Which colleges are most affordable for Illinois residents ? The answer may surprise you.
These rankings of the most affordable colleges for Illinois residents are based on the estimated net price for a "typical" middle class family living in the state of Illinois.
Note: Net price is the actual cost of the school paid by the student and family, after factoring in merit and grant aid from the college federal programs and work study.The net prices displayed in these rankings are College Raptor's estimates.
“Typical” middle class family values used in the Net Price estimates on this page are:
| Rank | Institution | Typical Net Price | Sticker Price | % Savings | Undergraduates | Est. Median SAT | Acceptance Rate | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | College of the Ozarks | 6600 | 38400 | 0.8291 | 1,500 | 1130 | 0.1097 | |
| 2 | University of California-Davis | 10200 | 38100 | 0.7328 | 31,695 | 1290 | 0.4435 | |
| 3 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | 10600 | 26000 | 0.5929 | 22,313 | 1341 | 0.2996 | |
| 4 | California State University-Fresno | 11400 | 19600 | 0.4221 | 21,954 | 995 | 0.9526 | |
| 5 | Cornell University | 11500 | 93100 | 0.8767 | 16,138 | 1528 | 0.0838 | |
| 6 | University of Wisconsin-River Falls | 11800 | 20500 | 0.4247 | 5,063 | 1069 | 0.8756 | |
| 7 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 11900 | 25700 | 0.5363 | 46,627 | 1366 | 0.492 | |
| 8 | Fort Valley State University | 12400 | 29700 | 0.5823 | 2,699 | 1025 | 0.6587 | |
| 9 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 12500 | 28100 | 0.5551 | 8,421 | 1054 | 0.9444 | |
| 10 | University of Arizona | 12900 | 30900 | 0.5835 | 43,294 | 1186 | 0.8351 | |
| 11 | Texas A&M University-Commerce | 13200 | 30000 | 0.5601 | 9,666 | 1040 | 0.7498 | |
| 12 | University of Delaware | 13500 | 34500 | 0.608 | 19,287 | 1302 | 0.6924 | |
| 13 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 14 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 13700 | 61700 | 0.7784 | 39,193 | 1418 | 0.4081 | |
| 15 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5048 | 12,118 | 1070 | 0.7164 | |
| 16 | University of Wisconsin-Platteville | 14600 | 23900 | 0.389 | 6,045 | 1193 | 0.8938 | |
| 17 | Northwest Missouri State University | 15600 | 38800 | 0.5992 | 5,241 | 1095 | 0.8613 | |
| 18 | Sam Houston State University | 15800 | 30300 | 0.4782 | 17,822 | 1035 | 0.9372 | |
| 19 | Oklahoma Panhandle State University | 16300 | 16700 | 0.024 | 1,021 | 985 | 1 | |
| 20 | North Carolina State University | 16400 | 28500 | 0.4252 | 29,340 | 1374 | 0.3954 | |
| 21 | Arkansas State University | 16500 | 28100 | 0.413 | 11,189 | 1080 | 0.7818 | |
| 21 | University of Maine | 16500 | 29300 | 0.4371 | 9,182 | 1195 | 0.9562 | |
| 23 | West Virginia University | 16800 | 40900 | 0.589 | 18,206 | 1120 | 0.8514 | |
| 24 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 16900 | 26300 | 0.3574 | 19,787 | 1197 | 0.8807 | |
| 25 | Missouri State University-Springfield | 17200 | 25700 | 0.3307 | 21,138 | 1134 | 0.9039 | |
| 26 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 18000 | 39000 | 0.5381 | 37,985 | 1390 | 0.5815 | |
| 27 | University of Rhode Island | 19200 | 33900 | 0.4337 | 14,466 | 1197 | 0.7456 | |
| 28 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 19300 | 29900 | 0.3538 | 60,710 | 1278 | 0.5732 | |
| 29 | Iowa State University | 19900 | 24200 | 0.179 | 26,346 | 1212 | 0.8793 | |
| 30 | Alabama A & M University | 20300 | 28200 | 0.2798 | 6,370 | 915 | 0.5795 | |
| 31 | South Dakota State University | 20400 | 25200 | 0.19 | 10,883 | 1115 | 0.9618 | |
| 32 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 20700 | 30600 | 0.326 | 43,633 | 1342 | 0.4343 | |
| 32 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | 20700 | 39200 | 0.4722 | 10,900 | 1222 | 0.8914 | |
| 34 | North Dakota State University | 20800 | 25700 | 0.1902 | 9,762 | 1110 | 0.9496 | |
| 35 | University of Maryland-College Park | 20900 | 27300 | 0.2346 | 31,875 | 1456 | 0.4503 | |
| 36 | Tarleton State University | 21000 | 23000 | 0.087 | 17,556 | 1090 | 0.5386 | |
| 37 | Washington State University | 21100 | 36200 | 0.417 | 21,400 | 1131 | 0.861 | |
| 38 | Louisiana Tech University | 21300 | 26100 | 0.1841 | 11,071 | 1189 | 0.9073 | |
| 39 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 21800 | 37300 | 0.4156 | 26,490 | 1183 | 0.8863 | |
| 40 | California State University-Chico | 22300 | 31000 | 0.2803 | 13,599 | 1054 | 0.9107 | |
| 40 | Montana State University | 22300 | 27100 | 0.1769 | 15,142 | 1184 | 0.9938 | |
| 42 | Buena Vista University | 22400 | 59100 | 0.6212 | 836 | 1075 | 0.6497 | |
| 43 | Murray State University | 22800 | 27600 | 0.1738 | 8,217 | 1124 | 0.8413 | |
