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 | University of California-Los Angeles | 0 | 68600 | 1 | 33,471 | 1399 | 0.0897 | |
| 2 | Rice University | 4300 | 85500 | 0.9496 | 4,789 | 1535 | 0.08 | |
| 3 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 4900 | 86800 | 0.9433 | 4,576 | 1535 | 0.0485 | |
| 4 | Yale University | 5500 | 92300 | 0.9403 | 6,814 | 1507 | 0.0387 | |
| 5 | Harvard University | 5900 | 90900 | 0.9348 | 7,038 | 1535 | 0.0365 | |
| 6 | Johns Hopkins University | 6700 | 88600 | 0.9243 | 6,356 | 1543 | 0.0644 | |
| 6 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 6700 | 39100 | 0.8296 | 34,454 | 1435 | 0.1564 | |
| 8 | California Institute of Technology | 8000 | 90300 | 0.9112 | 987 | 1557 | 0.0257 | |
| 9 | CUNY City College | 8400 | 31200 | 0.7309 | 12,982 | 1169 | 0.5997 | |
| 10 | Vanderbilt University | 8800 | 95000 | 0.9072 | 7,221 | 1527 | 0.0586 | |
| 11 | Washington University in St Louis | 9400 | 96200 | 0.9026 | 8,220 | 1513 | 0.1206 | |
| 12 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 10200 | 94100 | 0.8919 | 9,157 | 1535 | 0.0386 | |
| 12 | University of California-Davis | 10200 | 37800 | 0.7293 | 32,273 | 1290 | 0.4183 | |
| 14 | Cornell University | 10400 | 92000 | 0.8866 | 16,128 | 1521 | 0.0841 | |
| 15 | Marshall University | 11000 | 27100 | 0.5931 | 9,165 | 1065 | 0.9572 | |
| 16 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | 11500 | 26200 | 0.5609 | 21,947 | 1335 | 0.3122 | |
| 16 | University of Pennsylvania | 11500 | 93000 | 0.8765 | 10,013 | 1528 | 0.054 | |
| 18 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | 12100 | 24400 | 0.5046 | 31,127 | 1115 | 0.8679 | |
| 19 | University of California-San Diego | 12200 | 34000 | 0.6407 | 34,955 | 1375 | 0.2677 | |
| 20 | Northern Illinois University | 12400 | 29000 | 0.5718 | 11,349 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 21 | Northwestern University | 12600 | 87700 | 0.8563 | 8,846 | 1513 | 0.0722 | |
| 22 | The University of Texas at Austin | 13200 | 30700 | 0.5697 | 43,165 | 1335 | 0.2664 | |
| 23 | Duke University | 13500 | 93500 | 0.8559 | 6,523 | 1539 | 0.0571 | |
| 23 | Florida Gulf Coast University | 13500 | 22500 | 0.4006 | 14,243 | 1125 | 0.7675 | |
| 25 | Boston University | 13600 | 88800 | 0.8472 | 18,805 | 1475 | 0.1111 | |
| 26 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 13700 | 32200 | 0.5744 | 39,083 | 1412 | 0.4517 | |
| 27 | Louisiana Tech University | 13800 | 24900 | 0.4451 | 11,071 | 1164 | 0.9073 | |
| 28 | University of California-Santa Cruz | 14000 | 38000 | 0.6321 | 17,940 | 1281 | 0.6557 | |
| 29 | Case Western Reserve University | 14200 | 80400 | 0.8229 | 6,528 | 1485 | 0.3778 | |
| 29 | Kansas State University | 14200 | 26100 | 0.4563 | 15,650 | 1164 | 0.8199 | |
| 31 | University of Houston | 14300 | 23600 | 0.3946 | 39,257 | 1249 | 0.7392 | |
| 31 | West Virginia University | 14300 | 23300 | 0.3862 | 18,614 | 1125 | 0.778 | |
| 33 | Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville | 14400 | 41100 | 0.6502 | 8,975 | 1045 | 0.9721 | |
| 34 | Stanford University | 14800 | 71300 | 0.792 | 7,904 | 1535 | 0.0361 | |
| 35 | California State University-Long Beach | 15000 | 25800 | 0.4187 | 35,843 | 1135 | 0.4628 | |
| 35 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 15000 | 25700 | 0.4158 | 46,815 | 1339 | 0.6057 | |
