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 | 1543 | 0.0611 | |
| 2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 4000 | 93300 | 0.9568 | 4,561 | 1542 | 0.0456 | |
| 3 | University of Pennsylvania | 4600 | 93100 | 0.951 | 9,989 | 1536 | 0.0492 | |
| 4 | Harvard University | 5900 | 95600 | 0.9384 | 6,738 | 1535 | 0.0418 | |
| 5 | Northwestern University | 6500 | 90200 | 0.9278 | 9,060 | 1527 | 0.0769 | |
| 6 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 7000 | 41500 | 0.8323 | 38,572 | 1406 | 0.3659 | |
| 7 | Washington University in St Louis | 7500 | 102300 | 0.9267 | 8,153 | 1513 | 0.1192 | |
| 8 | Vanderbilt University | 7800 | 98200 | 0.921 | 7,221 | 1527 | 0.0586 | |
| 9 | California Institute of Technology | 8700 | 94600 | 0.9077 | 971 | 1557 | 0.0379 | |
| 9 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 8700 | 98000 | 0.9113 | 9,164 | 1535 | 0.0386 | |
| 11 | Rice University | 9900 | 92500 | 0.8932 | 4,807 | 1535 | 0.0801 | |
| 12 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 10200 | 41300 | 0.7533 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 13 | University of California-Merced | 10300 | 40600 | 0.7466 | 8,234 | 1070 | 0.9704 | |
| 14 | University of California-Berkeley | 10400 | 44400 | 0.766 | 33,513 | 1407 | 0.1145 | |
| 15 | University of Rochester | 10600 | 96300 | 0.8901 | 6,096 | 1462 | 0.4191 | |
| 16 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 11100 | 28100 | 0.6048 | 8,421 | 1045 | 0.9444 | |
| 17 | Marshall University | 11300 | 27800 | 0.593 | 9,960 | 1065 | 0.9663 | |
| 18 | University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus | 11400 | 87500 | 0.8696 | 14,249 | 1119 | 0.7761 | |
| 18 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell | 11400 | 36800 | 0.69 | 12,122 | 1283 | 0.8296 | |
| 20 | Cornell University | 11600 | 93700 | 0.8761 | 16,138 | 1521 | 0.0838 | |
| 21 | Louisiana Tech University | 12300 | 42900 | 0.7132 | 11,071 | 1189 | 0.9073 | |
| 22 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 12400 | 31100 | 0.6022 | 39,193 | 1418 | 0.4081 | |
| 22 | Wayne State University | 12400 | 32900 | 0.6228 | 16,390 | 1174 | 0.8359 | |
| 24 | Boston University | 12500 | 93200 | 0.8658 | 18,289 | 1475 | 0.1283 | |
| 25 | Brown University | 12900 | 94000 | 0.8627 | 7,951 | 1500 | 0.0634 | |
| 26 | Bucknell University | 13000 | 95700 | 0.8646 | 3,928 | 1396 | 0.322 | |
| 26 | North Carolina A & T State University | 13000 | 17900 | 0.2745 | 12,497 | 1075 | 0.5125 | |
| 28 | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | 13200 | 21300 | 0.3801 | 18,667 | 1090 | 0.9711 | |
| 29 | Northern Illinois University | 13300 | 32200 | 0.5857 | 12,118 | 1070 | 0.7164 | |
| 30 | University of Illinois Chicago | 13700 | 30200 | 0.5467 | 24,260 | 1252 | 0.7576 | |
| 31 | University of Memphis | 14400 | 26400 | 0.4554 | 15,538 | 1075 | 0.7878 | |
| 32 | Florida Gulf Coast University | 14500 | 40000 | 0.6375 | 14,434 | 1125 | 0.6344 | |
| 33 | Case Western Reserve University | 14600 | 92800 | 0.8423 | 6,657 | 1475 | 0.3778 | |
| 33 | University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire | 14600 | 24700 | 0.4082 | 8,329 | 1195 | 0.385 | |
| 35 | The University of Texas at Dallas | 14700 | 19400 | 0.2422 | 23,007 | 1283 | 0.6909 | |
| 35 | University of California-Riverside | 14700 | 66100 | 0.7779 | 24,034 | 1199 | 0.8609 | |
