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 | 34300 | 0.8079 | 1,500 | 1130 | 0.1097 | |
| 2 | Morehead State University | 8200 | 26300 | 0.6877 | 7,941 | 1080 | 0.8328 | |
| 3 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 10200 | 41300 | 0.7533 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 4 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | 10700 | 25900 | 0.5874 | 22,313 | 1341 | 0.2996 | |
| 5 | Eastern Kentucky University | 10800 | 28000 | 0.6137 | 13,448 | 1075 | 0.9683 | |
| 6 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 11100 | 28100 | 0.6048 | 8,421 | 1054 | 0.9444 | |
| 7 | California State University-Fresno | 11300 | 44000 | 0.7434 | 21,954 | 995 | 0.9526 | |
| 8 | University of Wisconsin-River Falls | 11500 | 20500 | 0.4381 | 5,063 | 1069 | 0.8756 | |
| 9 | Cornell University | 11600 | 93700 | 0.8761 | 16,138 | 1528 | 0.0838 | |
| 10 | Fort Valley State University | 12300 | 54800 | 0.7754 | 2,699 | 1025 | 0.6587 | |
| 10 | Louisiana Tech University | 12300 | 42900 | 0.7132 | 11,071 | 1189 | 0.9073 | |
| 12 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 12600 | 12600 | 0 | 25,312 | 1134 | 0.7395 | |
| 13 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus | 12900 | 62800 | 0.7944 | 13,039 | 1020 | 0.894 | |
| 13 | Sul Ross State University | 12900 | 27100 | 0.5246 | 1,890 | 1020 | 0.9871 | |
| 15 | North Carolina A & T State University | 13000 | 17900 | 0.2745 | 12,497 | 1075 | 0.5125 | |
| 16 | University of Georgia | 13500 | 27200 | 0.503 | 32,824 | 1348 | 0.3425 | |
| 17 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 13700 | 61700 | 0.7781 | 39,193 | 1418 | 0.4081 | |
| 18 | University of Wisconsin-Platteville | 14600 | 23900 | 0.389 | 6,045 | 1193 | 0.8938 | |
| 19 | West Virginia University | 14700 | 73100 | 0.7986 | 18,206 | 1120 | 0.8514 | |
| 20 | Murray State University | 14800 | 27000 | 0.4534 | 8,217 | 1124 | 0.8413 | |
| 21 | University of Hawaii at Manoa | 14900 | 56900 | 0.7381 | 15,735 | 1069 | 0.8797 | |
| 22 | University of Maine | 15100 | 29300 | 0.4849 | 9,182 | 1195 | 0.9562 | |
| 23 | Oklahoma Panhandle State University | 15200 | 17400 | 0.1261 | 1,021 | 985 | 1 | |
| 24 | California State University-Chico | 15400 | 23500 | 0.3443 | 13,599 | 1054 | 0.9107 | |
| 24 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville | 15400 | 25800 | 0.4033 | 5,386 | 995 | 0.9092 | |
| 26 | Northwest Missouri State University | 15600 | 29800 | 0.4782 | 5,241 | 1095 | 0.8613 | |
| 27 | North Carolina State University | 16300 | 28500 | 0.4289 | 29,340 | 1374 | 0.3954 | |
| 28 | Middle Tennessee State University | 17200 | 29000 | 0.4071 | 18,042 | 1140 | 0.6909 | |
| 29 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 17400 | 29900 | 0.4174 | 60,710 | 1278 | 0.5732 | |
| 30 | University of Kentucky | 17500 | 37300 | 0.5317 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 31 | Angelo State University | 18200 | 23100 | 0.2117 | 10,103 | 1045 | 0.7981 | |
| 31 | Texas State University | 18200 | 26100 | 0.3026 | 39,353 | 1080 | 0.9118 | |
| 31 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 18200 | 31100 | 0.4151 | 19,787 | 1197 | 0.8807 | |
| 34 | University of Rhode Island | 18500 | 33900 | 0.4544 | 14,466 | 1197 | 0.7456 | |
| 35 | Unity Environmental University | 19400 | 48200 | 0.597 | 6,525 | 0 | 0.818 | |
| 36 | Alabama A & M University | 19900 | 51200 | 0.6118 | 6,370 | 915 | 0.5795 | |
| 37 | Sam Houston State University | 20000 | 30300 | 0.3396 | 17,822 | 1035 | 0.9372 | |
| 37 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 20000 | 45100 | 0.5568 | 31,536 | 1366 | 0.5457 | |
| 39 | Texas A&M University-Commerce | 20200 | 39000 | 0.4822 | 9,666 | 1040 | 0.7498 | |
| 39 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 20200 | 38500 | 0.4738 | 25,141 | 1256 | 0.7613 | |
| 41 | South Dakota State University | 20300 | 25200 | 0.1941 | 10,883 | 1115 | 0.9618 | |
| 42 | SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill | 20500 | 57000 | 0.6399 | 1,894 | 1055 | 0.8401 | |
| 43 | West Texas A & M University | 20700 | 29200 | 0.2909 | 7,110 | 1060 | 0.6681 | |
| 44 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 21800 | 37300 | 0.4156 | 26,490 | 1183 | 0.8863 | |
| 45 | Buena Vista University | 22300 | 59100 | 0.6225 | 836 | 1075 | 0.6497 | |
| 46 | Montana State University | 24400 | 24400 | 0 | 15,142 | 1184 | 0.9938 | |