| 37 | Florida International University | 15100 | 23700 | 0.3621 | 44,904 | 1175 | 0.5466 | |
| 38 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 15500 | 24800 | 0.3744 | 30,187 | 1292 | 0.6015 | |
| 39 | North Carolina State University | 15600 | 27500 | 0.4331 | 28,422 | 1335 | 0.4167 | |
| 40 | Grand Valley State University | 16200 | 25300 | 0.3601 | 19,002 | 1233 | 0.8302 | |
| 40 | Lehigh University | 16200 | 85700 | 0.8114 | 5,911 | 1436 | 0.2593 | |
| 42 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | 16700 | 78300 | 0.7868 | 17,901 | 1470 | 0.1681 | |
| 43 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 16800 | 64800 | 0.7406 | 21,075 | 1420 | 0.1534 | |
| 44 | Tufts University | 16900 | 92400 | 0.8175 | 7,126 | 1507 | 0.1153 | |
| 45 | The College of New Jersey | 17000 | 38200 | 0.5545 | 7,435 | 1248 | 0.6235 | |
| 46 | University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire | 17400 | 24700 | 0.2979 | 8,765 | 1209 | 0.8799 | |
| 47 | Bucknell University | 17700 | 88400 | 0.7996 | 3,920 | 1284 | 0.2893 | |
| 47 | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | 17700 | 17700 | 0 | 18,428 | 1090 | 0.9529 | |
| 49 | University of Arkansas | 17900 | 27700 | 0.3527 | 28,859 | 1179 | 0.7431 | |
| 50 | University of Maine | 18000 | 29000 | 0.3785 | 591 | 1199 | 0.9684 | |
| 50 | University of Rhode Island | 18000 | 34400 | 0.4765 | 14,376 | 1148 | 0.7216 | |
| 52 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 18200 | 18200 | 0 | 34,242 | 1260 | 0.7333 | |
| 53 | Union College | 18300 | 91000 | 0.799 | 2,065 | 1393 | 0.4392 | |
| 53 | University of Vermont | 18300 | 37800 | 0.5164 | 12,276 | 1379 | 0.653 | |
| 55 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania | 18900 | 18900 | 0 | 14,449 | 1195 | 0.7816 | |
| 56 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 19000 | 31000 | 0.3868 | 60,710 | 1278 | 0.5732 | |
| 57 | The University of Texas at Dallas | 19100 | 29800 | 0.3597 | 21,858 | 1283 | 0.6513 | |
| 57 | Wright State University-Main Campus | 19100 | 27000 | 0.293 | 7,505 | 1059 | 0.9633 | |
| 59 | University of Memphis | 19200 | 26400 | 0.2732 | 15,770 | 1075 | 0.7203 | |
| 59 | University of Southern California | 19200 | 76000 | 0.7473 | 21,023 | 1485 | 0.1002 | |
| 61 | Jackson State University | 19300 | 28000 | 0.3102 | 4,650 | 950 | 0.4823 | |
| 62 | University of Mississippi | 19400 | 27000 | 0.2814 | 21,585 | 1182 | 0.9658 | |
| 63 | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry | 19700 | 40000 | 0.5074 | 1,984 | 1369 | 0.6328 | |
| 63 | The University of Texas at Arlington | 19700 | 27200 | 0.276 | 31,112 | 1130 | 0.8129 | |
| 65 | Alabama State University | 20200 | 37400 | 0.4592 | 3,322 | 945 | 0.9564 | |
| 65 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 20200 | 38800 | 0.481 | 36,588 | 1367 | 0.6535 | |
| 65 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | 20200 | 38100 | 0.4693 | 11,365 | 1216 | 0.8816 | |
| 68 | Milwaukee School of Engineering | 21000 | 69400 | 0.6978 | 2,705 | 1292 | 0.6239 | |
| 69 | Brown University | 21300 | 93900 | 0.7729 | 7,910 | 1535 | 0.0539 | |
| 70 | University of Miami | 21500 | 70800 | 0.6967 | 13,250 | 1406 | 0.189 | |
| 71 | University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth | 22200 | 35400 | 0.3724 | 5,731 | 1174 | 0.9064 | |
