Does UIC attract many downstate students? (Chicago, Springfield: dorms, top schools, universities)

[edsg25]

Does UIC attract many students from downstate IL? I went to UIC back in the day when it wasn't UIC but was known as either UICC or the Circle. And back then it was strictly a commuter school and strictly oriented to Chicago area students.

But, of course, the school has charged greatly since those days, adding dorms at Harrison & Halsted and later many more south of Roosevelt Road. While still a "metropolitan university", it certainly has taken on a more expansive roll.

So does anyone know the answer to my question? Do many downstate kids take advantage of in-state tuition at UIC and choose to go to school up in the big city? and where else other than from greater Chicagoland is UIC drawing its student body today?

(for the record, I'm not thinking of graduate level or any program on the Medical Center, or West, campus; I'm thinking strictly the east campus )

[Maintainschaos]

I don't think so. I grew up downstate, and most other kids my age were focused on UIUC, NU, UChicago, WashU as the top schools and NIU, WIU, EIU, ISU, or SIU as their focus for the next tier of in-state schools. Most people I knew who were interested in UIUC were also interested in Wisconsin, Michigan, and (to a lesser extent) Iowa and Indiana and went there as well as a number of select private universities outside the Midwest. (The med school is of course a huge draw, but you asked not to consider graduate level programs.)

[ToriaT]

I doubt it unless they want to go to an urban school. They probably pick Champaign Urbana as their first pick if they can get in. Then there are the other state schools mentioned above. I imagine there are some that do because they want to experience life in Chicago and the big city.

[MSchemist80]

UIC has always been a predominately (85%) commuter school serving the Chicago area.

[Fighting Fungus]

University of Indians Chinese.

[edsg25]

Originally Posted by Fighting Fungus

University of Indians Chinese.

Sounds better than Westwood where they have the University of Caucasians Lost among Asians

[goillini8]

I live in Springfield and have known a number of kids over the years who have gone to UIC. They desperately wanted a big-city experience along with a state-school sticker price. I can't imagine that Springfield is the only downstate location with these types of students. Moving to a big city from a smaller city or town is always a goal for a subset of young adults (of course they don't necessarily have to go to UIC specifically).

That said, while UIC does attract "some" downstate students, I probably wouldn't say it attracts "many" - at least in terms a percentage of students that attend UIC. But, if there is a substantial number of downstate students, even if not big percentage, that's something.