The chancellor is appointed by the Board of Trustees following nomination by the president of the University of Illinois System.

The chancellor performs those duties that are assigned by the president and that are consistent with the actions of the Board of Trustees.

Before 1967, the president of the University of Illinois System served as the principal administrator of the original Urbana-Champaign campus.

In June 1966, at the recommendation of president David D. Henry, the Board of Trustees switched to a chancellorship system of administration.

[3] The change established a new administrative office, the "Chancellor of the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign", and renamed the two administrators of the Chicago campuses, Vice president of the University of Illinois at the Medical Center (UIMC) and Vice president of the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle (UICC), to chancellor.