| 72 | Florida State University | 22600 | 25000 | 0.0962 | 32,711 | 1360 | 0.2422 | |
| 73 | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | 22800 | 26900 | 0.1515 | 2,170 | 1264 | 0.8525 | |
| 74 | University of South Dakota | 22900 | 26000 | 0.1182 | 7,619 | 1120 | 0.9878 | |
| 75 | Indiana Institute of Technology | 23400 | 48800 | 0.5206 | 1,642 | 1055 | 0.5713 | |
| 76 | Syracuse University | 23600 | 83100 | 0.716 | 15,958 | 1363 | 0.4611 | |
| 77 | Oral Roberts University | 23800 | 55600 | 0.5718 | 5,017 | 1139 | 0.989 | |
| 78 | Illinois Institute of Technology | 23900 | 71600 | 0.6664 | 3,135 | 1299 | 0.5493 | |
| 79 | University of Rochester | 24100 | 93100 | 0.7414 | 6,580 | 1469 | 0.4008 | |
| 80 | Temple University | 24300 | 36300 | 0.3309 | 21,428 | 1245 | 0.8045 | |
| 81 | Miami University-Oxford | 24700 | 27200 | 0.0917 | 16,816 | 1299 | 0.754 | |
| 81 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | 24700 | 32200 | 0.2328 | 10,200 | 1346 | 0.6507 | |
| 83 | Montana State University | 24900 | 31400 | 0.207 | 15,053 | 1184 | 0.8214 | |
| 84 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 25000 | 36600 | 0.3173 | 65,450 | 1203 | 0.8989 | |
| 84 | University of Akron Main Campus | 25000 | 25000 | 0 | 11,160 | 1069 | 0.5967 | |
| 86 | Walla Walla University | 25500 | 51100 | 0.5017 | 1,238 | 1159 | 0.604 | |
| 87 | Indiana University-Indianapolis | 26400 | 28400 | 0.073 | 14,504 | 1145 | 0.7637 | |
| 88 | University of Arizona | 26500 | 35200 | 0.247 | 45,025 | 1212 | 0.8614 | |
| 88 | University of Mount Union | 26500 | 50900 | 0.4791 | 1,927 | 1105 | 0.8013 | |
| 90 | Trine University | 26600 | 56100 | 0.5258 | 4,157 | 1209 | 0.8469 | |
| 91 | Tulane University of Louisiana | 26900 | 83600 | 0.6785 | 7,283 | 1451 | 0.1398 | |
| 92 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 27300 | 40300 | 0.3224 | 20,418 | 1375 | 0.5808 | |
| 93 | University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus | 27400 | 31400 | 0.1274 | 14,019 | 1159 | 0.7781 | |
| 94 | University of North Texas | 27600 | 37400 | 0.2622 | 34,458 | 1114 | 0.7223 | |
| 95 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 27800 | 41900 | 0.3364 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 96 | University of Louisville | 27900 | 42200 | 0.3387 | 17,086 | 1148 | 0.7941 | |
| 97 | Mississippi State University | 28300 | 32300 | 0.126 | 18,567 | 1214 | 0.7764 | |
| 98 | Regis College | 28500 | 70400 | 0.595 | 1,055 | 965 | 0.9009 | |
| 99 | University of Hartford | 28600 | 70100 | 0.5914 | 4,223 | 1224 | 0.9579 | |
| 100 | George Fox University | 28700 | 67100 | 0.5727 | 3,401 | 1193 | 0.9351 | |
| 101 | Dartmouth College | 28800 | 91100 | 0.6835 | 4,570 | 1528 | 0.054 | |
| 102 | University of Iowa | 29000 | 31100 | 0.0667 | 22,738 | 1208 | 0.8362 | |
| 103 | Clemson University | 29300 | 37100 | 0.2121 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 | |
| 103 | Messiah University | 29300 | 54100 | 0.4586 | 2,618 | 1241 | 0.7897 | |
| 105 | University of Toledo | 29500 | 32600 | 0.0943 | 11,013 | 1159 | 0.9202 | |
| 106 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 29900 | 31100 | 0.0385 | 20,592 | 1435 | 0.1407 | |
| 106 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 29900 | 52900 | 0.435 | 37,140 | 1442 | 0.4237 | |
| 108 | San Jose State University | 30300 | 41000 | 0.2608 | 28,008 | 0 | 0.8461 | |