| 35 | West Virginia University | 14700 | 73100 | 0.7986 | 18,206 | 1125 | 0.8514 | |
| 38 | University of California-Irvine | 14900 | 40400 | 0.6309 | 30,260 | 1333 | 0.2895 | |
| 39 | University of Nevada-Reno | 15000 | 28200 | 0.4677 | 20,204 | 1134 | 0.8313 | |
| 40 | University of Maine | 15100 | 29300 | 0.4849 | 9,182 | 1205 | 0.9562 | |
| 41 | Florida State University | 15600 | 23000 | 0.322 | 34,271 | 1360 | 0.2383 | |
| 42 | Lehigh University | 15700 | 89800 | 0.8252 | 5,986 | 1436 | 0.2896 | |
| 43 | Stanford University | 16100 | 1932300 | 0.9917 | 7,346 | 1535 | 0.038 | |
| 44 | University of California-Los Angeles | 16300 | 36700 | 0.5554 | 33,534 | 1399 | 0.0941 | |
| 45 | Union College | 16500 | 93300 | 0.8231 | 1,954 | 1393 | 0.4342 | |
| 45 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 16500 | 64800 | 0.7456 | 22,007 | 1427 | 0.1672 | |
| 47 | California State University-Long Beach | 16600 | 25800 | 0.3567 | 36,056 | 1135 | 0.4543 | |
| 48 | University of Miami | 16700 | 96300 | 0.8267 | 13,241 | 1406 | 0.1761 | |
| 49 | University of Colorado Boulder | 17100 | 31900 | 0.4622 | 32,244 | 1351 | 0.7809 | |
| 50 | Duke University | 17300 | 98500 | 0.8246 | 6,525 | 1527 | 0.0524 | |
| 51 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 17400 | 29900 | 0.4174 | 60,710 | 1278 | 0.5732 | |
| 52 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 17600 | 35600 | 0.5063 | 8,513 | 1203 | 0.9261 | |
| 53 | Yale University | 17700 | 278600 | 0.9364 | 6,667 | 1507 | 0.0475 | |
| 54 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 17900 | 47900 | 0.6257 | 21,028 | 1435 | 0.1334 | |
| 55 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | 18100 | 28500 | 0.3653 | 11,959 | 1260 | 0.8818 | |
| 55 | University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth | 18100 | 37200 | 0.5132 | 5,986 | 1174 | 0.8916 | |
| 57 | San Jose State University | 18300 | 41100 | 0.5542 | 29,890 | 1124 | 0.8039 | |
| 58 | University of Central Oklahoma | 18500 | 31100 | 0.4056 | 10,777 | 1075 | 0.7812 | |
| 58 | University of Rhode Island | 18500 | 33900 | 0.4544 | 14,466 | 1148 | 0.7456 | |
| 60 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania | 19300 | 28500 | 0.3231 | 14,657 | 1195 | 0.7583 | |
| 61 | Jackson State University | 19400 | 28100 | 0.3091 | 4,967 | 950 | 0.9602 | |
| 62 | University of Vermont | 19600 | 40200 | 0.5111 | 12,159 | 1379 | 0.7304 | |
| 63 | Illinois Institute of Technology | 19800 | 74500 | 0.7344 | 3,190 | 1307 | 0.6187 | |
| 64 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 20000 | 45100 | 0.5568 | 31,536 | 1366 | 0.5457 | |
| 65 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 20200 | 38500 | 0.4738 | 25,141 | 1256 | 0.7613 | |
| 66 | Rowan University | 20300 | 41300 | 0.5088 | 17,157 | 1219 | 0.7654 | |
| 67 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 20400 | 26100 | 0.2181 | 31,845 | 1292 | 0.5651 | |
| 68 | Syracuse University | 20500 | 83600 | 0.7548 | 16,149 | 1363 | 0.4879 | |
| 69 | Washington State University | 20700 | 35900 | 0.4229 | 21,400 | 1125 | 0.861 | |
| 70 | University of Maryland-College Park | 20900 | 27100 | 0.2287 | 31,875 | 1463 | 0.4503 | |
| 70 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | 20900 | 80400 | 0.7399 | 17,848 | 1470 | 0.1565 | |
| 72 | Alabama State University | 21500 | 43200 | 0.5029 | 3,521 | 945 | 0.9755 | |
| 73 | Indiana Institute of Technology | 21600 | 48800 | 0.5574 | 1,650 | 1055 | 0.7039 | |
