included such challenges as developing a system for clean drinking water for the world's rural poor and an artificial pancreas. Every student is required to participate in two projects during their undergraduate study. A new IPRO initiative, IPRO 2.0, features projects that encourage greater cross-disciplinary collaboration. IIT provides all incoming, first-year undergraduates with the latest Apple iPads as part of an initiative to integrate new technologies into the classroom and to foster educational innovation among faculty and students. Every admitted student is automatically considered for the Heald Scholarships, up to $25,000 each annually. Top IIT applicants are also invited to apply and interview for the Camras Scholars Program, a full-tuition scholarship. IIT offers 10 varsity sports, including men's baseball, women's volleyball, and men's and women's cross country, soccer, swimming and diving, and track and field. IIT also offers a variety of intramural sports and more than 100 student organizations, including several through the Student Center for Diversity and Inclusion. IIT is home to 31 research centers, including Pritzker Institute of Biomedical Science and Engineering and Wanger Institute for Sustainable Energy Research. Undergraduate students have the opportunity to participate in research at IIT. Government, foundation, and industry-funded research projects are happening in all areas of science, engineering, technology, and mathematics. These experiences offer students the opportunity to be involved in cutting-edge research, applying their knowledge and skills outside the classroom. Research opportunities are promoted through the Office of Undergraduate Research.

General Information

School type	private, coed college
Year founded	1890
Religious affiliation	N/A
Academic calendar	semester
Setting	urban
2011 Endowment	$194,206,000

Applying

When applying to Illinois Institute of Technology, it's important to note the application deadline is rolling, and the early action deadline is December 1. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due July 1. It is more selective, with an acceptance rate of 63.5 percent.

For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.

Selectivity	more selective
Fall 2011 acceptance rate	63.5%
Application deadline	rolling
SAT/ACT scores must be received by	July 1

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Academic Life

The student-faculty ratio at Illinois Institute of Technology is 11:1, and the school has 55.5 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at Illinois Institute of Technology include: Architecture; Mechanical Engineering; Civil Engineering, General; Electrical and Electronics Engineering; and Business Administration and Management, General. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 91.0 percent.

Class sizes
Student-faculty ratio	11:1
4-year graduation rate	34
Five most popular majors for 2011 graduates
Architecture 20% Mechanical Engineering 11% Civil Engineering, General 7% Electrical and Electronics Engineering 7% Business Administration and Management, General 6%

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Student Life

Illinois Institute of Technology has a total undergraduate enrollment of 2,714, with a gender distribution of 68.7 percent male students and 31.3 percent female students. At this school, 60.0 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 40.0 percent of students live off campus. Illinois Institute of Technology is part of the NAIA athletic conference.

Total enrollment	7,787
Student gender distribution
Undergraduate men who are members of a fraternity
Undergraduate women who are members of a sorority
Collegiate athletic association	NAIA

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Campus Info & Services

Illinois Institute of Technology offers a number of student services including nonremedial tutoring, placement service, and health service. Illinois Institute of Technology also offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc). Alcohol is permitted for students of legal age at Illinois Institute of Technology.

Students who have cars on campus	N/A
Health insurance offered	No
Students required to own/lease a computer	No

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Paying for School

At Illinois Institute of Technology, 61.8 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $24,381.

Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs.

Tuition and fees	$37,093 (2012-13)
Room and board	$10,376 (2012-13)
Financial aid statistics

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* Overview details based on 2011 data