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 | 7900 | 32800 | 0.7584 | 1,454 | 1135 | 0.1199 | |
| 2 | University of California-Davis | 10100 | 37800 | 0.732 | 32,273 | 1290 | 0.4183 | |
| 3 | Cornell University | 10300 | 92000 | 0.8877 | 16,128 | 1521 | 0.0841 | |
| 3 | University of Wisconsin-River Falls | 10300 | 24000 | 0.5725 | 4,721 | 1110 | 0.7782 | |
| 5 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 11300 | 34400 | 0.6706 | 37,140 | 1442 | 0.4237 | |
| 6 | Northern Illinois University | 12300 | 29000 | 0.5744 | 11,349 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 7 | Texas A&M University-Commerce | 12600 | 24000 | 0.4749 | 9,666 | 1040 | 0.7498 | |
| 8 | Utah State University | 13000 | 30000 | 0.5659 | 25,920 | 1176 | 0.9247 | |
| 9 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 13700 | 32200 | 0.5744 | 39,083 | 1412 | 0.4517 | |
| 10 | Fort Valley State University | 13800 | 20300 | 0.3208 | 2,558 | 940 | 0.628 | |
| 10 | Louisiana Tech University | 13800 | 24900 | 0.4451 | 11,071 | 1164 | 0.9073 | |
| 12 | Texas Tech University | 14000 | 27000 | 0.4813 | 32,580 | 1200 | 0.7265 | |
| 13 | University of Wisconsin-Platteville | 14200 | 27800 | 0.4903 | 6,270 | 1140 | 0.8726 | |
| 13 | West Virginia University | 14200 | 23300 | 0.3905 | 18,614 | 1125 | 0.778 | |
| 15 | Oklahoma Panhandle State University | 14300 | 17500 | 0.1829 | 1,071 | 985 | 0.9707 | |
| 15 | University of Idaho | 14300 | 26400 | 0.458 | 9,574 | 1119 | 0.7553 | |
| 17 | Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville | 14500 | 41100 | 0.6478 | 8,975 | 1045 | 0.9721 | |
| 18 | Northwest Missouri State University | 14600 | 27900 | 0.476 | 5,241 | 1075 | 0.8613 | |
| 19 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 15200 | 35700 | 0.5744 | 26,500 | 1183 | 0.8857 | |
| 20 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 15400 | 28100 | 0.452 | 8,553 | 1054 | 0.8688 | |
| 21 | Stephen F Austin State University | 15500 | 22600 | 0.3137 | 9,129 | 1060 | 0.7445 | |
| 22 | University of Florida | 15900 | 22300 | 0.2871 | 36,567 | 1399 | 0.242 | |
| 23 | North Carolina State University | 16500 | 28500 | 0.4223 | 28,422 | 1335 | 0.4167 | |
| 24 | Arkansas State University | 17000 | 28100 | 0.3952 | 9,985 | 1075 | 0.7959 | |
| 25 | Angelo State University | 18400 | 23100 | 0.2035 | 9,779 | 1055 | 0.8301 | |
| 26 | Texas State University | 18900 | 28900 | 0.3455 | 36,268 | 1100 | 0.8908 | |
| 27 | Kansas State University | 19000 | 31400 | 0.3953 | 15,650 | 1164 | 0.8199 | |
| 28 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 19800 | 31000 | 0.3619 | 60,710 | 1278 | 0.5732 | |
| 29 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 20100 | 36200 | 0.445 | 36,588 | 1367 | 0.6535 | |
| 30 | University of Hawaii at Manoa | 20200 | 36700 | 0.4491 | 14,576 | 1179 | 0.6967 | |
| 31 | South Dakota State University | 20500 | 25200 | 0.1866 | 10,728 | 1120 | 0.9834 | |
| 32 | Buena Vista University | 22400 | 59100 | 0.6203 | 810 | 1124 | 0.7761 | |
| 33 | Murray State University | 22900 | 27600 | 0.1707 | 8,281 | 1124 | 0.8568 | |
| 34 | Sul Ross State University | 23000 | 37300 | 0.3835 | 1,441 | 1000 | 0.9562 | |
| 35 | Missouri State University-Springfield | 23500 | 25700 | 0.0856 | 20,584 | 1134 | 0.9053 | |
| 36 | University of Kentucky | 23800 | 36000 | 0.3383 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 37 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 24100 | 37100 | 0.3508 | 23,920 | 1390 | 0.5973 | |
| 38 | Unity Environmental University | 24300 | 27700 | 0.1226 | 5,655 | 0 | 0.818 | |
| 39 | Wilson College | 24800 | 44400 | 0.4412 | 1,180 | 1040 | 0.9532 | |
| 40 | Montana State University | 24900 | 31400 | 0.207 | 15,053 | 1184 | 0.8214 | |
| 41 | Tuskegee University | 25000 | 42100 | 0.4066 | 2,400 | 1030 | 0.3143 | |
| 42 | Dordt University | 25200 | 52300 | 0.518 | 1,695 | 1195 | 0.7116 | |
| 43 | California State University-Fresno | 25300 | 35900 | 0.2951 | 21,430 | 995 | 0.9638 | |
| 44 | University of Minnesota-Crookston | 25600 | 28600 | 0.1034 | 2,510 | 1095 | 0.8781 | |
| 45 | The University of Findlay | 25800 | 50200 | 0.4863 | 3,954 | 1124 | 0.8615 | |
| 46 | Iowa State University | 26100 | 42800 | 0.3894 | 25,628 | 1207 | 0.8866 | |
| 47 | University of Arizona | 26500 | 35200 | 0.247 | 45,025 | 1212 | 0.8614 | |
