[1] The blazon was devised by Pierre de Chaignon la Rose, working under the direction of university architect Charles Coolidge.

[2] The arms were modified the following year with the addition of the motto Crescat scientia; vita excolatur on the pages of the open book in chief.

[1] Since 2012, the University of Chicago uses a modified version of its arms which eliminates the chief and makes the book appear suspended directly over the flame-engulfed Phoenix.

[3] This modified version of the arms, when used in tandem with the university's wordmark, comprise the logo.

[3] According to the University of Chicago, "no surviving documents make clear precisely why the phoenix was adopted as the central element on the Coat of Arms, although several possibilities have been suggested".