Admissions

Join the University of Illinois College of Media

If you are a prospective student just starting to explore your interest in the College of Media, click here to learn more.

FALL 2025 INCOMING FIRST-YEAR AND OFF-CAMPUS TRANSFER STUDENTS

Congratulations—you’re admitted!

We are excited to welcome you into the College of Media at Illinois. Our students are creative, insightful, and ready to make an impact in all facets of the media world. We know that you will be a great fit for our academic community and cannot wait to see what you will accomplish during your time on campus.

You belong in Media at Illinois! Take those first steps to join us:


Admitted IlliniFest
Saturday, April 12

Join the University of Illinois and the College of Media at Admitted IlliniFest on April 12! This event is truly the BEST way to experience all of the resources that campus has to offer. A variety of campus-wide events and tours will be available throughout the day. College of Media events will help you learn more about your admitted major and how to get involved in media at Illinois. While signing up for IlliniFest, be sure to register for Media’s two events:

  • 10 a.m.-12 p.m.—College of Media at IlliniFest
    Spend the morning exploring your new major! Admitted students will participate in activities with their departmental faculty and current students. Guests will attend a session with our Deans and Department Heads.

    This session is NOT an “open house.” Please plan to arrive for the start of the session and stay until the end. When choosing other tours and activities, you should focus on those that do not overlap this time frame.
     
  • 1 p.m.-2:30 p.m.—College of Media IlliniFest Info Fair
    At this come-and-go fair, you will learn about getting involved with our media-related student organizations. Start building your media community before you get to campus. Cap off the fair with a tour of our state-of-the-art student TV studio.


Can’t attend Admitted IlliniFest?

The College of Media offers additional opportunities to visit campus this spring. On select Mondays-Thursdays, you can sign up to meet one-on-one with a faculty member in your admitted major. On Fridays, we offer collegewide informational sessions that include a current student panel. A college or campus tour is NOT included in any of those sessions. So be sure to sign up for an admitted student session with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions if a campus tour is important to you.

Register for a campus visit.

I have accepted my offer. What’s next?

You have made a great decision! We are so excited to get the opportunity to start working with you this fall. Now that you have accepted your offer of admission, your next step is to prepare for your New Student Registration meeting. You will be able to start signing up for New Student Registration dates in mid-March. On your registration date, you will meet with your new academic advisor and begin scheduling your Fall 2025 courses. Meetings are available in-person and virtually. 

Once you have chosen a date, review our New Student Registration page to prepare for your meeting.

Keep following along on your Admitted Student Checklist. We will see you soon!

College of Media Stats

  • 25% of our undergraduate students are members of underrepresented populations
  • 12% of our students are from out of state (representing 26 states) and 6% are international (representing 10 countries)
  • Our average student to faculty ratio is 18:1
  • Students can choose from 150+ courses offered by the College of Media, with interdisciplinary access to hundreds more

If you are a prospective first-year student just starting to explore your interest in the College of Media, learn more about visiting campus and the application process. If you are a prospective off-campus transfer, learn more here. You can also request more information about admission into the College of Media.

SNAPSHOT OF MEDIA

Our faculty are scholars and researchers exploring the impact of media and messaging. Get inspired by our award-winning faculty who bring their deep and rich professional experience as well as their academic research interests into the classroom. Many of our media courses are small labs or seminars, which allows you get to know the faculty well and learn from their vast experiences.

We encourage our students to gain valuable professional hands-on and life experiences inside and outside of the classroom. As a result, the College of Media offers several centers, labs, and initiatives to assist students in reaching their goals. Students are offered a variety of experiential learning opportunities throughout the semester offered by the following centers and offices:

All of these services offer opportunities for students to connect with seasoned professionals, alumni, and experts within the industry, ultimately preparing students for the next stage in their career path.

Media students are also encouraged to get involved in clubs and societies. Within the college, students can join different professional affiliated organizations including American Advertising Federation, Asian American Journalists Association, National Association of Black Journalists, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Public Relations Student Society of America, Society of Professional Journalists, and Her Campus at Illinois.

MEDIA ALUMNI

Our alumni have had much success in different capacities, from obtaining positions within multiple industries to continuing their education and attending graduate programs. To learn more about our recent alumni, please visit our Illini Success Report. For the full report, visit Illini Success.

We believe media can change the world. If you do too, join us!

COLLEGE OF MEDIA GRADUATION AND RETENTION DATA

The College of Media’s journalism major is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC). The ACEJMC requires the college to publish graduation and retention rates and we are pleased to do so. Read the data available.

Contact Information

For questions and more information about scheduling a visit, feel free to email or call:

Student Services Center
College of Media at Illinois
217-244-4329
media-ssc@illinois.edu