To understand why someone applying to the University of Illinois would seek help from a trustee or legislator — as detailed in a Tribune series that began last week — consider how the battle for admission has changed over the last 25 years.
In 1984, nearly 14,000 students applied for roughly 6,000 freshman spots on the Urbana-Champaign campus, few students from outside Illinois enrolled and high school graduates with decent grades had a good shot of getting in.
Today, 26,000 students are bidding for 7,100 spots, non-residents make up a growing percentage of the freshman class and applicants across the board have more impressive academic credentials than ever before, said Stacey Kostell, director of admissions.