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 | United States Coast Guard Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,081 | 1283 | 0.2432 | |
| 1 | United States Naval Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4,465 | 1314 | 0.0936 | |
| 3 | Rice University | 4300 | 85500 | 0.9496 | 4,789 | 1535 | 0.08 | |
| 4 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 4700 | 86800 | 0.9456 | 4,576 | 1535 | 0.0485 | |
| 5 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 5000 | 39100 | 0.8731 | 34,454 | 1435 | 0.1564 | |
| 6 | Princeton University | 5400 | 81800 | 0.9338 | 5,813 | 1535 | 0.0462 | |
| 7 | Yale University | 5500 | 92300 | 0.9403 | 6,814 | 1507 | 0.0387 | |
| 8 | University of Pennsylvania | 5700 | 93000 | 0.9389 | 10,013 | 1528 | 0.054 | |
| 9 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 6500 | 94100 | 0.9312 | 9,157 | 1535 | 0.0386 | |
| 10 | Wellesley College | 7000 | 90900 | 0.9233 | 2,407 | 1500 | 0.1405 | |
| 11 | Brown University | 8400 | 93900 | 0.9103 | 7,910 | 1535 | 0.0539 | |
| 12 | Middlebury College | 8500 | 89800 | 0.9052 | 2,760 | 1499 | 0.1075 | |
| 13 | Washington University in St Louis | 9200 | 96200 | 0.904 | 8,220 | 1513 | 0.1206 | |
| 14 | Mount Holyoke College | 9300 | 89700 | 0.8968 | 2,178 | 1449 | 0.3603 | |
| 15 | University of Notre Dame | 10000 | 86100 | 0.8838 | 8,880 | 1499 | 0.1127 | |
| 16 | United States Merchant Marine Academy | 10200 | 10200 | 0 | 947 | 1239 | 0.3247 | |
| 17 | Cornell University | 10300 | 92000 | 0.8877 | 16,128 | 1521 | 0.0841 | |
| 18 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | 12200 | 26200 | 0.5342 | 21,947 | 1335 | 0.3122 | |
| 19 | Lehigh University | 12300 | 85700 | 0.857 | 5,911 | 1436 | 0.2593 | |
| 19 | Northern Illinois University | 12300 | 29000 | 0.5744 | 11,349 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 21 | University of Central Florida | 12400 | 23600 | 0.4746 | 59,649 | 1280 | 0.4471 | |
| 21 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 12400 | 27200 | 0.5443 | 39,083 | 1412 | 0.4517 | |
| 23 | Massachusetts Maritime Academy | 12500 | 21000 | 0.4049 | 1,407 | 1120 | 0.7207 | |
| 24 | Florida Atlantic University | 12600 | 24800 | 0.491 | 24,942 | 1130 | 0.6613 | |
| 25 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | 12800 | 24400 | 0.4759 | 31,127 | 1115 | 0.8679 | |
| 26 | Utah State University | 13000 | 30000 | 0.5659 | 25,920 | 1176 | 0.9247 | |
| 27 | The University of Texas at Austin | 13100 | 30700 | 0.573 | 43,165 | 1335 | 0.2664 | |
| 28 | Carnegie Mellon University | 13600 | 87300 | 0.844 | 7,824 | 1528 | 0.1166 | |
| 28 | Indiana State University | 13600 | 25900 | 0.4757 | 6,224 | 1140 | 0.8077 | |
| 28 | University of North Alabama | 13600 | 28200 | 0.518 | 8,078 | 1124 | 0.7054 | |
| 31 | Louisiana Tech University | 13800 | 24900 | 0.4451 | 11,071 | 1164 | 0.9073 | |
| 32 | Texas Tech University | 14000 | 27000 | 0.4813 | 32,580 | 1200 | 0.7265 | |
| 33 | University of Houston | 14200 | 23600 | 0.3988 | 39,257 | 1249 | 0.7392 | |
| 34 | University of Idaho | 14300 | 26400 | 0.458 | 9,574 | 1119 | 0.7553 | |
| 35 | Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville | 14500 | 41100 | 0.6478 | 8,975 | 1045 | 0.9721 | |
| 36 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 15400 | 28100 | 0.452 | 8,553 | 1054 | 0.8688 | |
| 37 | Northeastern University | 16100 | 89900 | 0.8213 | 22,695 | 1490 | 0.0522 | |
