The Graduate Student Council is the governing Graduate Student Body consisting of representatives from all degree-granting programs in the Graduate College.

Council has four primary goals:
- Supporting graduate students by hosting academic seminars and workshops
- Encouraging them to apply for conferences by supplying travel awards
- Bringing them together with various social events and project awards
- Representing them in many different committees and meetings throughout the year


There are three forms of student governance at UIC:
The Undergraduate Student Government The Health Professions Student Council The Graduate Student Council (GSC)
These enable students to affect decision-making policies through their own participation as elected representatives. Students sit on UIC's Board of Trustees as well as other major University committees. GSC members are the liaisons and advocates for graduate students here at UIC. The Graduate Student Council also has funds for Travel and Project Awards that grad students can qualify for by having departmental representation at the general GSC meetings.