| 74 | Grand Canyon University | 21800 | 34200 | 0.363 | 75,936 | 1075 | 0.7891 | |
| 75 | Grand Valley State University | 21900 | 36600 | 0.4014 | 19,154 | 1084 | 0.9271 | |
| 76 | University of the Pacific | 22600 | 73600 | 0.6931 | 3,097 | 1298 | 0.6905 | |
| 77 | Millikin University | 23000 | 43700 | 0.4732 | 1,427 | 1020 | 0.765 | |
| 77 | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | 23000 | 28400 | 0.19 | 2,216 | 1268 | 0.7987 | |
| 79 | Tufts University | 23100 | 99000 | 0.7665 | 7,031 | 1507 | 0.1082 | |
| 80 | University of Houston | 23600 | 28400 | 0.1692 | 40,366 | 1249 | 0.7577 | |
| 81 | Florida International University | 23700 | 23700 | 0 | 46,249 | 1175 | 0.6085 | |
| 82 | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry | 24100 | 60700 | 0.6029 | 1,984 | 1239 | 0.6328 | |
| 83 | University of North Texas | 24200 | 37400 | 0.3527 | 34,414 | 1114 | 0.7089 | |
| 84 | Montana State University | 24400 | 24400 | 0 | 15,142 | 1184 | 0.9938 | |
| 85 | University of South Dakota | 24500 | 26900 | 0.0891 | 7,515 | 1120 | 0.9884 | |
| 86 | University of South Florida | 24800 | 36500 | 0.3202 | 39,093 | 1239 | 0.4071 | |
| 87 | Temple University | 24900 | 36100 | 0.3105 | 21,031 | 1135 | 0.8622 | |
| 88 | Messiah University | 25100 | 54700 | 0.5412 | 2,722 | 1241 | 0.8107 | |
| 89 | University of California-Santa Cruz | 25400 | 43400 | 0.4145 | 18,194 | 1281 | 0.7273 | |
| 90 | University of North Dakota | 25700 | 28600 | 0.1014 | 11,837 | 1150 | 0.8157 | |
| 91 | University of Evansville | 26100 | 64700 | 0.5968 | 1,920 | 1174 | 0.9412 | |
| 92 | Trine University | 26500 | 56100 | 0.5279 | 4,373 | 1159 | 0.8548 | |
| 93 | University of Arkansas | 26700 | 44500 | 0.3996 | 29,252 | 1179 | 0.7388 | |
| 93 | Wright State University-Main Campus | 26700 | 36500 | 0.2687 | 7,747 | 1073 | 0.9617 | |
| 95 | University of Mount Union | 27100 | 56300 | 0.5194 | 2,207 | 1089 | 0.782 | |
| 96 | George Fox University | 27200 | 92800 | 0.7071 | 3,530 | 1193 | 0.9282 | |
| 97 | Marquette University | 28000 | 63800 | 0.5612 | 8,206 | 1309 | 0.7802 | |
| 98 | Wichita State University | 28100 | 30600 | 0.0816 | 14,906 | 1073 | 0.7224 | |
| 99 | University of Hartford | 28400 | 70100 | 0.5943 | 4,223 | 1224 | 0.9579 | |
| 100 | University of Akron Main Campus | 28500 | 36400 | 0.2172 | 11,691 | 1069 | 0.7722 | |
| 101 | Oregon State University | 28800 | 36700 | 0.216 | 31,253 | 1272 | 0.773 | |
| 102 | Clemson University | 28900 | 37100 | 0.2207 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 | |
| 103 | University of Toledo | 29600 | 42000 | 0.2954 | 10,726 | 1229 | 0.8889 | |
| 104 | University of Iowa | 29700 | 32100 | 0.0746 | 23,407 | 1208 | 0.799 | |
| 104 | University of Southern California | 29700 | 98300 | 0.698 | 20,768 | 1492 | 0.1119 | |
| 106 | Mississippi State University | 30000 | 34400 | 0.1276 | 19,093 | 1214 | 0.8363 | |
| 107 | Lawrence Technological University | 30100 | 99100 | 0.6966 | 2,661 | 1159 | 0.8101 | |
| 108 | Gannon University | 30500 | 52900 | 0.4238 | 2,768 | 1174 | 0.7416 | |
| 108 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 30500 | 78300 | 0.6106 | 14,267 | 1381 | 0.6693 | |
| 110 | Alfred University | 30600 | 67100 | 0.544 | 1,478 | 1239 | 0.48 | |
| 111 | Marymount University | 30700 | 99100 | 0.6901 | 2,503 | 1095 | 0.9316 | |
| 112 | Indiana University-Indianapolis | 30800 | 33200 | 0.0722 | 14,834 | 1149 | 0.7803 | |
