The University of Chicago
Our Commitment
At the University of Chicago, we believe that all students should have access to higher education opportunities no matter their background, geographic location, or ability to pay. UChicago knows that students from rural and small-town contexts bring valuable experiences and viewpoints to a college community. However, students from rural and small-town communities are often faced with unique barriers to college admissions because of their geographic isolation. The UChicago Empower access initiative was designed to address the challenges faced by first-generation, low-income, and rural and small-town students. Thanks to a generous donation from Trott Family Philanthropies, UChicago created the Emerging Rural Leaders Program in 2019 to reduce the barriers to college that rural students and families face by offering college admissions programming on-campus and in local communities, providing mentoring and support systems for high school and college students, and updating financial aid policies and scholarships to enable more rural students to pursue higher education at UChicago. By collaborating with Network members and leveraging existing resources and infrastructure created by the Empower Initiative, the STARS College Network at UChicago will enhance and expand the college access work that began with the Emerging Rural Leaders program in 2019.
Learn more about The University of Chicago's Rural and Small Town Programming
Learn more about The University of Chicago's Admissions
View news coverage on The University of Chicago's participation in STARS
The University of Chicago Events
STARS Near You
STARS visits Mississippi
April 29th 2024, 7:00 pm CST
Join universities from the STARS College Network for a night about the college search! We’ll have a 40 minute information session on topics like holistic review, financial aid, and how to best set up your college application. Afterwards, you’ll have time to browse a mini-college fair of participating institutions from across the country!
Host: California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Case Western Reserve University, Colby College, Columbia University in the City of New York, The University of Chicago, Northwestern University, University of Southern California, The Ohio State University, Vanderbilt University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Yale UniversitySTARS Near You
STARS visits Arkansas
May 1st 2024, 7:00 pm CST
Join universities from the STARS College Network for a night about the college search! We’ll have a 40 minute information session on topics like holistic review, financial aid, and how to best set up your college application. Afterwards, you’ll have time to browse a mini-college fair of participating institutions from across the country!
Host: California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Case Western Reserve University, Colby College, Columbia University in the City of New York, The University of Chicago, Northwestern University, University of Southern California, The Ohio State University, Vanderbilt University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Yale UniversitySTARS Near You
STARS visits Louisiana
May 2nd 2024, 7:00 pm CST
Join universities from the STARS College Network for a night about the college search! We’ll have a 40 minute information session on topics like holistic review, financial aid, and how to best set up your college application. Afterwards, you’ll have time to browse a mini-college fair of participating institutions from across the country!
Host: California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Case Western Reserve University, Colby College, Columbia University in the City of New York, The University of Chicago, Northwestern University, University of Southern California, The Ohio State University, Vanderbilt University, Yale University, University of Wisconsin-MadisonSTARS Near You
STORY visits New Mexico
May 18th 2024, 12:00 am CST
Thinking about college? Visit with 20+ schools from across the United States and learn tips and tricks about applying for college! The STORY program will feature an admissions information session followed by an extensive college fair where you can meet and talk with dozens of research universities, flagship public institutions, and liberal arts colleges from around the country. Each of our schools is unique, but we are working together to bring college conversations to you!
Host: Brown University, Case Western Reserve University, Colby College, Columbia University in the City of New York, The University of Chicago, The University of Iowa, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, University of Southern California, The Ohio State University, Vanderbilt University, Yale UniversitySTARS Near You
STORY visits Colorado
May 19th 2024, 12:00 am CST
Thinking about college? Visit with 20+ schools from across the United States and learn tips and tricks about applying for college! The STORY program will feature an admissions information session followed by an extensive college fair where you can meet and talk with dozens of research universities, flagship public institutions, and liberal arts colleges from around the country. Each of our schools is unique, but we are working together to bring college conversations to you!
Host: Brown University, Case Western Reserve University, Colby College, Columbia University in the City of New York, The University of Chicago, The University of Iowa, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, University of Southern California, The Ohio State University, Vanderbilt University, Yale UniversitySTARS Near You
STORY visits Utah
May 20th 2024, 12:00 am CST
Thinking about college? Visit with 20+ schools from across the United States and learn tips and tricks about applying for college! The STORY program will feature an admissions information session followed by an extensive college fair where you can meet and talk with dozens of research universities, flagship public institutions, and liberal arts colleges from around the country. Each of our schools is unique, but we are working together to bring college conversations to you!
Host: Brown University, Case Western Reserve University, Colby College, Columbia University in the City of New York, The University of Chicago, The University of Iowa, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, University of Southern California, The Ohio State University, Vanderbilt University, Yale UniversitySTARS Near You
STORY visits Idaho
May 21st 2024, 12:00 am CST
Thinking about college? Visit with 20+ schools from across the United States and learn tips and tricks about applying for college! The STORY program will feature an admissions information session followed by an extensive college fair where you can meet and talk with dozens of research universities, flagship public institutions, and liberal arts colleges from around the country. Each of our schools is unique, but we are working together to bring college conversations to you!
Host: Brown University, Case Western Reserve University, Colby College, Columbia University in the City of New York, The University of Chicago, The University of Iowa, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, University of Southern California, The Ohio State University, Vanderbilt University, Yale UniversityVirtual Event
STARS Virtual College Fair
May 21st 2024, 7:00 pm CST
Join the STARS Network Schools to discover the exceptional opportunities all of our schools have to offer in a virtual college fair!
Host: Brown University, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Case Western Reserve University, Colby College, Columbia University in the City of New York, The University of Chicago, The University of Iowa, University of Maryland, College Park, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, University of Southern California, The Ohio State University, Vanderbilt University, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Yale UniversitySTARS Near You
STORY visits Wyoming
May 22nd 2024, 12:00 am CST
Thinking about college? Visit with 20+ schools from across the United States and learn tips and tricks about applying for college! The STORY program will feature an admissions information session followed by an extensive college fair where you can meet and talk with dozens of research universities, flagship public institutions, and liberal arts colleges from around the country. Each of our schools is unique, but we are working together to bring college conversations to you!
Host: Brown University, Case Western Reserve University, Colby College, Columbia University in the City of New York, The University of Chicago, The University of Iowa, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, University of Southern California, The Ohio State University, Vanderbilt University, Yale University