University of Illinois Springfield Campus Life: Photos, Videos, Facilities

Founded in 1969, the University of Illinois Springfield is a public university in Springfield, Illinois. The University of Illinois Springfield campus is located near Lake Springfield in the southeast portion of the capital city. The University of Illinois Springfield campus area covers over 700 acres of land.

The University of Illinois Springfield Campus Overview

The University of Illinois Springfield is part of the prestigious University of Illinois System. It is consistently ranked the #1 public university in the state of Illinois. The University of Illinois Springfield campus covers over 700 acres of land near Lake Springfield in the southeast portion of the capital city. The University of Illinois Springfield campus offers state-of-the-art facilities, modern amenities, sports clubs, and student organizations for students. Check below for more information about student life at the University of Illinois Springfield:

• Student Union: There are over 60+ registered student organizations at the University of Illinois Springfield. Student organizations are an integral part of campus life at UIS. In the 2022/23 academic year, student organizations hosted over 1000 events, meetings, and activities for students. The student organizations give students a forum for student issues, to offer the opportunity for leadership development in the individual. 
• Career Services: The Career Development Center of the University of Illinois Springfield helps students turn their strengths and abilities into success by providing resources, collaborating with partners, and building counselling and advising relationships.

University of Illinois Springfield Student Enrollment

The University of Illinois Springfield has an enrollment of more than 4,600 students, with around 2,300 undergraduate students and over 2,319 graduate students as per the 2024 Fall data of the university. The student enrollment data of the University of Illinois Springfield is mentioned below:

University of Illinois Springfield Top Courses

When it comes to the University of Illinois Springfield courses, the university offers 59 undergraduate programs, 48 graduate programs, a doctoral degree in Public Administration, and many certificate programs. The UIS average freshman retention rate stands at 75%. Some of the popular majors chosen by the students for Fall 2023, along with the percentage of degrees awarded, are: 

University of Illinois Springfield Athletics

The Department of Campus Recreation at the University of Illinois Springfield looks after the recreation and sports activities on the campus. Campus Recreation provides guidance and financial assistance to Sports Clubs at the University of Illinois Springfield. The University of Illinois Springfield boasts 17 varsity teams (8 men’s and 9 women’s) that compete in the NCAA Division II. They are also referred to as the Prairie Stars, and the university mascot is called Orion. Some of the sports sponsored by the university include Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, Soccer, Tennis, Track and Field, Softball, Tennis, Volleyball, etc. 

University of Illinois Springfield Housing

The University of Illinois Springfield offers students comfortable housing options to enhance their experience at the university. Depending on the student's course of study and rental cost, the university offers residence halls, apartments, and townhouses. The residence halls offered by the University of Illinois Springfield are for freshmen and sophomore students. The university offers two residence halls, namely, Lincoln Residence Hall (LRH) and Founders Residence Hall (FRH). The residence hall buildings are three stories high and have five student housing wings. A total of four students reside in the suites. The facilities offered in the Lincoln Residence Hall and Founders Residence Hall are listed below:

• Double room with two twin XL beds, desks, chairs, and dressers
• Free laundry services
• Heating and cooling system
• Each wing has a Resident Assistant

The Founders Residence Hall also offers ADA Units where accommodations are extremely limited and students are required to have an approved accommodation to these units by the Office of Disability Services. The ADA Unit amenities are listed below:

• Automatics doors
• Private Bathrooms
• Shower with seat and extended shower faucet
• Dresser, desk, and chair
• Nightstand
• Twin XL bed

The University of Illinois Springfield also offers private bedrooms in apartments and townhouses. Students can choose their apartment/townhouse based on their personal and financial requirements. Some of the facilities offered by the West Campus Townhouses and East Campus Apartments are listed below:

• Heating and cooling system
• Free laundry services
• Kitchen with major appliances, along with a dining table and four chairs
• Living room consisting of a sofa, lounge, chairs, and a side table
• Bedroom with twin XL beds, desk, chair, and dresser.

Housing Rates for the 2025/26 Academic Year

Housing rates at the University of Illinois Springfield may vary from semester to semester. Check below the University of Illinois Springfield housing rates:

1 USD = INR 85.96 

UG Cost of Attendance for on-campus housing at UIS:

1 USD = INR 85.96 

Graduate Cost of Attendance for on-campus housing at UIS:

1 USD = INR 85.96 

University of Illinois Springfield Transportation

The nearest airport to students traveling to the University of Illinois Springfield is the Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport. For students to run their errands, get to class from their accommodations, or just for fun as well, the University of Illinois Springfield allows students to access free bicycles for up to five days at a time. The Springfield Mass Transit District (SMTD) allows students to access the bus services that travel to various locations in Springfield and all offer routes to and from the university’s campus. In addition to that, students can always opt for Taxi, Uber, or Lyft services for their traveling purposes.

University of Illinois Springfield Campus Safety

The University of Illinois Springfield prioritizes the safety of the students, staff, and community at the university and offers the UIS Campus Police Department that stays responsible for Law enforcement and Security at the university’s property. The police department patrols the university 24 hours a day and also ensures the prevention of crime and at the same time encourages the students, faculty, and staff at the university to be responsible for their own security. To further increase the safety at the university’s campus, the University of Illinois Springfield Police Department encourages the students and the faculty to also download the RaveGuardian mobile app which provides extra safety regardless of where the students are, receive alerts based on their locations, and even directly connect with the police department with just a push of the button.

University of Illinois Springfield Parking

The students at the University of Illinois Springfield are allowed to park at the university with the possession of a hang tag. Students can only park their vehicles at the designated areas with their parking hang tags. Students can purchase their parking hang tags as per their choice from the Parking Operations Website. The parking lots at the University of Illinois Springfield operate from 6:00 am to 1:00 am.