International First-Year Students (Freshmen)

Multiple international students having a conversation outside on Mies campus

First-year applicants are currently enrolled in secondary school, or have completed secondary school and have not attended an institute of higher education outside of their secondary school experience.

This includes students who have taken A-levels or studied in an Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum, as long as they have not completed university coursework. Sometimes these students are also referred to as freshmen, regardless of their class standing upon entering the university.

Students engaged in a college preparatory or general education curriculum generally make good candidates for Illinois Tech. Our team will take a holistic approach to reviewing your application, taking various factors into account such as high school performance, essays, choice of major, and test scores (optional) to make an admission decision and determine your optimal pathway to achieving your goals.

Recommended Admission Guidelines

Application Checklist

  1. Complete the application for admission. There is no application fee to apply to Illinois Tech. Applications are available on a case-by-case basis for Fall 2024 post-February 1, 2024.
    Apply Now
    For Channel Partner and Iranian applicants please apply here.
  2. Submit official or certified copies of the marks or grades of courses completed prior to university or college entrance, as well as all board examination scores. In cases where official transcripts are not issued in English, you must submit the official native language transcript along with a certified translated English version. For a complete list of English translation requirements, please see here. Transcripts can be submitted through the Common Application by a school official or directly to ugaprocessing@iit.edu from the school’s email domain.
    Transcripts must reflect the last three full years of grades or marks as of the date of your application.


    Please email supporting documents to ugaprocessing@iit.edu or mail to the following address:

    Illinois Institute of Technology
    Visitors Center, The McCormick Tribune Campus Center
    3201 S. State Street
    Chicago, IL 60616

  3. English Language proficiency: TOEFL or IELTS score report. The TOEFL code to send your scores to Illinois Tech is 1318. Read more about the English proficiency test requirements.
  4. Official SAT and ACT Test Scores (Optional): Submission of standardized test scores is optional for admission. This policy applies to all first-year, transfer, and international applicants and all merit scholarship considerations. 
    Students may be asked to take a math placement exam to determine course readiness if they are applying to a more rigorous academic program.
    For students who have already taken the SAT or ACT, Illinois Tech’s SAT code is 1318; the ACT code is 1040. Illinois Tech will super score any official scores that are submitted.
  5. Provide a copy of your passport, which is needed to fulfill the visa requirements. You may upload a copy of your passport within the ISSS Portal after you have successfully been admitted and paid the enrollment deposit fee. Read more about the visa requirements.
  6. Submit letter of recommendations (Optional): International first-year students applying as part of Early Decision and Early Action must submit at least one or up to three letter(s) of recommendations. This form and letter(s) can be submitted electronically by the teacher through the Common Application or alternatively can be emailed directly from the recommender to ugaprocessing@iit.edu.

    Letter or recommendations are not mandatory for international transfer students and international first-year students applying for regular application deadline.

    We strongly recommend adding letters of recommendation to enhance your application, especially in the following situations:

    • If you are applying for a scholarship
    • If your recommender can share insight beyond what is already shown in your application or transcript
    • If there were extenuating circumstances affecting your academic performance