University of Illinois Chicago
IL · AI Readiness #97 of 227
AIREDEX™ Score: 7.4 /10
UIC undergraduates in any major can build hands-on AI skills through the Google.org-funded Data + AI program, a free campus-wide Google AI Accelerator giving every student access to Gemini and NotebookLM alongside a new AI Literacy course launching fall 2026.
UIC computer science undergrads can pursue a formal AI concentration by choosing four of six AI technical electives. Career pathways run through Break Through Tech Chicago's AI Studio Sprinternships, with partners including Google, JPMorgan Chase, and Accenture. A formal AI minor open to all undergraduates, comparable to what peer Chicago-area research universities already offer, is still in development and would help to raise AI-fluency across its entire student body.
Pillar grades
- Commitment: C+
- Curriculum: B-
- Partnerships: A+
- Research: B+
A(I)ttitude™: Progressive
Selected Highlights
- AI Laboratory (Nelson), NLP Lab (Di Eugenio/Parde), AI.Health4All Center, Intel oneAPI CoE (Papka), George Crabtree Institute.
- Google AI for Education Accelerator (Gemini+NotebookLM, all 37,000+ students, June 2026).
- CS 517, CS 516, IDS 565 -- cross-department (CS+Business).
- ARPA-H $10M award, UIC lead.
- AI publishing across CS, Business, Biomedical Engineering/Medicine.