| 113 | Rockhurst University | 32000 | 62500 | 0.4871 | 1,964 | 1124 | 0.9392 | |
| 114 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 32500 | 54400 | 0.4025 | 35,248 | 1273 | 0.6939 | |
| 115 | North Carolina State University | 32600 | 54800 | 0.4052 | 29,340 | 1378 | 0.3954 | |
| 115 | University of Louisville | 32600 | 42100 | 0.2254 | 17,916 | 1148 | 0.7921 | |
| 117 | Milwaukee School of Engineering | 33200 | 72600 | 0.5423 | 2,836 | 1277 | 0.6711 | |
| 118 | Harding University | 33400 | 47800 | 0.3012 | 3,536 | 1184 | 0.7052 | |
| 119 | The College of New Jersey | 33600 | 46400 | 0.2757 | 7,433 | 1248 | 0.6148 | |
| 120 | Regis College | 33800 | 74300 | 0.5455 | 987 | 965 | 0.6979 | |
| 121 | George Washington University | 34400 | 81800 | 0.5796 | 11,495 | 1430 | 0.4713 | |
| 122 | California Baptist University | 34900 | 69800 | 0.4998 | 8,707 | 1070 | 0.8139 | |
| 122 | Valparaiso University | 34900 | 62700 | 0.4428 | 2,056 | 1189 | 0.8994 | |
| 124 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | 35200 | 46500 | 0.2431 | 31,127 | 1115 | 0.8679 | |
| 125 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | 35300 | 43100 | 0.1811 | 22,313 | 1321 | 0.2996 | |
| 125 | New York Institute of Technology | 35300 | 83600 | 0.5781 | 3,646 | 1298 | 0.8102 | |
| 125 | Stevenson University | 35300 | 59900 | 0.4105 | 3,154 | 1100 | 0.8006 | |
| 128 | Western New England University | 36000 | 70600 | 0.4899 | 2,616 | 1199 | 0.8348 | |
| 129 | University of Connecticut | 37000 | 66200 | 0.4414 | 20,056 | 1329 | 0.5239 | |
| 130 | Loyola University Chicago | 37100 | 73100 | 0.4922 | 12,640 | 1303 | 0.751 | |
| 131 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 37700 | 40100 | 0.0598 | 25,054 | 1239 | 0.7762 | |
| 132 | Widener University | 38000 | 79400 | 0.5216 | 2,975 | 1184 | 0.7093 | |
| 133 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 38200 | 54400 | 0.2978 | 32,041 | 1302 | 0.4358 | |
| 134 | LeTourneau University | 39400 | 57300 | 0.3122 | 2,903 | 1178 | 0.4879 | |
| 135 | Stony Brook University | 39600 | 53000 | 0.2527 | 18,616 | 1410 | 0.4818 | |
| 136 | Endicott College | 39700 | 65700 | 0.3957 | 3,195 | 1275 | 0.7121 | |
| 137 | Saint Louis University | 40200 | 84300 | 0.5228 | 9,331 | 1305 | 0.7499 | |
| 138 | Drexel University | 40400 | 86400 | 0.5324 | 12,318 | 1339 | 0.699 | |
| 138 | Johnson & Wales University-Providence | 40400 | 66000 | 0.3882 | 3,908 | 1050 | 0.8844 | |
| 140 | University of Mississippi | 40500 | 45200 | 0.1039 | 22,939 | 1182 | 0.9738 | |
| 141 | Kansas State University | 40900 | 41900 | 0.0238 | 16,555 | 1164 | 0.875 | |
| 142 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 41400 | 55300 | 0.2516 | 21,388 | 1375 | 0.5945 | |
| 143 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | 42500 | 63300 | 0.3285 | 10,900 | 1222 | 0.8914 | |
| 144 | Fairfield University | 42800 | 84400 | 0.493 | 5,671 | 1350 | 0.2505 | |
| 144 | Virginia Commonwealth University | 42800 | 53400 | 0.1987 | 21,469 | 1148 | 0.9061 | |
| 146 | University of Florida | 43100 | 45700 | 0.0569 | 37,283 | 1399 | 0.2033 | |
| 147 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 43200 | 88100 | 0.5098 | 35,358 | 1435 | 0.1642 | |
| 148 | Florida Institute of Technology | 43300 | 68700 | 0.3694 | 4,279 | 1224 | 0.5796 | |
| 149 | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | 44600 | 83500 | 0.4657 | 2,160 | 1404 | 0.809 | |
