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 | Johns Hopkins University | 2700 | 92000 | 0.9704 | 6,354 | 1554 | 0.0611 | |
| 2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 3900 | 93300 | 0.9581 | 4,561 | 1542 | 0.0456 | |
| 3 | University of Pennsylvania | 4500 | 93100 | 0.9521 | 9,989 | 1535 | 0.0492 | |
| 4 | Harvard University | 5900 | 95600 | 0.9384 | 6,738 | 1500 | 0.0418 | |
| 5 | Northwestern University | 6500 | 90200 | 0.9278 | 9,060 | 1533 | 0.0769 | |
| 6 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 7100 | 41500 | 0.8299 | 38,572 | 1455 | 0.3659 | |
| 7 | Washington University in St Louis | 7600 | 102300 | 0.9256 | 8,153 | 1512 | 0.1192 | |
| 8 | Vanderbilt University | 7800 | 98200 | 0.921 | 7,221 | 1527 | 0.0586 | |
| 9 | California Institute of Technology | 8400 | 94600 | 0.9108 | 971 | 1564 | 0.0379 | |
| 10 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 8900 | 98000 | 0.9095 | 9,164 | 1535 | 0.0386 | |
| 11 | Rice University | 9700 | 92500 | 0.8954 | 4,807 | 1528 | 0.0801 | |
| 12 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 10200 | 41500 | 0.7543 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 12 | University of California-Davis | 10200 | 38600 | 0.7362 | 31,695 | 1290 | 0.4435 | |
| 14 | University of California-Berkeley | 10400 | 44400 | 0.766 | 33,513 | 1407 | 0.1145 | |
| 14 | University of California-Merced | 10400 | 40600 | 0.7442 | 8,234 | 1070 | 0.9704 | |
| 16 | University of Rochester | 10600 | 96300 | 0.8903 | 6,096 | 1448 | 0.4191 | |
| 17 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 11100 | 28100 | 0.6048 | 8,421 | 1054 | 0.9444 | |
| 18 | Marshall University | 11300 | 27800 | 0.593 | 9,960 | 1070 | 0.9663 | |
| 19 | University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus | 11400 | 31400 | 0.637 | 14,249 | 1084 | 0.7761 | |
| 19 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell | 11400 | 35700 | 0.6802 | 12,122 | 1283 | 0.8296 | |
| 21 | Cornell University | 11500 | 93700 | 0.8771 | 16,138 | 1528 | 0.0838 | |
| 22 | University of California-San Diego | 11600 | 41600 | 0.7216 | 35,442 | 1375 | 0.2856 | |
| 23 | University of Illinois Chicago | 12200 | 30200 | 0.5969 | 24,260 | 1174 | 0.7576 | |
| 24 | Louisiana Tech University | 12300 | 42900 | 0.7132 | 11,071 | 1189 | 0.9073 | |
| 25 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 12400 | 31100 | 0.6022 | 39,193 | 1418 | 0.4081 | |
| 25 | Wayne State University | 12400 | 32900 | 0.6228 | 16,390 | 1183 | 0.8359 | |
| 27 | Boston University | 13000 | 93200 | 0.8604 | 18,289 | 1475 | 0.1283 | |
| 27 | University of Arizona | 13000 | 31000 | 0.5803 | 43,294 | 1186 | 0.8351 | |
| 29 | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | 13200 | 27400 | 0.519 | 18,667 | 1090 | 0.9711 | |
| 30 | Northern Illinois University | 13300 | 32100 | 0.5856 | 12,118 | 1070 | 0.7164 | |
| 30 | University of Houston | 13300 | 21800 | 0.3898 | 40,366 | 1224 | 0.7577 | |
| 30 | University of South Florida | 13300 | 22400 | 0.4067 | 39,093 | 1255 | 0.4071 | |
| 33 | University of Delaware | 13500 | 34500 | 0.6079 | 19,287 | 1302 | 0.6924 | |
| 34 | Brown University | 14300 | 94000 | 0.8478 | 7,951 | 1500 | 0.0634 | |
| 34 | University of Memphis | 14300 | 29100 | 0.5088 | 15,538 | 1080 | 0.7878 | |
| 36 | Florida Gulf Coast University | 14400 | 20300 | 0.29 | 14,434 | 1125 | 0.6344 | |
| 37 | Case Western Reserve University | 14600 | 92800 | 0.8423 | 6,657 | 1484 | 0.3778 | |
