Thank you for the hard work and care you have put into supporting your students as they apply to college. We hope you will soon have a moment to relax!

At this time, we are confident that we have processed application materials sent by our January 3 deadlines. As a result, we have added a checklist to applicants’ “UChicago Accounts” to let them see which materials have been received and which are still missing. On Wednesday, January 18, we will e-mail these students to let them know about the checklist.

If anything is missing, don’t worry! Applicants still have time to submit any missing materials without penalty. We hope to receive these materials by 5 p.m. CST on Monday, January 30.

If your students are missing any school forms, you are welcome to submit (or re-submit) these documents through the CommonApp or Coalition Application. We will also accept materials by email. Our email address for materials is collegeadmissions@uchicago.edu. Direct upload through the Common App or Coalition Application is the preferred method of submission for any materials that may contain sensitive personal data.

We also accept materials via paper mail or fax. Please note that while we are making every effort to process application material as quickly and accurately as possible, our processing time on mailed or faxed materials can be 1-2 weeks longer than emailed or uploaded documents, which are typically processed within one to two business days.

Our material fax line is 773.702.0661, and our mailing address for materials is:

The Office of College Admissions
1101 E. 58th Street Rosenwald 005
Chicago, IL 60637

We encourage you to include the student’s name, email address, the CEEB code of their high school, and any other information that will help us match documents received through fax, email, or the mail with the rest of their application.

UChicago is also using Slate.org to share application materials checklists for students from your school. You may also submit copies of any materials listed as "missing" directly through Slate.org and they will be directly uploaded to students’ applications. Creating a Slate.org account is free. Go online to the Register page of Slate.org to get started.  You will only be able to view checklists for students for whom you are listed as a primary counselor on the Common or Coalition application, which we know may not reflect all applicants from your school. Please feel free to contact us if you have any additional questions!

We hope this information helps you stay in the loop with your students! We appreciate your partnership in the college admissions process. As always, please feel free to reach out to your regional admissions counselor, Liz Schutz, at lizschutz@uchicago.edu with any questions you may have.

We look forward to reading your students’ applications! 

At this time of year, issues can often arise during the college application process, and we want you to know we are here to help. You and your students should never have to worry that confusion or other problems will hinder the applications which have received so much time and devotion. We hope the following answers to frequently asked questions will ease your mind.

What if students encounter problems submitting applications?
If students have documents that they are unable to submit through the Coalition or Common Application, they may either upload them to their UChicago Account or email them to us. School counselors, teachers, or other school officials are also welcome to submit materials by email. Our email address for materials is collegeadmissions@uchicago.edu and email is our preferred method of communication at this time. Direct upload to the UChicago Account is the preferred method of submission for any materials that may contain sensitive personal data, such as financial aid documents or items containing a Social Security number.

We also accept materials via paper mail or fax. Please note that while we are making every effort to process application material as quickly and accurately as possible, our processing time on mailed or faxed materials can be 1-2 weeks longer than emailed or uploaded documents, which are typically processed within 1-2 business days.

Our material fax line is 773.702.0661, and our mailing address for materials is:
The Office of College Admissions
1101 E. 58th Street Rosenwald 005
Chicago, IL 60637

We encourage you to include the student’s name, email address, the CEEB code of their high school, and any other information that will help us match documents received through fax, email, or the mail with the rest of their application.

What if a student’s application materials are delayed due to circumstances associated with illness or other unforeseen circumstances?
We understand that the delivery of some students’ applications might be delayed. Please tell students not to stress about our deadlines during this time. We understand that schooling may have been interrupted and, with it, their college application process. Do not worry, we will be accommodating. If there is any way we can assist you and your students, or if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reply to this email, contact me, or connect with your regional admissions counselor.

Will UChicago extend the application deadlines?
Our application deadline for Early Action / Early Decision I is November 1, 2022 and our deadline for Regular Decision / Early Decision 2 is January 3, 2023, but we are flexible! While we hope to receive application materials by the deadline, if they are delayed a bit—that’s OK and students will never be penalized. Students and counselors can send items to us as soon as they are able. We will also be monitoring current events, and if we need to formally extend our deadlines, we absolutely will! Students and counselors can also always reach out due to unique circumstances that need additional accommodation.

What should a student do if their test scores are delayed, they were unable to take a standardized test, or are unsure of their ability to take a standardized test in the future?
Our admissions process has been test optional since 2018, and students who are unable or choose not to submit test scores will not be negatively impacted in our admissions process.

For students who want to submit testing, we review applications using self-reported scores, and applicants do not need to send us official scores until they matriculate.

To send self-reported scores, students should include the score on their Common or Coalition Application or upload a screenshot that includes their standardized test scores, their name, and the testing date to their UChicago Account. While we accept self-reported scores at all stages of our admission process, matriculating students will be asked to share a verified score report, and we will re-review a file if there is a discrepancy.

For students who are unsure if they want to apply with standardized testing because they have yet to receive their score, we encourage them to apply to UChicago without testing to start. If the student chooses to include their test scores at a later time, they can email collegeadmissions@uchicago.edu or their regional admissions counselor with their score to let us know!

What if a student who already submitted test scores to UChicago (or who has standardized test scores printed on their transcript) wants to be reviewed as a test-optional candidate without their test scores?
UChicago’s Common and Coalition application supplements include a question asking students to indicate whether they would like to be considered with or without their standardized test scores. If a student elects to be reviewed without their test scores, we will review the student without testing even if it has previously been shared with us—this includes redacting test scores from the application review.

How can students apply for a fee waiver?
The University of Chicago does not charge an application fee to families who will be applying for need-based financial aid. Students do not need to request a fee waiver. As long as a student indicates on their Common or Coalition application that they will be applying for need-based financial aid, they will not be charged a fee.

How can I see which materials a student is missing?
We will reach out to students directly if we find we are missing any required materials from their application file. This will happen after our deadline (and after we have processed a significant amount of mailed and emailed material) to ensure that we are accurately communicating with students about their materials. We will provide sufficient time to send in materials that may be missing—whether they come from students themselves, from teachers, or from school counselors—with no penalty to the student.

UChicago is also using Slate.org to share application materials checklists for students from your school. You may also submit copies of any materials listed as "missing" directly through Slate.org and they will be directly uploaded to students’ applications.

Creating a Slate.org account is free. Go online to the Register page of Slate.org to get started. You can sign in directly using your Google Apps / G Suite school account, Facebook, or even LinkedIn! If you choose to create an account using a social login, you do not have to fill out the registration form. You will need to set your organization when you log into Slate.org. Enter a First Name, Last Name, Title, Email Address, and Phone Number. The Institution Name field uses auto-suggest, so you can easily search for your school. Account verification can be handled by any colleague at your institution who has an active Slate.org account. If no other active accounts exist, the verification process will be handled by Technolutions. We recommend using your work email address in order to expedite the verification process.

You will only be able to view checklists for students for whom you are listed as a primary counselor on the Common or Coalition application, which we know may not reflect all applicants from your school. Please feel free to share these account creation instructions with other counselors in your school community who may wish to review student checklists or contact us if you have any additional questions!

What if students would like to send additional materials?
Students are welcome to submit a 2 minute video, art supplements, research supplements, schoolhouse.world mastery certification, or other documents through direct upload to their UChicago Accounts. Students will be prompted to create an account after submitting the application to UChicago, or they may create one earlier at getstarted.uchicago.edu.

Whom can I contact if I have other questions about the application process?
Should you encounter any problems, have any questions, or simply want to speak with a representative, please feel free to contact your regional admissions counselor.

And, finally, whatever it is, we are here to help.