| 38 | North Carolina State University | 16500 | 28500 | 0.4223 | 28,422 | 1335 | 0.4167 | |
| 39 | University of Southern California | 16600 | 76000 | 0.7815 | 21,023 | 1485 | 0.1002 | |
| 40 | Tufts University | 16900 | 92400 | 0.8175 | 7,126 | 1507 | 0.1153 | |
| 41 | Bennington College | 17100 | 89500 | 0.8085 | 797 | 1360 | 0.4453 | |
| 42 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 17200 | 26300 | 0.3466 | 19,701 | 1214 | 0.8749 | |
| 43 | California State University-Sacramento | 17400 | 27200 | 0.3601 | 28,226 | 1015 | 0.9343 | |
| 44 | Barnard College | 17600 | 93200 | 0.8112 | 3,269 | 1490 | 0.0796 | |
| 45 | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | 17700 | 17700 | 0 | 18,428 | 1090 | 0.9529 | |
| 46 | University of Arkansas | 17800 | 27700 | 0.3574 | 28,859 | 1179 | 0.7431 | |
| 47 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 17900 | 28100 | 0.3632 | 20,592 | 1435 | 0.1407 | |
| 47 | Morgan State University | 17900 | 19700 | 0.0915 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 49 | Prairie View A & M University | 18200 | 25400 | 0.2835 | 8,056 | 955 | 0.7441 | |
| 50 | University of New Orleans | 18300 | 29500 | 0.3797 | 5,476 | 1125 | 0.6677 | |
| 50 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | 18300 | 78300 | 0.7664 | 17,901 | 1470 | 0.1681 | |
| 52 | University of Memphis | 19100 | 26400 | 0.277 | 15,770 | 1075 | 0.7203 | |
| 53 | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry | 19700 | 40000 | 0.5074 | 1,984 | 1369 | 0.6328 | |
| 54 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 19800 | 31000 | 0.3619 | 60,710 | 1278 | 0.5732 | |
| 54 | University of Southern Mississippi | 19800 | 26300 | 0.2468 | 10,193 | 1181 | 0.9912 | |
| 56 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 20100 | 38800 | 0.4817 | 36,588 | 1367 | 0.6535 | |
| 56 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 20100 | 43700 | 0.5405 | 31,035 | 1366 | 0.5499 | |
| 58 | University of Hawaii at Manoa | 20200 | 36700 | 0.4491 | 14,576 | 1179 | 0.6967 | |
| 59 | North Dakota State University | 20900 | 25700 | 0.1868 | 9,762 | 1110 | 0.9496 | |
| 59 | University of Maryland-College Park | 20900 | 27100 | 0.2289 | 31,133 | 1456 | 0.448 | |
| 61 | Webb Institute | 21500 | 73700 | 0.7085 | 106 | 1475 | 0.1404 | |
| 62 | South Dakota State University | 22000 | 25200 | 0.1271 | 10,728 | 1120 | 0.9834 | |
| 63 | Hobart William Smith Colleges | 22200 | 81100 | 0.726 | 1,794 | 1313 | 0.6399 | |
| 64 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 23000 | 27500 | 0.1618 | 17,771 | 1044 | 0.7933 | |
| 65 | Syracuse University | 23500 | 83100 | 0.7172 | 15,958 | 1363 | 0.4611 | |
| 66 | University of Kentucky | 23800 | 36000 | 0.3383 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 67 | Tulane University of Louisiana | 24100 | 83600 | 0.712 | 7,283 | 1451 | 0.1398 | |
| 67 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 24100 | 37100 | 0.3508 | 23,920 | 1390 | 0.5973 | |
| 69 | Judson University | 24200 | 49100 | 0.5076 | 793 | 1049 | 0.624 | |
| 70 | La Roche University | 24300 | 55400 | 0.5616 | 1,986 | 1150 | 0.7761 | |
| 71 | Miami University-Oxford | 24600 | 27200 | 0.0954 | 16,816 | 1299 | 0.754 | |
| 72 | Temple University | 24900 | 36300 | 0.3143 | 21,428 | 1245 | 0.8045 | |
| 73 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 25000 | 36600 | 0.3173 | 65,450 | 1203 | 0.8989 | |
