geothermal energy projects, a reduction in water use, and wide-ranging sustainability research helped the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign earn its fifth consecutive gold certification in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS). Illinois has consistently achieved gold certification since it began reporting data through STARS in 2013, and the 2022 score was one of its highest to date.
Currently, the campus features 27 LEED-certified buildings.
== Academics ==
As of 2024, 87% of students graduate within 8 years of entering, compared to the national median of 58% for all 4-year universities nationwide.
=== Undergraduate admissions ===
The overall first-year admit rate for 2025 is 36.6%, which differs among U. of I. colleges. Certain majors can be extremely competitive, such as computer science (where the university's program is consistenly ranked fifth nationwide) with an acceptance rate of 7.4% in 2025.
In 2009, an investigation by The Chicago Tribune reported that some applicants …