| 48 | University of Arkansas | 26800 | 30800 | 0.1302 | 28,859 | 1179 | 0.7431 | |
| 49 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 27600 | 41900 | 0.3412 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 50 | North Dakota State University | 27800 | 30400 | 0.0858 | 9,762 | 1110 | 0.9496 | |
| 51 | Alabama A & M University | 28100 | 42800 | 0.3433 | 5,845 | 940 | 0.6622 | |
| 51 | Mississippi State University | 28100 | 32300 | 0.13 | 18,567 | 1214 | 0.7764 | |
| 53 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 28900 | 31100 | 0.071 | 19,701 | 1214 | 0.8749 | |
| 54 | California State University-Chico | 30100 | 41000 | 0.2661 | 13,392 | 1117 | 0.9158 | |
| 55 | Lubbock Christian University | 30200 | 49000 | 0.3835 | 1,322 | 1070 | 0.7589 | |
| 56 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | 30900 | 42400 | 0.2713 | 21,947 | 1335 | 0.3122 | |
| 57 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 31200 | 41100 | 0.2411 | 25,255 | 1134 | 0.737 | |
| 58 | University of Rhode Island | 31300 | 46700 | 0.3298 | 14,376 | 1148 | 0.7216 | |
| 59 | SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill | 31500 | 43200 | 0.2707 | 1,764 | 1055 | 0.8325 | |
| 60 | North Carolina A & T State University | 31800 | 36400 | 0.1262 | 12,216 | 1020 | 0.4617 | |
| 61 | Sam Houston State University | 32100 | 39900 | 0.1955 | 17,787 | 1030 | 0.9026 | |
| 62 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus | 32200 | 39200 | 0.1788 | 12,498 | 1010 | 0.8896 | |
| 63 | Centenary University | 32500 | 63600 | 0.4889 | 951 | 965 | 0.9675 | |
| 64 | Tarleton State University | 33300 | 33300 | 0 | 15,130 | 0 | 0.5256 | |
| 65 | Auburn University | 34400 | 34400 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 66 | University of Vermont | 34500 | 66300 | 0.4793 | 12,276 | 1379 | 0.653 | |
| 67 | Delaware Valley University | 35300 | 63800 | 0.4466 | 1,768 | 1180 | 0.9326 | |
| 68 | Abilene Christian University | 35700 | 60700 | 0.4115 | 3,233 | 1129 | 0.6604 | |
| 69 | University of Maine | 36100 | 45100 | 0.1996 | 591 | 1199 | 0.9684 | |
| 70 | Andrews University | 36400 | 47100 | 0.227 | 1,312 | 1208 | 0.874 | |
| 71 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville | 37400 | 41600 | 0.101 | 5,187 | 1005 | 0.9229 | |
| 71 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 62000 | 0.3968 | 31,035 | 1366 | 0.5499 | |
| 73 | University of Connecticut | 37600 | 41800 | 0.1005 | 19,388 | 1324 | 0.5395 | |
| 74 | Washington State University | 38500 | 53900 | 0.2859 | 14,346 | 1139 | 0.8797 | |
| 75 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | 38600 | 44600 | 0.1345 | 22,351 | 1159 | 0.7504 | |
| 75 | University of Wyoming | 38600 | 43800 | 0.1187 | 8,130 | 1159 | 0.9688 | |
| 77 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 38800 | 52900 | 0.2664 | 30,564 | 1298 | 0.416 | |
| 78 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | 40200 | 40200 | 0 | 11,365 | 1216 | 0.8816 | |
| 79 | University of Georgia | 40300 | 46000 | 0.1242 | 31,514 | 1336 | 0.3719 | |
| 80 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 42500 | 52100 | 0.1843 | 46,815 | 1339 | 0.6057 | |
| 81 | University of Maryland-College Park | 42700 | 52900 | 0.1928 | 31,133 | 1456 | 0.448 | |
| 82 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 43000 | 46200 | 0.0693 | 44,170 | 1327 | 0.4979 | |
| 83 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 43500 | 50300 | 0.1352 | 34,242 | 1273 | 0.7333 | |
| 84 | Oregon State University | 44900 | 61900 | 0.2748 | 31,253 | 1272 | 0.773 | |
| 85 | Middle Tennessee State University | 45800 | 45800 | 0 | 17,668 | 1124 | 0.68 | |
| 86 | Michigan State University | 47200 | 56200 | 0.1601 | 41,234 | 1223 | 0.848 | |
| 86 | University of Delaware | 47200 | 53200 | 0.1127 | 19,119 | 1303 | 0.6356 | |
| 88 | University of Mount Olive | 48200 | 50400 | 0.0438 | 1,937 | 945 | 0.7775 | |
| 89 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 53200 | 61000 | 0.1279 | 41,303 | 1338 | 0.7975 | |
| 90 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 54000 | 59200 | 0.0879 | 24,457 | 1256 | 0.7847 | |
| 91 | Clemson University | 61400 | 63700 | 0.0346 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 |
School data is from 2022–2023 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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