| 74 | California State University-Fresno | 25300 | 35900 | 0.2951 | 21,430 | 995 | 0.9638 | |
| 75 | Ball State University | 25400 | 25900 | 0.0193 | 15,189 | 1170 | 0.855 | |
| 76 | University of Kansas | 25600 | 37600 | 0.3189 | 22,085 | 1176 | 0.9348 | |
| 77 | Bowling Green State University-Main Campus | 25800 | 36500 | 0.2928 | 14,783 | 1124 | 0.8096 | |
| 77 | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | 25800 | 35600 | 0.2757 | 3,525 | 1070 | 0.8175 | |
| 79 | Mount Mary University | 26000 | 57200 | 0.5455 | 749 | 1005 | 0.6634 | |
| 80 | University of Nevada-Las Vegas | 26200 | 31800 | 0.1762 | 27,082 | 1099 | 0.8459 | |
| 81 | Norwich University | 26300 | 70900 | 0.6293 | 2,642 | 1209 | 0.7361 | |
| 82 | Marywood University | 26600 | 55500 | 0.521 | 1,834 | 1160 | 0.6058 | |
| 83 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 27300 | 40300 | 0.3224 | 20,418 | 1375 | 0.5808 | |
| 84 | Mississippi State University | 28100 | 32300 | 0.13 | 18,567 | 1214 | 0.7764 | |
| 85 | Drury University | 28200 | 52900 | 0.4668 | 1,391 | 1228 | 0.5758 | |
| 86 | Connecticut College | 28400 | 83300 | 0.6595 | 1,990 | 1287 | 0.3704 | |
| 87 | Kent State University at Kent | 30000 | 37500 | 0.2 | 20,841 | 1105 | 0.8634 | |
| 88 | Keene State College | 30200 | 40700 | 0.2593 | 2,744 | 1020 | 0.9033 | |
| 88 | Maine Maritime Academy | 30200 | 33400 | 0.0959 | 945 | 1180 | 0.5606 | |
| 90 | University of Maine at Augusta | 30800 | 38900 | 0.2085 | 4,250 | 0 | 0.0683 | |
| 91 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 31200 | 41100 | 0.2411 | 25,255 | 1134 | 0.737 | |
| 92 | Portland State University | 31300 | 43000 | 0.2722 | 15,960 | 1176 | 0.9091 | |
| 92 | University of Rhode Island | 31300 | 46700 | 0.3298 | 14,376 | 1148 | 0.7216 | |
| 94 | Thomas Jefferson University | 31500 | 67700 | 0.5346 | 3,772 | 1255 | 0.8098 | |
| 95 | North Carolina A & T State University | 31800 | 36400 | 0.1262 | 12,216 | 1020 | 0.4617 | |
| 96 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 32300 | 34700 | 0.0691 | 30,564 | 1298 | 0.416 | |
| 97 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | 32600 | 38500 | 0.1533 | 7,890 | 1105 | 0.2056 | |
| 97 | Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design | 32600 | 57100 | 0.4278 | 885 | 0 | 0.628 | |
| 99 | Anderson University | 33600 | 52400 | 0.3588 | 3,405 | 1209 | 0.5471 | |
| 99 | Ithaca College | 33600 | 72500 | 0.5365 | 4,268 | 1314 | 0.6901 | |
| 101 | Chatham University | 35000 | 63300 | 0.4474 | 1,555 | 1197 | 0.6196 | |
| 102 | Delaware Valley University | 35300 | 63800 | 0.4466 | 1,768 | 1180 | 0.9326 | |
| 103 | The University of Texas at Arlington | 35700 | 42400 | 0.158 | 31,112 | 1130 | 0.8129 | |
| 103 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette | 35700 | 43500 | 0.1794 | 13,179 | 1110 | 0.8883 | |
| 105 | Andrews University | 36400 | 47100 | 0.227 | 1,312 | 1208 | 0.874 | |
| 106 | Lawrence Technological University | 36800 | 67800 | 0.457 | 2,579 | 1155 | 0.7403 | |
| 107 | University of Connecticut | 37600 | 41800 | 0.1005 | 19,388 | 1324 | 0.5395 | |
| 108 | Benedictine College | 37700 | 50800 | 0.258 | 2,391 | 1229 | 0.7645 | |
| 109 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | 38600 | 44600 | 0.1345 | 22,351 | 1159 | 0.7504 | |
| 110 | University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth | 39000 | 48900 | 0.2024 | 5,731 | 1174 | 0.9064 | |
