Is UIUC or UVA generally more selective for undergraduate admission?

The biggest practical difference is that UVA tends to be a more uniformly difficult admission target across the university, while UIUC’s difficulty changes much more sharply with the program you select. UVA’s Virginia-resident versus nonresident distinction also matters substantially: as a public university, it gives meaningful priority to in-state applicants, and out-of-state applicants face a notably tougher path. At UIUC, an applicant’s intended major and academic college can have an especially large effect on how competitive the application is.

For example, UIUC programs in computing and engineering attract exceptionally deep applicant pools, so admission there can be at least as difficult as, or more difficult than, admission to UVA for many applicants. UIUC programs outside those high-demand areas may present a less restrictive admissions landscape. That makes a schoolwide UIUC acceptance impression less useful than knowing the specific major being considered.

So, for the question of overall undergraduate admission, UVA is generally considered more selective than UIUC. The important exception is a student applying to one of UIUC’s most oversubscribed technical programs, where UIUC may be the more difficult admission outcome for that particular major.