College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs

The College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs (CUPPA) at UIC is globally recognized for its exceptional education, research, and engagement in urban affairs.

• We are raising funds to support our biggest points of pride: our phenomenal students and our impactful research.
• Aparna Ramakrishnan, Public Policy major, is the 2025 Student Lincoln Laureate for UIC!
• The Urban Planning and Policy Student Association held their first ever Firm Crawl with over 150 students highlighting the Chicago region’s opportunities!
• The Master of City Design program received the APA-IL Student Project Award for the fourth year in a row!
• The Department of Public Policy, Management, and Analytics ranks #6 in Urban Policy and #8 in Public Finance and Budgeting in US News rankings!
• Urban Planning and Policy Associate Professor Stacey Sutton was named a 2025 Freedom Scholar by the Marguerite Casey Foundation!
• CUPPA increased its research funding to $12.1 million, up $3.9 million from 2025!
• The Great Cities Institute celebrated its 30th anniversary and the Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy celebrated its 25th!