| 38 | Bucknell University | 14700 | 95700 | 0.8468 | 3,928 | 1275 | 0.322 | |
| 38 | University of California-Riverside | 14700 | 66000 | 0.7777 | 24,034 | 1199 | 0.8609 | |
| 40 | Stanford University | 14900 | 1932000 | 0.9923 | 7,346 | 1542 | 0.038 | |
| 41 | West Virginia University | 15000 | 73100 | 0.7945 | 18,206 | 1120 | 0.8514 | |
| 42 | University of Mississippi | 15200 | 27000 | 0.4369 | 22,939 | 1172 | 0.9738 | |
| 43 | Illinois Institute of Technology | 15600 | 74500 | 0.7908 | 3,190 | 1317 | 0.6187 | |
| 44 | University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire | 15900 | 24700 | 0.3557 | 8,329 | 1209 | 0.385 | |
| 45 | Duke University | 16000 | 98600 | 0.8376 | 6,525 | 1533 | 0.0524 | |
| 46 | Union College | 16500 | 93300 | 0.8231 | 1,954 | 1399 | 0.4342 | |
| 47 | California State University-Long Beach | 16600 | 25800 | 0.3567 | 36,056 | 1135 | 0.4543 | |
| 47 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 16600 | 64800 | 0.7439 | 22,007 | 1427 | 0.1672 | |
| 49 | Wright State University-Main Campus | 17000 | 36500 | 0.5346 | 7,747 | 1073 | 0.9617 | |
| 50 | The University of Texas at Dallas | 17200 | 19400 | 0.1133 | 23,007 | 1281 | 0.6909 | |
| 51 | University of Miami | 17400 | 96300 | 0.8194 | 13,241 | 1408 | 0.1761 | |
| 52 | University of Kentucky | 17500 | 36500 | 0.5208 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 53 | Yale University | 17700 | 278600 | 0.9365 | 6,667 | 1507 | 0.0475 | |
| 54 | University of Arkansas | 17800 | 28500 | 0.3779 | 29,252 | 1179 | 0.7388 | |
| 55 | The University of Texas at Austin | 18000 | 28100 | 0.359 | 44,314 | 1356 | 0.2222 | |
| 56 | San Jose State University | 18200 | 41100 | 0.5567 | 29,890 | 1135 | 0.8039 | |
| 57 | University of Vermont | 18300 | 37800 | 0.5164 | 12,159 | 1372 | 0.7304 | |
| 58 | University of Central Oklahoma | 18500 | 27500 | 0.3275 | 10,777 | 1075 | 0.7812 | |
| 58 | University of Rhode Island | 18500 | 33900 | 0.4544 | 14,466 | 1197 | 0.7456 | |
| 60 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 19200 | 29900 | 0.357 | 60,710 | 1278 | 0.5732 | |
| 61 | Jackson State University | 19400 | 28100 | 0.3091 | 4,967 | 940 | 0.9602 | |
| 61 | Lehigh University | 19400 | 89800 | 0.7841 | 5,986 | 1436 | 0.2896 | |
| 63 | University of Southern California | 20000 | 76400 | 0.7387 | 20,768 | 1499 | 0.1119 | |
| 64 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 20300 | 35200 | 0.4229 | 8,513 | 1160 | 0.9261 | |
| 64 | Rowan University | 20300 | 41300 | 0.5088 | 17,157 | 1204 | 0.7654 | |
| 64 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 20300 | 40600 | 0.5016 | 37,985 | 1390 | 0.5815 | |
| 67 | Syracuse University | 20600 | 83600 | 0.7536 | 16,149 | 1374 | 0.4879 | |
| 68 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 20700 | 30600 | 0.3258 | 43,633 | 1342 | 0.4343 | |
| 69 | University of Maryland-College Park | 20900 | 27100 | 0.2287 | 31,875 | 1456 | 0.4503 | |
| 70 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | 21300 | 27800 | 0.2336 | 31,127 | 1115 | 0.8679 | |
| 70 | Virginia Commonwealth University | 21300 | 33600 | 0.3658 | 21,469 | 1167 | 0.9061 | |
| 72 | Alabama State University | 21500 | 43200 | 0.503 | 3,521 | 945 | 0.9755 | |
| 73 | Indiana Institute of Technology | 21600 | 48800 | 0.5575 | 1,650 | 1055 | 0.7039 | |
| 74 | Grand Canyon University | 21700 | 34000 | 0.3613 | 75,936 | 1075 | 0.7891 | |