| 109 | Gannon University | 30400 | 45300 | 0.329 | 2,768 | 1174 | 0.7416 | |
| 110 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 30500 | 78100 | 0.6096 | 14,267 | 1363 | 0.6693 | |
| 111 | Alfred University | 30600 | 67100 | 0.5437 | 1,474 | 1214 | 0.7384 | |
| 112 | North Carolina A & T State University | 31700 | 36400 | 0.129 | 12,216 | 1020 | 0.4617 | |
| 113 | Rockhurst University | 32000 | 62500 | 0.4871 | 2,304 | 1124 | 0.7089 | |
| 114 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 32500 | 34700 | 0.0633 | 30,564 | 1298 | 0.416 | |
| 114 | Widener University | 32500 | 75300 | 0.5682 | 2,811 | 1155 | 0.8402 | |
| 116 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | 32600 | 38500 | 0.1533 | 7,890 | 1105 | 0.2056 | |
| 117 | California Lutheran University | 32700 | 65800 | 0.5027 | 2,297 | 1258 | 0.7567 | |
| 118 | Harding University | 32900 | 47000 | 0.2995 | 3,523 | 1193 | 0.3942 | |
| 119 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell | 33300 | 54600 | 0.3899 | 12,122 | 1283 | 0.8296 | |
| 120 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 33600 | 46200 | 0.2729 | 8,553 | 1054 | 0.8688 | |
| 121 | George Washington University | 33700 | 81800 | 0.5882 | 11,677 | 1421 | 0.4709 | |
| 122 | LeTourneau University | 34000 | 54600 | 0.3772 | 3,184 | 1178 | 0.3801 | |
| 122 | Valparaiso University | 34000 | 62700 | 0.4572 | 2,123 | 1247 | 0.8934 | |
| 124 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 34100 | 35100 | 0.0285 | 33,572 | 1264 | 0.8529 | |
| 125 | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | 34700 | 74600 | 0.5351 | 2,315 | 1382 | 0.7686 | |
| 125 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | 34700 | 42200 | 0.1776 | 12,382 | 1242 | 0.8842 | |
| 125 | University of South Florida | 34700 | 34700 | 0 | 38,525 | 1239 | 0.4319 | |
| 128 | University of Nevada-Reno | 35000 | 35000 | 0 | 18,895 | 1134 | 0.7371 | |
| 129 | California Baptist University | 35200 | 65200 | 0.4601 | 8,417 | 1069 | 0.8535 | |
| 130 | Stevenson University | 35300 | 59900 | 0.4105 | 3,106 | 1100 | 0.7891 | |
| 131 | Lawrence Technological University | 36200 | 67800 | 0.4659 | 2,579 | 1159 | 0.7403 | |
| 132 | University of the Pacific | 36500 | 72100 | 0.4939 | 3,249 | 1298 | 0.7132 | |
| 133 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 62000 | 0.3968 | 31,035 | 1366 | 0.5499 | |
| 134 | University of Central Oklahoma | 37600 | 38500 | 0.0234 | 10,454 | 1095 | 0.8176 | |
| 134 | Wichita State University | 37600 | 39600 | 0.0504 | 14,280 | 1094 | 0.7211 | |
| 136 | University of Connecticut | 37800 | 41800 | 0.0957 | 19,388 | 1324 | 0.5395 | |
| 137 | Washington State University | 38600 | 53900 | 0.2835 | 14,346 | 1139 | 0.8797 | |
| 138 | University of Illinois Chicago | 39200 | 48000 | 0.1832 | 22,495 | 1247 | 0.7735 | |
| 139 | Wayne State University | 39300 | 45500 | 0.1362 | 16,173 | 1174 | 0.7786 | |
| 140 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 39600 | 53800 | 0.264 | 23,920 | 1390 | 0.5973 | |
| 141 | Stony Brook University | 39900 | 53000 | 0.2467 | 18,263 | 1395 | 0.4904 | |
| 142 | Loyola University Chicago | 40000 | 67600 | 0.4085 | 12,538 | 1303 | 0.816 | |
| 143 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 40300 | 56700 | 0.2893 | 40,754 | 1391 | 0.3915 | |
| 144 | Western New England University | 40500 | 67000 | 0.3957 | 2,616 | 1199 | 0.8348 | |
