UIC joins national consortium focused on student success 

The University of Illinois Chicago has been named a member of the University Innovation Alliance, a national coalition of public universities working to boost student success and social mobility. 

UIC is the first Illinois-based institution to earn a UIA appointment, which follows a rigorous review of all large public Research 1 and Research 2 universities in the United States and reflects UIC’s commitment to providing opportunities for students from all backgrounds to attend college, thrive while on campus and be prepared for successful careers. 

Since 2012, UIC has offered several high-impact student success initiatives through coordinated collaboration among units across the entire campus.  

The university continues to be recognized as a leader in social mobility. In the 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, UIC tied for the 10th nationally in the social mobility category. UIC, where more than half of students receive Pell grants, was the top university in Illinois for social mobility in the Wall Street Journal/College Pulse 2025 Best Colleges in the U.S. ranking.  

“I am delighted that we are part of this national coalition to support student success,” Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda said. “UIC is widely recognized for accelerating social mobility within our diverse student body, and we are deeply committed to preparing students to compete globally and lead meaningful lives.” 

Joining UIC in the alliance’s expansion to 17 members are the University at Buffalo, University of New Mexico, University of Utah, University of Colorado Denver, University of Massachusetts Amherst and Virginia Commonwealth University. 

The University Innovation Alliance serves nearly 630,000 enrolled undergraduates, including about 185,000 Pell Grant recipients — who make up almost 8% of Pell Grant recipients in the country’s four-year public colleges and universities. 

“Over the past decade, the UIA has been able to serve tens of thousands of students across the country by working alongside each other to find, test and scale the innovations that help students succeed,” said Bridget Burns, founding CEO of UIA. “We’re excited to welcome UIC, which shares our deep commitment to holding ourselves accountable to the students we serve. We look forward to learning from UIC’s own successes in serving students better.”