| 75 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 21800 | 37300 | 0.4156 | 26,490 | 1183 | 0.8863 | |
| 75 | University of the Pacific | 21800 | 73600 | 0.704 | 3,097 | 1313 | 0.6905 | |
| 77 | Grand Valley State University | 21900 | 36200 | 0.3949 | 19,154 | 1074 | 0.9271 | |
| 77 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | 21900 | 80400 | 0.7273 | 17,848 | 1470 | 0.1565 | |
| 79 | Florida State University | 22400 | 32100 | 0.302 | 34,271 | 1369 | 0.2383 | |
| 79 | Tufts University | 22400 | 99000 | 0.7738 | 7,031 | 1497 | 0.1082 | |
| 81 | Millikin University | 23100 | 43700 | 0.4709 | 1,427 | 1065 | 0.765 | |
| 81 | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | 23100 | 28400 | 0.1861 | 2,216 | 1268 | 0.7987 | |
| 83 | University of South Dakota | 23600 | 26900 | 0.1223 | 7,515 | 1120 | 0.9884 | |
| 84 | Florida International University | 23700 | 23700 | 0 | 46,249 | 1180 | 0.6085 | |
| 85 | University of North Texas | 23900 | 37400 | 0.3607 | 34,414 | 1094 | 0.7089 | |
| 86 | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry | 24100 | 60700 | 0.6029 | 1,984 | 1239 | 0.6328 | |
| 87 | Miami University-Oxford | 24400 | 28300 | 0.1378 | 16,405 | 1284 | 0.74 | |
| 87 | Montana State University | 24400 | 24400 | 0 | 15,142 | 1184 | 0.9938 | |
| 89 | Temple University | 24800 | 36100 | 0.3132 | 21,031 | 1172 | 0.8622 | |
| 90 | Messiah University | 25000 | 54700 | 0.543 | 2,722 | 1266 | 0.8107 | |
| 91 | Binghamton University | 25700 | 32700 | 0.2159 | 14,559 | 1404 | 0.3731 | |
| 92 | Stony Brook University | 26100 | 33200 | 0.2129 | 18,616 | 1410 | 0.4818 | |
| 92 | University of Evansville | 26100 | 64700 | 0.5966 | 1,920 | 1174 | 0.9412 | |
| 94 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | 26300 | 43400 | 0.3937 | 11,959 | 1260 | 0.8818 | |
| 95 | George Fox University | 26400 | 92800 | 0.7157 | 3,530 | 1168 | 0.9282 | |
| 96 | Trine University | 26500 | 56100 | 0.5277 | 4,373 | 1159 | 0.8548 | |
| 97 | University of Mount Union | 27100 | 56300 | 0.5183 | 2,207 | 1089 | 0.782 | |
| 98 | Marymount University | 28300 | 99100 | 0.7143 | 2,503 | 1095 | 0.9316 | |
| 99 | University of Hartford | 28500 | 70100 | 0.5933 | 4,223 | 1224 | 0.9579 | |
| 100 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | 28600 | 43100 | 0.3367 | 22,313 | 1341 | 0.2996 | |
| 100 | University of Akron Main Campus | 28600 | 36500 | 0.2167 | 11,691 | 1074 | 0.7722 | |
| 102 | University of Utah | 28700 | 32000 | 0.1027 | 29,335 | 1222 | 0.9015 | |
| 103 | Michigan Technological University | 29000 | 34700 | 0.1641 | 6,009 | 1247 | 0.8546 | |
| 104 | University of Connecticut | 29200 | 54200 | 0.461 | 20,056 | 1329 | 0.5239 | |
| 105 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 29400 | 34200 | 0.1402 | 31,845 | 1298 | 0.5651 | |
| 106 | Lawrence Technological University | 30000 | 99100 | 0.6976 | 2,661 | 1149 | 0.8101 | |
| 107 | Mississippi State University | 30100 | 34400 | 0.1245 | 19,093 | 1205 | 0.8363 | |
| 108 | Gannon University | 30400 | 52900 | 0.4257 | 2,768 | 1174 | 0.7416 | |
| 108 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 30400 | 78300 | 0.6118 | 14,267 | 1363 | 0.6693 | |
| 110 | Alfred University | 30600 | 67100 | 0.5439 | 1,478 | 1229 | 0.48 | |
| 111 | University of Toledo | 30700 | 42000 | 0.2689 | 10,726 | 1134 | 0.8889 | |
| 112 | Indiana University-Indianapolis | 30900 | 33200 | 0.0688 | 14,834 | 1149 | 0.7803 | |
