This study was conducted to obtain information concerning family practice opportunities in Chicago and to compare the actual availability with students' perceptions of such opportunities. Questionnaires received from 85 hospital administrators (98% response rate) indicated that 93% of the Chicago-area hospitals had open staff positions for family physicians. Comparison data were obtained from another questionnaire completed by 201 medical students (39%). The students' average estimate of the percentage of hospitals having positions available for family physicians was 45%. This suggested that the students greatly underestimated the availability of staff positions for family physicians.