| 145 | Endicott College | 40700 | 63200 | 0.3559 | 3,176 | 1255 | 0.7229 | |
| 146 | Fairfield University | 41500 | 77900 | 0.467 | 5,391 | 1350 | 0.3329 | |
| 147 | Hofstra University | 41700 | 74600 | 0.4409 | 6,581 | 1323 | 0.6808 | |
| 148 | University at Buffalo | 42600 | 46800 | 0.0897 | 20,360 | 1303 | 0.7418 | |
| 149 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 43200 | 46200 | 0.0665 | 44,170 | 1327 | 0.4979 | |
| 150 | University of California-Riverside | 43500 | 66400 | 0.3448 | 22,599 | 1199 | 0.7685 | |
| 150 | University of Florida | 43500 | 45600 | 0.046 | 36,567 | 1399 | 0.242 | |
| 152 | Florida Institute of Technology | 43700 | 68800 | 0.3647 | 3,677 | 1224 | 0.577 | |
| 153 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 44000 | 57100 | 0.2292 | 23,351 | 1239 | 0.766 | |
| 154 | Oregon State University | 44900 | 61900 | 0.2742 | 31,253 | 1272 | 0.773 | |
| 155 | Duquesne University | 45400 | 70500 | 0.3557 | 5,371 | 1269 | 0.8356 | |
| 156 | Marquette University | 45600 | 75100 | 0.3929 | 8,045 | 1309 | 0.8134 | |
| 157 | Saint Louis University | 46000 | 74500 | 0.3826 | 10,436 | 1260 | 0.7504 | |
| 158 | University of Delaware | 47200 | 53200 | 0.1127 | 19,119 | 1303 | 0.6356 | |
| 159 | Wentworth Institute of Technology | 47900 | 56200 | 0.1476 | 3,965 | 1229 | 0.9121 | |
| 160 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 48400 | 85700 | 0.435 | 5,743 | 1438 | 0.6343 | |
| 161 | University of California-Merced | 48500 | 52300 | 0.0726 | 8,372 | 1070 | 0.9152 | |
| 162 | Stevens Institute of Technology | 49100 | 85800 | 0.4277 | 4,236 | 1445 | 0.4758 | |
| 163 | George Mason University | 49200 | 49200 | 0 | 28,331 | 1268 | 0.8748 | |
| 164 | Binghamton University | 50000 | 52100 | 0.0398 | 14,669 | 1417 | 0.3861 | |
| 165 | Virginia Commonwealth University | 50100 | 52300 | 0.042 | 21,210 | 1171 | 0.9232 | |
| 166 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 50500 | 81000 | 0.3763 | 5,558 | 1292 | 0.6016 | |
| 167 | University of Kentucky | 51000 | 56000 | 0.0893 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 168 | Drexel University | 51200 | 82600 | 0.38 | 13,169 | 1339 | 0.7944 | |
| 169 | University of Colorado Boulder | 51500 | 56300 | 0.0852 | 32,100 | 1290 | 0.8115 | |
| 170 | University of Utah | 51600 | 53700 | 0.0386 | 28,064 | 1237 | 0.8598 | |
| 171 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 53400 | 61000 | 0.1257 | 41,303 | 1338 | 0.7975 | |
| 172 | Rowan University | 53600 | 53600 | 0 | 16,199 | 1214 | 0.783 | |
| 173 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 54100 | 59200 | 0.0857 | 24,457 | 1256 | 0.7847 | |
| 174 | University of California-Irvine | 55000 | 64800 | 0.1512 | 30,204 | 1333 | 0.2878 | |
| 175 | Santa Clara University | 56800 | 84800 | 0.3303 | 6,577 | 1427 | 0.48 | |
| 176 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 56900 | 58900 | 0.0352 | 26,500 | 1183 | 0.8857 | |
| 177 | Hawaii Pacific University | 58800 | 60900 | 0.0341 | 3,533 | 1120 | 0.8587 | |
| 178 | Michigan Technological University | 59100 | 59100 | 0 | 6,022 | 1256 | 0.8353 | |
| 179 | University of California-Berkeley | 74600 | 75500 | 0.0119 | 33,469 | 1407 | 0.1104 | |
| 180 | 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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