| 113 | University of North Dakota | 31000 | 33700 | 0.0825 | 11,837 | 1189 | 0.8157 | |
| 114 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 31100 | 50300 | 0.3816 | 21,028 | 1450 | 0.1334 | |
| 115 | Marquette University | 31400 | 75900 | 0.5862 | 8,206 | 1304 | 0.7802 | |
| 116 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 32000 | 54400 | 0.4117 | 35,248 | 1289 | 0.6939 | |
| 116 | Rockhurst University | 32000 | 62500 | 0.4873 | 1,964 | 1159 | 0.9392 | |
| 118 | University of Louisville | 32300 | 42100 | 0.2325 | 17,916 | 1134 | 0.7921 | |
| 119 | North Carolina State University | 32700 | 54800 | 0.4032 | 29,340 | 1374 | 0.3954 | |
| 120 | Wichita State University | 32800 | 42200 | 0.2226 | 14,906 | 1065 | 0.7224 | |
| 121 | Milwaukee School of Engineering | 33000 | 72600 | 0.5451 | 2,836 | 1283 | 0.6711 | |
| 122 | Harding University | 33500 | 47800 | 0.2988 | 3,536 | 1184 | 0.7052 | |
| 123 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 33600 | 38200 | 0.1199 | 42,565 | 1339 | 0.7887 | |
| 124 | Regis College | 33800 | 74300 | 0.5455 | 987 | 965 | 0.6979 | |
| 125 | The College of New Jersey | 34200 | 46400 | 0.263 | 7,433 | 1243 | 0.6148 | |
| 126 | George Washington University | 34300 | 81800 | 0.5808 | 11,495 | 1436 | 0.4713 | |
| 127 | California Baptist University | 34500 | 69800 | 0.5055 | 8,707 | 1024 | 0.8139 | |
| 128 | Valparaiso University | 34900 | 62700 | 0.4428 | 2,056 | 1183 | 0.8994 | |
| 129 | University of Nevada-Reno | 35000 | 45800 | 0.2359 | 20,204 | 1109 | 0.8313 | |
| 130 | Stevenson University | 35300 | 59900 | 0.4105 | 3,154 | 1100 | 0.8006 | |
| 131 | New York Institute of Technology | 35400 | 83600 | 0.5769 | 3,646 | 1298 | 0.8102 | |
| 132 | Western New England University | 35700 | 70600 | 0.4941 | 2,616 | 1199 | 0.8348 | |
| 133 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 36400 | 54000 | 0.326 | 32,041 | 1324 | 0.4358 | |
| 134 | North Carolina A & T State University | 36500 | 36700 | 0.0054 | 12,497 | 1075 | 0.5125 | |
| 135 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 66700 | 0.4394 | 31,536 | 1366 | 0.5457 | |
| 136 | Widener University | 37700 | 79400 | 0.5254 | 2,975 | 1179 | 0.7093 | |
| 137 | Washington State University | 37800 | 53600 | 0.2946 | 21,400 | 1131 | 0.861 | |
| 138 | Loyola University Chicago | 38800 | 73100 | 0.469 | 12,640 | 1262 | 0.751 | |
| 139 | Drexel University | 39700 | 86400 | 0.5408 | 12,318 | 1354 | 0.699 | |
| 139 | Endicott College | 39700 | 65400 | 0.3928 | 3,195 | 1275 | 0.7121 | |
| 141 | University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth | 40000 | 59200 | 0.3241 | 5,986 | 1110 | 0.8916 | |
| 142 | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | 40100 | 83500 | 0.5196 | 2,160 | 1374 | 0.809 | |
| 143 | University of Maine | 40300 | 42800 | 0.0585 | 9,182 | 1195 | 0.9562 | |
| 144 | Johnson & Wales University-Providence | 40400 | 66000 | 0.3875 | 3,908 | 1050 | 0.8844 | |
| 144 | University of California-Los Angeles | 40400 | 81800 | 0.5061 | 33,534 | 1399 | 0.0941 | |
| 146 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania | 40500 | 42700 | 0.0515 | 14,657 | 1190 | 0.7583 | |
| 147 | Kansas State University | 40900 | 41900 | 0.0239 | 16,555 | 1163 | 0.875 | |
| 148 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 41500 | 55300 | 0.2497 | 21,388 | 1369 | 0.5945 | |
| 149 | Fairfield University | 41800 | 84400 | 0.5049 | 5,671 | 1345 | 0.2505 | |
