University of Illinois Masters in Finance Update – May 2025

The University of Illinois Masters in Finance is one of the first MSF programs to come into existence and remains immensely popular. I was checking out the site the other day and there are a few updates to bring to everyones attention. I am still waiting on the placements and class profile to refresh, but I think there is enough information to warrant a new post.

Admissions

For those of you interested in this program, you have one more round to apply.

• Round 4 – June 8, 2025

Once you submit your full application, you should hear back within 4 months. This gives you plenty of time to get ready for the start of classes.

Below is the 2023 Class Profile. I posted this on the previous post and continue to wait for the newest profile, but I wanted to include this for this post as it is still helpful:

• Class Size – 130 Students
• Avg. GPA – 3.37
• Avg. GMAT – 680
• Avg. GRE – 320
• Avg. Work Experience – 2.25 years

Tuition for the program is currently $67,800.

Student Stories

The UIUC website has a number of quotes from graduated students talking about their experience with the program. I am including them below.

“I believe Gies has some of the best professors who will leave no stone unturned in providing their valuable guidance and connecting you to industry experts. Additionally, the program is designed in a way that covers comprehensive topics which enables you to experiment and test your interests. Lastly, outside of academics, UIUC has a wide range of activities that help you develop interpersonal skills, expand your network beyond your peers, participate in multicultural experiences and much more! “

– 2023 MSF Graduate

“The MSF program provides the flexibility to choose class schedules and encourages us to explore our interest in different fields in finance. This design allowed me to take more courses that intrigue me. As a result, I built my expertise in quantitative finance and data analytics in finance. I found my passion in derivatives valuation… After much hard work, I got two job offers that relate to data analytics and complex derivatives valuation.”

– 2021 MSF Graduate

“The Gies experience is more than just academics. The faculty here are from both academia and the finance industry, and they bring their experiences into the classroom. One of my favorite courses was the MSF Academy, which helped me discover and track my career path. Extracurricular activities such as Illinois Business Consulting helped fine-tune my skills and prepared me for my current position as a wealth management associate at Goldman Sachs.”

– 2022 MSF Graduate

MSF Practicum

Something that I have not posted about before, but I think is important, is the practicum that the UIUC MSF offers. I have seen a few programs have one of these and I think it is a great addition as it allows real world experience during your graduate degree.

“The MSF Practicum is your opportunity to work as a member of a 4-5 person team on a short-term finance consulting project at a sponsoring corporation for a semester long project during the Fall semester (for students in their third and final semester). The projects are structured so that a finished product is delivered to the sponsor at the end of the Practicum. Each student team is assigned a faculty mentor on campus as a resource and backup support.”

The list of past participants is large and with phenomenal names:

This is definitely something to look into if you choose to attend. This real world application experience looks great on a resume.

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That is the update for now. I am sure there will be a new class profile and placement information soon. As soon as I see this is updated I will do another post for all of you.

Here is a link to the University of Illinois Masters in Finance Program