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 | 1,454 | 1135 | 0.1199 | |
| 2 | Utah State University | 9700 | 26700 | 0.6361 | 25,706 | 1176 | 0.9247 | |
| 3 | University of California-Davis | 10200 | 38100 | 0.7328 | 32,273 | 1290 | 0.4183 | |
| 4 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | 10600 | 26000 | 0.5929 | 22,033 | 1321 | 0.3132 | |
| 5 | Cornell University | 11800 | 93100 | 0.8735 | 16,128 | 1521 | 0.0876 | |
| 5 | University of Wisconsin-River Falls | 11800 | 20500 | 0.4246 | 4,880 | 1124 | 0.8172 | |
| 7 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 11900 | 25700 | 0.5363 | 46,815 | 1378 | 0.6057 | |
| 8 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 12400 | 29200 | 0.5745 | 38,040 | 1418 | 0.452 | |
| 9 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 10 | University of Idaho | 14100 | 25800 | 0.4543 | 9,574 | 1119 | 0.7553 | |
| 11 | University of Wisconsin-Platteville | 14200 | 27800 | 0.4903 | 6,045 | 1193 | 0.8938 | |
| 12 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5048 | 11,348 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 13 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | 14700 | 26500 | 0.4465 | 22,364 | 1159 | 0.7504 | |
| 14 | Murray State University | 15100 | 27000 | 0.4426 | 7,851 | 1115 | 0.8568 | |
| 15 | California State University-Chico | 15200 | 23500 | 0.3528 | 13,792 | 1075 | 0.9272 | |
| 15 | Texas State University | 15200 | 25500 | 0.4042 | 36,236 | 1100 | 0.8932 | |
| 17 | Northwest Missouri State University | 15600 | 38800 | 0.5992 | 5,241 | 1095 | 0.8609 | |
| 17 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 15600 | 31000 | 0.4964 | 8,553 | 1045 | 0.8688 | |
| 19 | Sam Houston State University | 15800 | 30300 | 0.4782 | 17,787 | 1030 | 0.9026 | |
| 20 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 15900 | 38500 | 0.5862 | 37,140 | 1406 | 0.4237 | |
| 21 | Oklahoma Panhandle State University | 16300 | 16700 | 0.024 | 1,021 | 985 | 0.683 | |
| 22 | Arkansas State University | 16500 | 28100 | 0.413 | 9,985 | 1075 | 0.8226 | |
| 22 | University of Florida | 16500 | 22500 | 0.2666 | 36,573 | 1399 | 0.242 | |
| 24 | North Carolina State University | 16600 | 28500 | 0.4187 | 28,422 | 1378 | 0.4174 | |
| 25 | West Virginia University | 17000 | 40900 | 0.5841 | 18,206 | 1125 | 0.89 | |
| 26 | Missouri State University-Springfield | 17200 | 25700 | 0.3307 | 20,584 | 1134 | 0.9053 | |
| 27 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 17500 | 29900 | 0.4144 | 60,710 | 1278 | 0.5743 | |
| 28 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 18000 | 39000 | 0.5385 | 37,985 | 1390 | 0.5815 | |
| 29 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 18200 | 18200 | 0 | 34,242 | 1273 | 0.7333 | |
| 30 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 19400 | 36900 | 0.4748 | 24,449 | 1256 | 0.7847 | |
| 31 | Iowa State University | 20100 | 24200 | 0.1714 | 25,628 | 1207 | 0.8866 | |
| 32 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 20700 | 30600 | 0.3258 | 44,819 | 1327 | 0.4987 | |
| 32 | Stetson University | 20700 | 79100 | 0.7387 | 2,349 | 1179 | 0.716 | |
| 32 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | 20700 | 39200 | 0.4722 | 11,355 | 1222 | 0.8816 | |
| 35 | University of Maryland-College Park | 20900 | 27300 | 0.2346 | 31,133 | 1463 | 0.4479 | |
| 36 | North Dakota State University | 21000 | 25700 | 0.183 | 9,762 | 1110 | 0.9496 | |
| 36 | Tarleton State University | 21000 | 23000 | 0.087 | 15,254 | 1080 | 0.8955 | |
| 38 | Washington State University | 21300 | 36200 | 0.4119 | 21,455 | 1125 | 0.8664 | |
| 39 | Louisiana Tech University | 21400 | 26100 | 0.1802 | 10,881 | 1189 | 0.864 | |
| 40 | South Dakota State University | 22100 | 25200 | 0.1231 | 10,719 | 1120 | 0.9834 | |
| 41 | Montana State University | 22300 | 27100 | 0.1769 | 15,046 | 1184 | 0.8214 | |
| 42 | Buena Vista University | 22500 | 59100 | 0.6191 | 1,436 | 1124 | 0.7761 | |
| 43 | University of Kentucky | 23900 | 36400 | 0.3441 | 25,534 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 44 | Abilene Christian University | 24300 | 59000 | 0.5877 | 3,263 | 1189 | 0.6603 | |
| 45 | Unity Environmental University | 24500 | 29900 | 0.1809 | 6,507 | 0 | 0.818 | |
| 46 | Sul Ross State University | 24800 | 37300 | 0.3352 | 1,890 | 1020 | 0.9871 | |