| 150 | Duquesne University | 45100 | 70500 | 0.3602 | 5,382 | 1274 | 0.8639 | |
| 151 | University at Buffalo | 46400 | 46400 | 0 | 21,192 | 1303 | 0.8059 | |
| 152 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 47100 | 61500 | 0.234 | 37,985 | 1390 | 0.5815 | |
| 153 | The University of Texas at Arlington | 47200 | 57200 | 0.1748 | 32,545 | 1129 | 0.799 | |
| 154 | Wentworth Institute of Technology | 47900 | 71800 | 0.3329 | 4,182 | 1229 | 0.8783 | |
| 155 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48300 | 51200 | 0.0565 | 43,633 | 1327 | 0.4343 | |
| 156 | University of Delaware | 48400 | 62500 | 0.2259 | 19,287 | 1294 | 0.6924 | |
| 157 | University of Kentucky | 48500 | 59900 | 0.1905 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 158 | University of Arizona | 48600 | 48600 | 0 | 43,294 | 1233 | 0.8351 | |
| 159 | Stevens Institute of Technology | 48800 | 86200 | 0.434 | 4,206 | 1445 | 0.5068 | |
| 160 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 49700 | 64700 | 0.2319 | 46,627 | 1378 | 0.492 | |
| 161 | The University of Texas at Austin | 50300 | 59100 | 0.1488 | 44,314 | 1356 | 0.2222 | |
| 161 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 50300 | 85400 | 0.4112 | 5,461 | 1292 | 0.6189 | |
| 163 | Binghamton University | 50400 | 52800 | 0.0453 | 14,559 | 1415 | 0.3731 | |
| 164 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 50800 | 63800 | 0.2038 | 42,565 | 1338 | 0.7887 | |
| 165 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 51100 | 86300 | 0.4079 | 5,833 | 1438 | 0.6725 | |
| 166 | University of Utah | 51300 | 53700 | 0.0446 | 29,335 | 1222 | 0.9015 | |
| 167 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 52800 | 61200 | 0.1372 | 26,490 | 1204 | 0.8863 | |
| 168 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 53300 | 53300 | 0 | 34,447 | 1264 | 0.8804 | |
| 169 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 53500 | 63400 | 0.1562 | 24,019 | 1397 | 0.5989 | |
| 170 | Tulane University of Louisiana | 53900 | 96100 | 0.439 | 6,839 | 1469 | 0.1446 | |
| 171 | University of California-San Diego | 55700 | 79600 | 0.3001 | 35,442 | 1375 | 0.2856 | |
| 172 | Michigan Technological University | 55800 | 55800 | 0 | 6,009 | 1256 | 0.8546 | |
| 173 | George Mason University | 56200 | 61400 | 0.0847 | 28,862 | 1268 | 0.8647 | |
| 174 | Dartmouth College | 56800 | 96800 | 0.4133 | 4,715 | 1521 | 0.0602 | |
| 175 | Miami University-Oxford | 57500 | 57500 | 0 | 16,405 | 1299 | 0.74 | |
| 176 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 58300 | 63700 | 0.0848 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 177 | Hofstra University | 62100 | 83300 | 0.2546 | 6,599 | 1328 | 0.7267 | |
| 178 | Hawaii Pacific University | 63400 | 65800 | 0.0364 | 3,468 | 1120 | 0.8855 | |
| 179 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 63600 | 67600 | 0.0591 | 40,996 | 1331 | 0.4175 | |
| 180 | Santa Clara University | 64300 | 85400 | 0.2471 | 6,695 | 1427 | 0.4788 | |
| 181 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | 66900 | 66900 | 0 | 9,827 | 1325 | 0.6737 | |
| 182 | University of California-Davis | 68300 | 69900 | 0.0229 | 31,695 | 1290 | 0.4435 | |
| 183 | The Catholic University of America | 81900 | 82500 | 0.0073 | 3,294 | 1140 | 0.7328 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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