Chicago State University Admission
Chicago State University Undergraduate Program
Chicago State University Application

The Facts

Chicago State University is a moderately sized, state-funded public commuter and residential institution, and is located in the city of Chicago, Illinois. The school is home to over 3,200 undergraduate students and approximately 3,500 graduate and part-time professional students. The students are able to take courses in one of the five undergraduate or two graduate schools, which offer academic programs in the areas of arts and sciences, health sciences, business administration, and education, as well as some nontraditional programs. These academic divisions offer broad majors in the areas of biological science, business (which includes a popular major in recreation and leisure services), communications and the arts (home to a wonderful broadcasting program), computer and physical sciences, education, health professions (which includes unique programs in pre-dentistry and pre-medicine) and social sciences. Chicago State University offers its students a wide variety of majors both in the liberal arts and preprofessional studies; some of the most popular majors include business administration, computer science, elementary education, and pre-medicine.

Admission to Chicago State University is quite competitive, and the number of highly qualified out-of-state students who apply has been increasing with each passing admissions cycle. Last year, over 1,700 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 800 of those students were accepted; of those, about 540 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming Fall semester. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1010 to 1090, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 18 to 26. Additionally, more than 60% of those admitted were ranked in the top 10% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of about a 3.64.

Chicago State University has a fairly high student to faculty ratio of 20:1, but while some of the general education courses are held in lecture halls, it is otherwise rare to find a class with more than 20 students. The university prides itself on the research opportunities and internships it offers to students, and makes sure that all of the classes get plenty of hands-on experience.

The Social Scene

The city of Chicago, many students agree, is one of the best parts of attending Chicago State University. While the campus itself is not smack in the middle of the city, the city center is easily accessible by public transportation, and many students own cars as well, although the traffic is famously terrible in the area. Chicago State University is home to eight national fraternities and sororities, and many students join a Greek organization at some point in their college careers. The Greeks basically dictate the on-campus social life, and throw many alcohol-fueled parties to prove their influence. These parties have actually been getting quite out of hand in recent years, so the administration has gotten a lot tougher on their partying restrictions.

The dating scene is reportedly incredible, and there are plenty of very attractive guys and gals for your dating perusal...

What’s Good

“I really like that this is a state university with a very private university feeling to it. You have all the resources and the comfort to match.”

“People here are pretty good at knowing how to balance work and play. It helps you focus when others around you are focusing as well.”

“The parties are incredible, and when you get tired of those, you have one of the greatest cities in the country at your disposal.”

What’s Bad

“There is just way too much drinking and debauchery that goes on here. The administration just can’t seem to get a hold on it.”

“It’s such a pain to get to the actually good parts of Chicago that you just end up staying on campus the whole time.”

“There are a lot of kids here from the same demographic. It would be nice to have a little more diversity.”

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