Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech) Summary
Illinois Institute of Technology is a private nonprofit research university in Chicago, Illinois, with institutional roots dating to 1890. Illinois Tech traces its roots to Armour Institute, founded in 1890 after Frank Wakeley Gunsaulus’s influential 'Million Dollar Sermon.' The modern Illinois Institute of Technology was created in 1940 by the merger of Armour Institute and Lewis Institute. Academically, the institution is shaped by engineering, computing, architecture, science, applied technology, business, psychology, design, law, and interdisciplinary research. Undergraduate students encounter technology-centered majors with laboratories, design studios, research, internships, project-based learning, architecture, business, and extensive Chicago professional engagement. Graduate and professional education extends into master’s, doctoral, law, architecture, design, business, computing, engineering, science, and professional programs. Teaching commonly combines lectures, laboratories, design studios, project work, research, internships, entrepreneurship, computation, and professional practice, allowing students to move from foundational coursework into increasingly specialized academic, professional, creative, or research work. Research at Illinois Tech is particularly visible in engineering, materials, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, computing, architecture, energy, biomedical science, design, food technology, and urban systems. The institution supports this activity through Mies Campus laboratories and studios, Kaplan Institute, computing and engineering facilities, research centers, libraries, and Chicago industry partnerships. Illinois Institute of Technology undergraduates in areas such as Aerospace Engineering and Architectural Engineering can pursue faculty-guided research, projects, fieldwork, studios, clinical experiences, or other experiential formats supported by their programs, while graduate students work within deeper disciplinary or interdisciplinary research settings. Student life includes residence halls, student organizations, design and engineering teams, athletics, research, entrepreneurship, architecture culture, and city-based internships. The setting matters because Chicago provides direct access to engineering firms, architecture and design practices, finance, technology, transportation, health, manufacturing, startups, law, and cultural institutions. At Illinois Institute of Technology, advising and student life in Chicago complement academics through organizations, cultural programs, athletics, public service, entrepreneurship, and career preparation tied to the campus community. Admissions and affordability are institution-specific. Illinois Tech is test optional for all undergraduate applicants and institutional scholarship consideration; new undergraduate students in 2026–27 face published tuition of $53,198 plus $1,850 in university fees. Illinois Institute of Technology tuition can vary by residency, school, degree level, enrollment status, or cohort when the university publishes separate pricing structures. For Illinois Institute of Technology graduate students, funding varies by program; areas such as Architecture and Artificial Intelligence may use assistantships, fellowships, scholarships, research support, or external awards under their published rules. Overall, Illinois Institute of Technology combines technology-focused education, architecture and design, strong engineering and computing, and direct integration with Chicago industries. Illinois Institute of Technology's academic structure supports choices ranging from Aerospace Engineering to Architectural Engineering, while individual schools retain their own requirements and student communities. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe reshaped the university’s campus and architecture curriculum, making the Mies Campus itself an important part of Illinois Tech’s design identity. The university’s origin in Armour and Lewis combined technical education with liberal and professional study. Illinois Tech’s relatively focused scale allows engineering, computing, architecture, design, and business students to work within a tightly integrated urban technology environment.




