| 44 | West Texas A & M University | 23400 | 29200 | 0.1985 | 7,110 | 1060 | 0.6681 | |
| 45 | Abilene Christian University | 23500 | 59000 | 0.6013 | 5,101 | 1149 | 0.6615 | |
| 46 | University of Kentucky | 23700 | 36400 | 0.3479 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 47 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 24100 | 39300 | 0.3873 | 24,019 | 1404 | 0.5989 | |
| 48 | Unity Environmental University | 24500 | 29900 | 0.1809 | 6,525 | 0 | 0.818 | |
| 49 | Eastern Kentucky University | 24800 | 38400 | 0.3545 | 13,448 | 1075 | 0.9683 | |
| 49 | Sul Ross State University | 24800 | 37300 | 0.3352 | 1,890 | 1020 | 0.9871 | |
| 49 | Wilson College | 24800 | 44400 | 0.4421 | 1,379 | 1055 | 0.9211 | |
| 52 | The University of Findlay | 25400 | 50600 | 0.4976 | 4,132 | 1090 | 0.6748 | |
| 53 | Michigan State University | 25800 | 28900 | 0.1089 | 41,415 | 1212 | 0.8324 | |
| 54 | Dordt University | 26200 | 52500 | 0.5007 | 1,716 | 1205 | 0.6847 | |
| 55 | Tuskegee University | 26300 | 42100 | 0.3757 | 2,660 | 1090 | 0.4868 | |
| 56 | University of Minnesota-Crookston | 26500 | 29500 | 0.103 | 2,873 | 1095 | 0.8747 | |
| 57 | University of Arkansas | 26600 | 28900 | 0.0793 | 29,252 | 1179 | 0.7388 | |
| 58 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 26700 | 41500 | 0.3564 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 58 | University of Idaho | 26700 | 45200 | 0.4089 | 9,656 | 1104 | 0.7476 | |
| 60 | Morehead State University | 26800 | 32600 | 0.1778 | 7,941 | 1080 | 0.8328 | |
| 61 | Kansas State University | 27000 | 31400 | 0.1412 | 16,555 | 1163 | 0.875 | |
| 62 | Texas State University | 27900 | 28000 | 0.0036 | 39,353 | 1080 | 0.9118 | |
| 63 | Oregon State University | 28800 | 36700 | 0.2153 | 31,253 | 1272 | 0.773 | |
| 64 | Huntington University | 29300 | 44300 | 0.3384 | 1,512 | 1065 | 0.7518 | |
| 65 | University of Hawaii at Manoa | 29800 | 42200 | 0.2937 | 15,735 | 1069 | 0.8797 | |
| 66 | Lubbock Christian University | 30200 | 49200 | 0.3866 | 1,383 | 1074 | 0.7473 | |
| 67 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus | 30500 | 39200 | 0.2222 | 13,039 | 1020 | 0.894 | |
| 68 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 31500 | 41200 | 0.2357 | 25,312 | 1134 | 0.7395 | |
| 68 | North Carolina A & T State University | 31500 | 36700 | 0.1416 | 12,497 | 1075 | 0.5125 | |
| 70 | Angelo State University | 31600 | 35400 | 0.1071 | 10,103 | 1045 | 0.7981 | |
| 71 | SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill | 32200 | 42700 | 0.2457 | 1,894 | 1055 | 0.8401 | |
| 72 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 32300 | 35100 | 0.0799 | 32,041 | 1324 | 0.4358 | |
| 73 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | 33800 | 41000 | 0.1744 | 23,003 | 1164 | 0.7367 | |
| 74 | University of Vermont | 34500 | 66300 | 0.4799 | 12,159 | 1372 | 0.7304 | |
| 75 | Centenary University | 35400 | 63600 | 0.4433 | 936 | 1070 | 0.8308 | |
| 76 | Texas Tech University | 35600 | 38900 | 0.0848 | 34,021 | 1195 | 0.6906 | |
| 77 | Delaware Valley University | 36000 | 66900 | 0.462 | 1,680 | 1189 | 0.9268 | |
| 78 | Tennessee Technological University | 36200 | 38500 | 0.0594 | 9,187 | 1163 | 0.7613 | |
| 79 | University of Connecticut | 37100 | 53600 | 0.3081 | 20,056 | 1329 | 0.5239 | |
| 80 | Andrews University | 37200 | 70100 | 0.4694 | 1,384 | 1143 | 0.8185 | |
| 81 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville | 37300 | 41600 | 0.1031 | 5,386 | 995 | 0.9092 | |
| 82 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 66300 | 0.436 | 31,536 | 1366 | 0.5457 | |
| 83 | Mississippi State University | 39100 | 53400 | 0.2675 | 19,093 | 1205 | 0.8363 | |
| 84 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 39700 | 50000 | 0.2062 | 35,248 | 1289 | 0.6939 | |
| 85 | University of Wyoming | 40000 | 45300 | 0.1168 | 8,138 | 1163 | 0.9695 | |
| 86 | Middle Tennessee State University | 41400 | 46000 | 0.0999 | 18,042 | 1140 | 0.6909 | |
| 87 | University of Florida | 43100 | 45700 | 0.057 | 37,283 | 1406 | 0.2033 | |
| 88 | University of Georgia | 49700 | 51600 | 0.0368 | 32,824 | 1348 | 0.3425 | |
| 89 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 49800 | 62200 | 0.1995 | 38,572 | 1455 | 0.3659 | |
| 90 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 55900 | 63800 | 0.1237 | 42,565 | 1339 | 0.7887 | |
| 91 | Auburn University | 58500 | 58500 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 92 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 59300 | 61600 | 0.0372 | 25,141 | 1256 | 0.7613 | |
| 93 | Clemson University | 61400 | 63700 | 0.036 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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