Leave is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by University of Illinois Chicago, its athletics department or its conference. Everything here comes from what University of Illinois Chicago, its conference, the state of Illinois and the NCAA have published, linked under Sources and read on October 23, 2026. "Not published" means the school has not published it.
The rules at UIC
| Question | What is published | Source |
|---|---|---|
| School NIL policy | UIC's NIL page summarizes a "UIC Athletics Policy": athletes may earn market-value pay for their name, image, likeness or voice and retain an agent, but not for athletic ability, participation or "willingness to attend"; "Employees of UIC, may not compensate or arrange any compensation deals to a current or prospective student-athlete"; and UIC may not "Broker or solicit endorsements on behalf of the student-athlete". The page links "UIC's current policy on student-athlete Name, Image & Likeness activities" on Teamworks, which did not open as readable text on 2026-10-23 | UIC Athletics, Name, Image, Likeness page |
| How deals are disclosed | NCAA: third-party deals of $600 or more are reported to NIL Go within five business days (Bylaws 22.2.2, 22.2.2.2). UIC's page: "Before entering such a contract, the SA is required to disclose any proposed contract for use of their NIL to UIC", and disclosure information is filed through the ARMS link on the page. Illinois law has athletes disclose all publicity rights agreements as the school prescribes, with $500-plus deals in a written contract (110 ILCS 190/20(c)) | UIC Athletics, NIL page; NCAA 2026-27 Division I Manual; /nil/college/illinois |
| Banned categories | Illinois law bars deals for gambling, sports betting, controlled substances, cannabis, tobacco or alcohol, electronic nicotine products, performance-enhancing supplements, adult entertainment, and anything reasonably considered inconsistent with the school's values or mission (110 ILCS 190/20(i)). UIC's page lists tobacco and nicotine, alcohol, controlled substances "including but not limited to, marijuana", adult entertainment and "any casino or entities that sponsor or promote gambling activities (sports betting)", and also bars pay where an athlete's visa generally prohibits employment, pay "in exchange for property owned by UIC", and terms that conflict with a UIC contract | UIC Athletics, NIL page; /nil/college/illinois |
| School marks and group licensing | UIC's page: athletes "may not use UIC, Missouri Valley Conference, Mid-American Conference or Southland Conference trademarks in conjunction with NIL activities unless they have received prior approval from the compliance office", "MAY NOT reference UIC in their endorsements", need approval before using UIC facilities, and "MAY NOT sell any item issued to them by UIC BEFORE they exhaust eligibility". UIC launched officially licensed adidas NIL Locker Rooms with Athletic Solutions on 2026-03-26. A group licensing program: Not published | UIC Athletics, NIL page and Athletic Solutions release (2026-03-26) |
| Revenue sharing | The College Sports Commission lists the University of Illinois Chicago for 2026-27 and puts the cap at "approximately $21.58 million per school" (read 2026-10-23). No UIC statement on revenue sharing and no UIC total was found on its athletics site | College Sports Commission |
| Collective or NIL group | UIC Athletics announced The Chicago Collective on 2023-08-31 as "the primary Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) Collective for all Flames student-athletes", powered by Student Athlete NIL (SANIL) and "independent from UIC"; a 2024-03-20 UIC release covered its basketball fundraising drive. On 2026-10-23 the collective's web address did not resolve, and its current status was not confirmed. UIC's own marketplace is the Flames Exchange on Teamworks Influencer (2025-05-13) | UIC Athletics releases (2023-08-31, 2024-03-20, 2025-05-13) |
| Agents and representation | UIC's page: athletes "MAY retain an Agent for any NIL matters", and representation "must be for name, image, likeness only and not for future professional contract negotiations"; NIL contracts may not run beyond the athlete's participation at UIC. Illinois has no athlete agent registration (its agent act was repealed in 2017); its NIL law has agents comply with the federal Sports Agent Responsibility and Trust Act "to the extent required" (110 ILCS 190/20(a), 25) | UIC Athletics, NIL page; /nil/college/illinois |
| Compliance contact | UIC Athletics Compliance Office, ncaacompliance@uic.edu; the compliance page lists Emily Wollet, Senior Associate Athletics Director and Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, 312-413-9745, and Alex Mena, Associate Athletics Director for Compliance, 312-355-0283 | UIC Athletics, Compliance and NIL pages |
| State law | In force. Illinois' Student-Athlete Endorsement Rights Act (110 ILCS 190) lets athletes earn NIL pay, has them disclose deals to the school as it prescribes, bars listed categories, and since 2025 lets schools pay athletes where a settlement, rule or school policy allows | /nil/college/illinois |
What is specific to UIC
UIC (the University of Illinois Chicago) plays no football and sells itself to athletes on its city: its own releases call it "Chicago's College Team" and point to "the nation's third-largest media market". Its NIL education runs through the F.L.A.M.E.S. Leadership Institute under the Excel-Up initiative, with four pillars (rules education, financial literacy, entrepreneurship and marketing) led by the Director for Student Development with the Athletics Compliance Office, and its compliance office takes law externs from the UIC John Marshall School of Law. UIC's NIL page is stricter than many on the school's name: athletes "MAY NOT reference UIC in their endorsements" and need compliance approval to use UIC or conference marks. The NIL channels UIC has announced are The Chicago Collective (2023), independent of UIC, whose web address did not resolve on 2026-10-23; the Flames Exchange marketplace on Teamworks Influencer (2025); and adidas NIL Locker Rooms with Athletic Solutions (2026).
How Leave fits
In Leave, every deal thread carries a rules summary for the athlete's state and level, and keeps the contract, its dates and the disclosure deadline that applies. It is a summary, not a ruling; the school and the law decide. Leave is software, not an agent, and takes 0% of any deal. You decide, you send.
Questions about NIL at UIC
Does UIC pay its athletes?
The University of Illinois Chicago is on the College Sports Commission's 2026-27 revenue-sharing list, where the cap is about $21.58 million per school; that table is the only published source. UIC has not published a statement, totals or how the money is divided.
How do UIC athletes report NIL deals?
UIC's NIL page says athletes disclose any proposed NIL contract to UIC before entering it, using the ARMS disclosure link on the page. NCAA rules separately call for reporting outside deals of $600 or more to NIL Go within five business days.
What NIL collective works with UIC?
UIC announced The Chicago Collective in 2023 as the primary collective for Flames athletes, independent from UIC. On 2026-10-23 its website address did not resolve, so its status is not confirmed. UIC's official marketplace is the Flames Exchange.
Can UIC athletes mention UIC in an NIL ad?
UIC's NIL page says athletes may not reference UIC in their endorsements and may not use UIC or conference trademarks without prior approval from the compliance office.
Is UIC the same as the University of Illinois in Champaign?
No. UIC is the University of Illinois Chicago, which plays in the Missouri Valley Conference; the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is listed separately by the College Sports Commission, in the Big Ten, and has its own page.
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