| 150 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | 42600 | 63300 | 0.3271 | 10,900 | 1222 | 0.8914 | |
| 151 | Saint Louis University | 43000 | 84300 | 0.4896 | 9,331 | 1250 | 0.7499 | |
| 152 | University of Florida | 43100 | 45700 | 0.057 | 37,283 | 1406 | 0.2033 | |
| 153 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 43200 | 88100 | 0.5095 | 35,358 | 1448 | 0.1642 | |
| 154 | Florida Institute of Technology | 43500 | 68700 | 0.3678 | 4,279 | 1234 | 0.5796 | |
| 155 | George Mason University | 43700 | 61400 | 0.2884 | 28,862 | 1271 | 0.8647 | |
| 156 | Wentworth Institute of Technology | 44000 | 71800 | 0.3872 | 4,182 | 1317 | 0.8783 | |
| 157 | LeTourneau University | 44600 | 57300 | 0.2215 | 2,903 | 1242 | 0.4879 | |
| 158 | Oregon State University | 44900 | 61900 | 0.2752 | 31,253 | 1272 | 0.773 | |
| 159 | Duquesne University | 45200 | 70500 | 0.3587 | 5,382 | 1252 | 0.8639 | |
| 160 | University at Buffalo | 46400 | 46400 | 0 | 21,192 | 1309 | 0.8059 | |
| 161 | The University of Texas at Arlington | 47200 | 57100 | 0.1733 | 32,545 | 1129 | 0.799 | |
| 162 | Stevens Institute of Technology | 48700 | 86200 | 0.4352 | 4,206 | 1430 | 0.5068 | |
| 163 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 49100 | 67600 | 0.2737 | 40,996 | 1399 | 0.4175 | |
| 164 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 50200 | 64400 | 0.2205 | 46,627 | 1366 | 0.492 | |
| 165 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 50400 | 85400 | 0.41 | 5,461 | 1292 | 0.6189 | |
| 166 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 50500 | 58800 | 0.141 | 25,054 | 1225 | 0.7762 | |
| 167 | University of Iowa | 52100 | 54400 | 0.042 | 23,407 | 1203 | 0.799 | |
| 168 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 53000 | 86300 | 0.3858 | 5,833 | 1440 | 0.6725 | |
| 169 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 53200 | 53300 | 0.0019 | 34,447 | 1273 | 0.8804 | |
| 170 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 53600 | 63400 | 0.1546 | 24,019 | 1404 | 0.5989 | |
| 171 | Tulane University of Louisiana | 54100 | 96100 | 0.4369 | 6,839 | 1469 | 0.1446 | |
| 172 | University of Colorado Boulder | 55300 | 70900 | 0.2202 | 32,244 | 1351 | 0.7809 | |
| 173 | Dartmouth College | 57200 | 96800 | 0.4092 | 4,715 | 1485 | 0.0602 | |
| 174 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 58300 | 63600 | 0.0834 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 175 | Hofstra University | 59100 | 83300 | 0.2906 | 6,599 | 1369 | 0.7267 | |
| 176 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 59300 | 61600 | 0.0371 | 25,141 | 1256 | 0.7613 | |
| 177 | Clemson University | 61400 | 63700 | 0.0359 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 | |
| 178 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | 61600 | 66900 | 0.0793 | 9,827 | 1329 | 0.6737 | |
| 179 | Hawaii Pacific University | 63500 | 65800 | 0.0347 | 3,468 | 1200 | 0.8855 | |
| 180 | Santa Clara University | 69400 | 85400 | 0.1873 | 6,695 | 1399 | 0.4788 | |
| 181 | University of California-Irvine | 72000 | 75000 | 0.04 | 30,260 | 1333 | 0.2895 | |
| 182 | The Catholic University of America | 82500 | 82500 | 0 | 3,294 | 1229 | 0.7328 | |
| 183 | University of California-Santa Cruz | 82900 | 82900 | 0 | 18,194 | 1281 | 0.7273 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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