| 47 | Wilson College | 24900 | 44400 | 0.4401 | 1,379 | 1055 | 0.9211 | |
| 48 | Michigan State University | 25800 | 28900 | 0.1089 | 41,234 | 1279 | 0.848 | |
| 49 | The University of Findlay | 26100 | 50600 | 0.4838 | 4,062 | 1124 | 0.8337 | |
| 50 | Dordt University | 26200 | 52500 | 0.5007 | 1,716 | 1205 | 0.6847 | |
| 51 | Tuskegee University | 26300 | 42100 | 0.3757 | 2,659 | 1090 | 0.4868 | |
| 52 | University of Minnesota-Crookston | 26700 | 29500 | 0.0968 | 2,612 | 1095 | 0.8786 | |
| 53 | University of Arkansas | 26800 | 28900 | 0.0729 | 28,859 | 1179 | 0.743 | |
| 54 | Kansas State University | 27000 | 31400 | 0.141 | 15,650 | 1164 | 0.8169 | |
| 55 | University of Arizona | 27100 | 38100 | 0.2888 | 44,848 | 1233 | 0.8614 | |
| 56 | Fort Valley State University | 27300 | 45200 | 0.3959 | 2,699 | 1025 | 0.6587 | |
| 57 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 27800 | 31100 | 0.1064 | 19,701 | 1214 | 0.8749 | |
| 58 | Alabama A & M University | 28200 | 37700 | 0.2512 | 6,370 | 915 | 0.5795 | |
| 58 | Mississippi State University | 28200 | 32300 | 0.1269 | 18,567 | 1214 | 0.7764 | |
| 60 | Oregon State University | 28900 | 36700 | 0.214 | 31,253 | 1272 | 0.773 | |
| 61 | Clemson University | 29200 | 37100 | 0.2129 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 | |
| 62 | East Texas A&M University | 29500 | 36500 | 0.1917 | 9,992 | 1045 | 0.9224 | |
| 62 | Huntington University | 29500 | 44300 | 0.3339 | 1,588 | 1055 | 0.7564 | |
| 64 | University of Hawaii at Manoa | 30000 | 42200 | 0.2889 | 15,375 | 1103 | 0.866 | |
| 65 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus | 30400 | 39200 | 0.2248 | 12,507 | 1010 | 0.8897 | |
| 66 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 31500 | 41200 | 0.2357 | 25,255 | 1134 | 0.7517 | |
| 66 | North Carolina A & T State University | 31500 | 36700 | 0.1416 | 12,497 | 1075 | 0.499 | |
| 68 | Angelo State University | 31800 | 35400 | 0.1019 | 9,702 | 1055 | 0.8301 | |
| 69 | Centenary University | 32200 | 63600 | 0.4936 | 936 | 1070 | 0.8308 | |
| 70 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 32300 | 36700 | 0.1202 | 41,303 | 1338 | 0.7975 | |
| 71 | SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill | 32400 | 42700 | 0.241 | 1,988 | 1080 | 0.8402 | |
| 72 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 32500 | 35100 | 0.0742 | 30,564 | 1302 | 0.416 | |
| 73 | University of Rhode Island | 32900 | 46400 | 0.2907 | 14,376 | 1148 | 0.7216 | |
| 74 | University of Vermont | 34600 | 66300 | 0.4785 | 12,276 | 1379 | 0.653 | |
| 75 | Andrews University | 35000 | 70100 | 0.5008 | 1,384 | 1143 | 0.8185 | |
| 76 | Texas Tech University | 35600 | 38900 | 0.0848 | 32,580 | 1200 | 0.7265 | |
| 77 | Tennessee Technological University | 36400 | 38500 | 0.0546 | 9,187 | 1163 | 0.7613 | |
| 78 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville | 36500 | 41600 | 0.1226 | 5,386 | 1050 | 0.9092 | |
| 79 | California State University-Fresno | 36900 | 43800 | 0.1578 | 21,954 | 995 | 0.9526 | |
| 80 | University of Connecticut | 37300 | 53600 | 0.3043 | 20,056 | 1329 | 0.5239 | |
| 81 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 66300 | 0.436 | 31,035 | 1366 | 0.5478 | |
| 82 | Delaware Valley University | 39200 | 66900 | 0.4141 | 1,768 | 1208 | 0.9321 | |
| 83 | University of Maine | 39900 | 45200 | 0.1173 | 9,601 | 1205 | 0.9664 | |
| 84 | University of Wyoming | 40200 | 45300 | 0.1127 | 8,130 | 1179 | 0.9688 | |
| 85 | Middle Tennessee State University | 41400 | 46000 | 0.0999 | 18,042 | 1140 | 0.6909 | |
| 86 | University of Mount Olive | 42300 | 50400 | 0.1608 | 1,944 | 1075 | 0.7575 | |
| 87 | University of Delaware | 48400 | 61300 | 0.211 | 20,026 | 1294 | 0.706 | |
| 88 | University of Georgia | 48800 | 51600 | 0.0542 | 32,399 | 1382 | 0.377 | |
| 89 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 53100 | 61200 | 0.1324 | 26,221 | 1204 | 0.8854 | |
| 90 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 53800 | 62800 | 0.1433 | 23,920 | 1397 | 0.5973 | |
| 91 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 58200 | 64100 | 0.092 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 92 | Auburn University | 58500 | 58500 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4592 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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