| 111 | University of Illinois Chicago | 39200 | 48000 | 0.1832 | 22,495 | 1252 | 0.7735 | |
| 112 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | 39400 | 39400 | 0 | 24,868 | 1214 | 0.796 | |
| 113 | Stony Brook University | 39800 | 53000 | 0.2491 | 18,263 | 1395 | 0.4904 | |
| 114 | SUNY Maritime College | 40000 | 40900 | 0.022 | 1,286 | 1215 | 0.7242 | |
| 115 | University of Georgia | 40300 | 46000 | 0.1242 | 31,514 | 1336 | 0.3719 | |
| 115 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 40300 | 56700 | 0.2893 | 40,754 | 1391 | 0.3915 | |
| 117 | University of California-Los Angeles | 40400 | 68600 | 0.4116 | 33,471 | 1399 | 0.0897 | |
| 118 | Endicott College | 40800 | 63200 | 0.3544 | 3,176 | 1215 | 0.7229 | |
| 119 | Concordia University-Wisconsin | 41300 | 53900 | 0.2337 | 2,401 | 1209 | 0.7819 | |
| 120 | Kean University | 42400 | 48300 | 0.1222 | 11,758 | 1035 | 0.7688 | |
| 121 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 42600 | 55100 | 0.227 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 121 | University at Buffalo | 42600 | 46800 | 0.0897 | 20,360 | 1303 | 0.7418 | |
| 123 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 43000 | 46200 | 0.0693 | 44,170 | 1327 | 0.4979 | |
| 124 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 43500 | 50300 | 0.1352 | 34,242 | 1273 | 0.7333 | |
| 124 | University of Florida | 43500 | 45600 | 0.046 | 36,567 | 1399 | 0.242 | |
| 126 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 43800 | 57100 | 0.2315 | 23,351 | 1239 | 0.766 | |
| 127 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 47200 | 85700 | 0.449 | 5,743 | 1438 | 0.6343 | |
| 127 | University of Delaware | 47200 | 53200 | 0.1127 | 19,119 | 1303 | 0.6356 | |
| 129 | Woodbury University | 50600 | 68700 | 0.2636 | 825 | 1087 | 0.7287 | |
| 130 | Drexel University | 51100 | 82600 | 0.3812 | 13,169 | 1339 | 0.7944 | |
| 131 | University of Colorado Boulder | 51300 | 56300 | 0.0887 | 32,100 | 1290 | 0.8115 | |
| 132 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 51700 | 51700 | 0 | 33,572 | 1264 | 0.8529 | |
| 133 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 53200 | 61000 | 0.1279 | 41,303 | 1338 | 0.7975 | |
| 134 | Howard University | 53500 | 61600 | 0.1315 | 11,519 | 1208 | 0.4134 | |
| 134 | University of San Francisco | 53500 | 83200 | 0.3568 | 5,321 | 1292 | 0.6171 | |
| 136 | Auburn University | 55400 | 55400 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 137 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 56700 | 58900 | 0.0374 | 26,500 | 1183 | 0.8857 | |
| 138 | Otis College of Art and Design | 58300 | 79000 | 0.2622 | 1,224 | 1055 | 0.8176 | |
| 139 | Maryland Institute College of Art | 60700 | 71200 | 0.1476 | 1,324 | 1196 | 0.7729 | |
| 140 | Indiana University-Bloomington | 60800 | 63000 | 0.035 | 38,093 | 1302 | 0.7821 | |
| 141 | Clemson University | 61400 | 63700 | 0.0346 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 | |
| 142 | University of Oregon | 66700 | 68900 | 0.032 | 20,622 | 1250 | 0.883 | |
| 143 | University of California-Berkeley | 74600 | 75500 | 0.0119 | 33,469 | 1407 | 0.1104 | |
| 144 | The Catholic University of America | 82500 | 82500 | 0 | 3,177 | 1204 | 0.8278 |
School data is from 2022–2023 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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