Admissions

Undergraduate admissions are processed through the University Office of Admissions and Records, and the College of ACES Academic Programs Office makes the admission decisions. To select ACE as the department to which you are applying, make sure you have selected Agricultural and Consumer Economics, which is in the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES).

Apply to ACE

Freshman admission is based on several factors and it is best to review the following:

You may also want to consider a visit to campus and the Department of ACE.

The College of ACES provides a wide-variety of information for future students.

Concentration Change

Students currently enrolled in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics may apply to change their concentration ​(with the exception of Agricultural Accounting -- see below) at any time during the academic year. Admission into a different concentration is not guaranteed. If you have questions about admission into your new concentration, please contact your current academic advisor.

Agricultural Accounting Exception: ACE students who wish to change their concentration to Agricultural Accounting should apply during one of the four on-campus transfer (ICT) opportunities for current University of Illinois students in August, October, January, and March.

Access the Concentration Change Application

Please note: this form is intended only for students who are currently enrolled in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois. If you are not currently enrolled in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois, please view the On-Campus Transfer Information to learn more about your application process.

Transfer Students

On-Campus Transfer (ICT)

All current University of Illinois students who wish to transfer to a concentration in ACE must complete the​ ICT transfer process. Click the links below to learn more about each portion of the ACE Intercollegiate Transfer application.

About the Application

Transfer into all Department of ACE concentrations is competitive. Strong applications will demonstrate interests aligned with their chosen ACE concentration as reflected in personal essays and a professional resume; campus involvement and leadership as reflected in a highly polished professional resume; potential to complete all requirements within 10 total semesters; and GPA in UIUC courses and core ACE courses. A 3.25 GPA is considered competitive, but students with a GPA below 3.25 are still encouraged to apply if the other elements of their application are strong. Applicants should consider having their resumes reviewed by The Career Center and/or having their application essays reviewed by The Writers Workshop.

Students may apply to up to three concentrations when they submit their applications. Applicants who select two or more concentrations must write an essay for each concentration in order to be considered for their second and/or third choices.

Access the Application

The ACE Intercollegiate Transfer Application is closed. We will have additional ICT application opportunities in July, October, and December. Please email aceundergrad@illinois.edu if you would like to receive a reminder when the next application opens. 

Required Coursework

All applicants must have credit for or be currently enrolled in:

  • ACE 100 or ECON 102
  • One approved mathematics course. Choose one calculus course or one statistics course:
    • MATH 220 (Calculus) or MATH 221 (Calculus I) or MATH 234 (Calculus for Business)
      OR
    • ACE 262 (Applied Statistical Methods and Data Analytics I) or ECON 202 (Economic Statistics I) or equivalent
  • Note: Students applying during the August cycle must have these courses completed prior to the start of the fall term. Students applying during the December cycle must have these courses completed prior to the start of the spring term.

Recommended Coursework

ACE does not have additional explicit course requirements to be eligible to apply and transfer.

Students can make progress towards completing the requirements for the ACE majors and demonstrate affinity for the major by taking and excelling in:

  • ECON 103 (Macroeconomics)
  • RHET 105 (Composition) and CMN 101 (Public Speaking) or CMN 111 (Oral & Written Comm I) and CMN 112 (Oral & Written Comm II)
  • ACE 161 (Microcomputer Applications) or CS 105 (Intro to Computing for Non-Tech Majors)
  • ACCY 201 (Accountancy I)
  • Language Other Than English through the third level
  • Concentration-specific courses (consult with ACE Advising)

Professional/Personal Statement 

Students are required to complete at least one professional/personal statement (prompt "a" below) reflecting their interest in ACE and their desired concentration. Students applying to two or more concentrations should submit a response to prompt "a" below for each concentration. Prompt "b" is optional and should only be included if relevant to the applicant.

a. How would your desired concentration(s) in ACE contribute to your personal, professional, and academic goals goals? Feel free to share past experiences that have shaped these goals (please limit your response to 1 single-spaced page per concentration). 

b. Additional Information (Optional): Have any special circumstances affected your academic performance and/or progress? If so, please explain.

Application Dates and Deadlines

Our next ACE ICT application will be available on Friday, July 17 and will be due on Friday, August 7 at 12:00 pm (noon). The review committee will make application decisions as soon as possible after the application deadline and will communicate decisions no later than Friday, August 14 at 5:00 pm. Admitted students will be required to discuss paperwork, transfer implications, and other important information with their assigned ACE advisor.

Information Sessions (not required for transfer)

Information sessions are a great way to get your questions answered and learn more about ACE! Information session dates and times will be posted here in May 2026.

Academic Advising and Course Planning

If you would like academic advising or assistance planning to transfer into ACE, please contact your current academic advisor for support. If you are unsure of which concentration you wish to pursue, please contact ACEundergrad@illinois.edu with your questions. If you have selected a concentration, you may contact the advisor for that concentration directly.