| 47 | Abilene Christian University | 24600 | 55000 | 0.553 | 5,101 | 1149 | 0.6615 | |
| 48 | Wilson College | 24700 | 44400 | 0.4433 | 1,379 | 1055 | 0.9211 | |
| 49 | The University of Findlay | 24800 | 50600 | 0.5095 | 4,132 | 1090 | 0.6748 | |
| 50 | Michigan State University | 25800 | 28900 | 0.1089 | 41,415 | 1212 | 0.8324 | |
| 51 | Dordt University | 26000 | 52500 | 0.5045 | 1,716 | 1205 | 0.6847 | |
| 52 | University of Minnesota-Crookston | 26400 | 29500 | 0.1066 | 2,873 | 1095 | 0.8747 | |
| 53 | Missouri State University-Springfield | 26600 | 27900 | 0.0465 | 21,138 | 1134 | 0.9039 | |
| 54 | University of Arkansas | 26700 | 44500 | 0.3996 | 29,252 | 1179 | 0.7388 | |
| 55 | North Dakota State University | 27600 | 30400 | 0.092 | 9,762 | 1110 | 0.9496 | |
| 56 | Iowa State University | 28800 | 45200 | 0.3626 | 26,346 | 1212 | 0.8793 | |
| 57 | Huntington University | 29200 | 44400 | 0.342 | 1,512 | 1065 | 0.7518 | |
| 58 | Centenary University | 31600 | 63000 | 0.4983 | 936 | 1070 | 0.8308 | |
| 59 | Tuskegee University | 31700 | 45600 | 0.3049 | 2,660 | 1090 | 0.4868 | |
| 60 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 32000 | 54400 | 0.4117 | 35,248 | 1289 | 0.6939 | |
| 61 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | 32400 | 38400 | 0.1562 | 23,003 | 1164 | 0.7367 | |
| 62 | Tarleton State University | 33300 | 33300 | 0 | 17,556 | 1090 | 0.5386 | |
| 63 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 33500 | 38200 | 0.1228 | 42,565 | 1339 | 0.7887 | |
| 64 | University of Idaho | 33800 | 48700 | 0.3062 | 9,656 | 1104 | 0.7476 | |
| 65 | University of Vermont | 34400 | 66300 | 0.4808 | 12,159 | 1372 | 0.7304 | |
| 66 | Delaware Valley University | 34700 | 67200 | 0.4834 | 1,680 | 1189 | 0.9268 | |
| 67 | Texas Tech University | 35900 | 42100 | 0.1471 | 34,021 | 1195 | 0.6906 | |
| 68 | Tennessee Technological University | 36100 | 38500 | 0.0622 | 9,187 | 1163 | 0.7613 | |
| 69 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 36200 | 54400 | 0.3346 | 32,041 | 1324 | 0.4358 | |
| 70 | University of Connecticut | 37000 | 66200 | 0.4414 | 20,056 | 1329 | 0.5239 | |
| 71 | Andrews University | 37200 | 76700 | 0.5148 | 1,384 | 1143 | 0.8185 | |
| 72 | Washington State University | 37700 | 53600 | 0.2967 | 21,400 | 1131 | 0.861 | |
| 73 | University of Illinois Chicago | 38300 | 51400 | 0.2551 | 24,260 | 1174 | 0.7576 | |
| 74 | Lubbock Christian University | 38400 | 49400 | 0.2227 | 1,383 | 1074 | 0.7473 | |
| 75 | Mississippi State University | 39000 | 53400 | 0.2695 | 19,093 | 1205 | 0.8363 | |
| 76 | University of Wyoming | 39900 | 45300 | 0.1191 | 8,138 | 1163 | 0.9695 | |
| 77 | Kansas State University | 40900 | 41900 | 0.0238 | 16,555 | 1163 | 0.875 | |
| 78 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | 42500 | 63300 | 0.3285 | 10,900 | 1222 | 0.8914 | |
| 79 | University of Maryland-College Park | 42900 | 58600 | 0.2679 | 31,875 | 1456 | 0.4503 | |
| 80 | University of Florida | 43100 | 45700 | 0.0569 | 37,283 | 1406 | 0.2033 | |
| 81 | Arkansas State University | 43200 | 44600 | 0.0314 | 11,189 | 1080 | 0.7818 | |
| 82 | Oregon State University | 44800 | 61900 | 0.2758 | 31,253 | 1272 | 0.773 | |
| 83 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 47100 | 61500 | 0.234 | 37,985 | 1390 | 0.5815 | |
| 84 | University of Delaware | 47700 | 62500 | 0.2377 | 19,287 | 1302 | 0.6924 | |
| 85 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48300 | 51200 | 0.0565 | 43,633 | 1342 | 0.4343 | |
| 86 | University of Arizona | 48600 | 48600 | 0 | 43,294 | 1186 | 0.8351 | |
| 87 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 49900 | 64700 | 0.2288 | 46,627 | 1366 | 0.492 | |
| 88 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 53500 | 63400 | 0.1562 | 24,019 | 1404 | 0.5989 | |
| 89 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 54900 | 68800 | 0.2022 | 38,572 | 1455 | 0.3659 | |
| 90 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 58300 | 63700 | 0.0848 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 91 | Auburn University | 59200 | 59200 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 92 | Clemson University | 61300 | 63700 | 0.0376 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 | |
| 93 | University of California-Davis | 68300 | 69900 | 0.0229 | 31,695 | 1290 | 0.4435 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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