Division I · Big Ten Conference
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Football
Champaign, IL · the Fighting Illini · University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign overview
119
Roster
14 over the D-I cap of 105
$48M
Team budget
88th percentile in Division I
$403,373
Per roster spot
median $79,762
11
Coaches
1 head · 10 assistant
970
APR
97% of players retained
44%
Admitted
top quarter for selectivity
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign fields a football team in the Big Ten Conference (NCAA Division I). In 2024–25 the roster carried 119 players, about the median of 119, with 1 head coach and 10 assistants. Team expenses were $48,001,399, well above the median of $9.1M — $403,373 per roster spot, top quarter of Division I football programs. Under the Division I roster cap of 105 in force from 2025-26, that is 14 over — cuts or attrition are likely, though players already on the roster may stay (230 of 261 Division I programs carried more than the cap). The team's multi-year Academic Progress Rate is 970, about the median of 964, with 97% of players retained year to year. The school gave $8,613,622 in athletic aid across its men's teams, about $27,966 per roster spot.
Among Division I football programs
Where this program sits against its 261 peers (percentile; the tick is the median).
#33Team budgetof 261 · Division I#30Spend per playerof 261 · Division I#128Roster sizeof 261 · Division I#92APRof 261 · Division I
Team budgets across the division
this programevery Division I football program
Roster sizes (cap 105)
this programevery Division I roster
The program
- Roster119 2024–25 season
- Division I roster cap105 14 over last season
- Coaching staff1 head, 10 assistant
- Team expenses$48,001,399 for the year
- Operating expenses$8,777,025 game-day and travel
- Spend per roster spot$403,373 division median $79,762
- Academic Progress Rate970 multi-year; 944 latest
- Players retained97% year to year
- Eligible97% of player-terms
- Athletic aid, men's teams$8,613,622 school-wide
- Aid per roster spot$27,966 across men's teams
- Recruiting spend, men's$2,800,759 school-wide
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Bret Bielema head coach | Head Coach | not on file |
Put University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign on a target list, address the whole staff at once, and send each email yourself from Gmail — nothing goes out without you pressing Send.Start your board
Recruiting timing
- Coaches may first contact youSeptember 1 of junior year
- Your own emailsAny time the rule limits what coaches send back
- High-school football players1,029,588 2024-25
- Division I roster spots31,184 261 programs
- Odds of a spot1 in 33 3.0% of high-school players hold a Division I roster spot
General NCAA rule for Division I; the football recruiting guide has the date for each grad year, the eligibility checklist and what to put in a first email.
About the school
What an athlete asks first — each panel opens the full picture.Campus
Full picture →35,564undergraduates · 56,563 students in all
Women 46% Men 54%
- Setting
- City
- Type
- Public · Research university
- Affiliation
- None
Getting in
Full picture →44%admitted · of 67,398 applicants
SAT middle 50%1270 – 1510
ACT middle 50%29 – 34
- Test scores
- Test-optional
- Graduate in 6 yrs
- 85%
Football
Full picture →119on the roster · 2024–25 season
Roster vs the D-I cap of 105119
14 over — players already on the roster may stay
Academic Progress Rate970
97% of players kept year to year
- Team expenses
- $48,001,399 $403,373 per roster spot · top quarter of Division I
- Coaches
- 1 head · 10 assistant
- Athletic aid, men's teams
- $8,613,622
- Recruiting spend, men's
- $2,800,759
Cost
Full picture →$14,297net price · after grants, aided first-years
Net price by family income
- Tuition & fees
- $18,060 in-state · $39,192 out
Campus safety
Full picture →0.7violent offences per 1,000 · students a year, 2022–2024
- In residence halls
- 11 burglaries · 67 sex offences over 2022–2024
- Residence-hall fires
- 14 over 2022–2024
Majors
Full picture →22%of bachelor's degrees in engineering · 26 fields · Bachelor's, Doctorate, Master's
Research University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
School pages built around what an athlete needs to know — the program's money and roster room, admissions fit, what a family really pays, majors, campus life and safety.
Football program119 on the rosterPeers, percentiles, nearby programs, comparisonsRankingsWhere it standsEvery list this school is on, nationally and in its divisionAdmissions44% admittedSAT/ACT ladders, test policy, graduationCost & aid$14,297 net priceSticker vs net price by family income, athletic aidMajorsEngineering · 22%Every field and program with degrees awardedCampusCity · 35,564Setting, who is on campus, housing costs, servicesCampus safety0.7 violent / 1,000Three years of reported offences against the divisionAthleticsEvery teamThe whole department: every team, staff and aid
Football programs within 150 miles
| School | Miles | Roster | Budget | APR | Admitted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Illinois University Division I · Ohio Valley Conference | 43 | 117 | $5M | 930 | 68% | |
| Millikin University Division III · College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin | 44 | 101 | $631k | — | 54% | |
| Illinois Wesleyan University Division III · College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin | 48 | 136 | $615k | — | 45% | |
| Illinois State University Division I · Missouri Valley Football Conference | 49 | 128 | $5.1M | 962 | 89% | |
| Indiana State University Division I · Missouri Valley Football Conference | 62 | 113 | $4.8M | 958 | 92% | |
| Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Division III · Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference | 64 | 105 | $507k | — | 73% | |
| Eureka College Division III · Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference | 69 | 73 | $280k | — | 88% | |
| Wabash College Division III · North Coast Athletic Conference | 70 | — | — | — | 63% | |
| Purdue University Division I · Big Ten Conference | 73 | 126 | $37M | 954 | 50% | |
| DePauw University Division III · North Coast Athletic Conference | 79 | 157 | $818k | — | 54% | |
| Greenville University Division III · Upper Midwest Athletic Conference | 105 | 105 | $391k | — | 95% | |
| Illinois College Division III · Midwest Conference | 110 | 112 | $550k | — | 75% |
Other football programs in the Big Ten Conference
| School | Roster | Budget | Per player | APR | Compare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Ohio State University 17 over cap | 122 | $92M | $757,043 | 985 | vs | |
| Pennsylvania State University 25 over cap | 130 | $77M | $595,277 | 982 | vs | |
| Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick 32 over cap | 137 | $76M | $554,182 | 979 | vs | |
| University of Southern California 11 over cap | 116 | $74M | $638,060 | 970 | vs | |
| University of Nebraska-Lincoln 50 over cap | 155 | $71M | $455,320 | 974 | vs | |
| University of Washington 9 over cap | 114 | $69M | $604,576 | 999 | vs | |
| University of Michigan 34 over cap | 139 | $62M | $443,620 | 980 | vs | |
| University of Oregon 21 over cap | 126 | $61M | $482,916 | 968 | vs | |
| University of California, Los Angeles 16 over cap | 121 | $55M | $456,240 | 944 | vs | |
| University of Iowa 26 over cap | 131 | $51M | $388,506 | 971 | vs | |
| Indiana University, Bloomington 9 over cap | 114 | $50M | $440,417 | 969 | vs | |
| Michigan State University 14 over cap | 119 | $48M | $405,275 | 952 | vs | |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 14 over cap | 119 | $48M | $403,373 | 970 | vs | |
| University of Minnesota, Twin Cities 12 over cap | 117 | $45M | $388,484 | 980 | vs | |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison 17 over cap | 122 | $41M | $335,274 | 986 | vs | |
| Northwestern University 4 over cap | 109 | $38M | $347,722 | 995 | vs | |
| Purdue University 21 over cap | 126 | $37M | $295,184 | 954 | vs | |
| University of Maryland, College Park 15 over cap | 120 | $36M | $295,855 | 956 | vs |
Every Big Ten Conference football program · Football budgets ranked