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 | 4000 | 93300 | 0.9568 | 4,561 | 1542 | 0.0456 | |
| 3 | University of Pennsylvania | 4500 | 93100 | 0.9521 | 9,989 | 1535 | 0.0492 | |
| 4 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 5600 | 40700 | 0.8615 | 35,358 | 1448 | 0.1642 | |
| 5 | Harvard University | 5900 | 95600 | 0.9384 | 6,738 | 1500 | 0.0418 | |
| 6 | Northwestern University | 6500 | 90200 | 0.9278 | 9,060 | 1533 | 0.0769 | |
| 7 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 7000 | 41500 | 0.8323 | 38,572 | 1455 | 0.3659 | |
| 8 | Washington University in St Louis | 7500 | 102300 | 0.9267 | 8,153 | 1512 | 0.1192 | |
| 9 | Vanderbilt University | 7800 | 98200 | 0.921 | 7,221 | 1527 | 0.0586 | |
| 10 | California Institute of Technology | 8700 | 94600 | 0.9077 | 971 | 1564 | 0.0379 | |
| 10 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 8700 | 98000 | 0.9113 | 9,164 | 1535 | 0.0386 | |
| 12 | Rice University | 9900 | 92500 | 0.8932 | 4,807 | 1528 | 0.0801 | |
| 13 | University of Nevada-Reno | 10100 | 45800 | 0.7802 | 20,204 | 1109 | 0.8313 | |
| 14 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 10200 | 41300 | 0.7533 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 15 | University of California-Merced | 10300 | 40600 | 0.7466 | 8,234 | 1070 | 0.9704 | |
| 16 | University of Rochester | 10600 | 96300 | 0.8901 | 6,096 | 1448 | 0.4191 | |
| 17 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | 10700 | 25900 | 0.5874 | 22,313 | 1341 | 0.2996 | |
| 18 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 11100 | 28100 | 0.6048 | 8,421 | 1054 | 0.9444 | |
| 19 | Marshall University | 11200 | 39800 | 0.7184 | 9,960 | 1070 | 0.9663 | |
| 20 | University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus | 11400 | 87500 | 0.8696 | 14,249 | 1084 | 0.7761 | |
| 21 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 11500 | 27800 | 0.5858 | 22,007 | 1427 | 0.1672 | |
| 22 | Cornell University | 11600 | 93700 | 0.8761 | 16,138 | 1528 | 0.0838 | |
| 23 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 12400 | 31100 | 0.6022 | 39,193 | 1418 | 0.4081 | |
| 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 | North Carolina A & T State University | 13000 | 17900 | 0.2745 | 12,497 | 1075 | 0.5125 | |
| 27 | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | 13200 | 21300 | 0.3801 | 18,667 | 1090 | 0.9711 | |
| 28 | Louisiana Tech University | 13300 | 42900 | 0.6899 | 11,071 | 1189 | 0.9073 | |
| 28 | Northern Illinois University | 13300 | 32200 | 0.5857 | 12,118 | 1070 | 0.7164 | |
| 28 | University of South Florida | 13300 | 22400 | 0.4067 | 39,093 | 1255 | 0.4071 | |
| 28 | Wayne State University | 13300 | 46800 | 0.7163 | 16,390 | 1183 | 0.8359 | |
| 32 | University of California-Riverside | 13500 | 36500 | 0.6297 | 24,034 | 1199 | 0.8609 | |
| 33 | University of Arizona | 14100 | 32100 | 0.5606 | 43,294 | 1186 | 0.8351 | |
| 34 | University of Memphis | 14300 | 29100 | 0.5088 | 15,538 | 1080 | 0.7878 | |
| 35 | Case Western Reserve University | 14600 | 92800 | 0.8423 | 6,657 | 1484 | 0.3778 | |
| 36 | The University of Texas at Dallas | 14700 | 19400 | 0.2422 | 23,007 | 1281 | 0.6909 | |
| 37 | Florida Gulf Coast University | 14900 | 40000 | 0.6275 | 14,434 | 1125 | 0.6344 | |
| 38 | West Virginia University | 15000 | 73100 | 0.7945 | 18,206 | 1120 | 0.8514 | |
| 39 | University of Maine | 15100 | 29300 | 0.4849 | 9,182 | 1195 | 0.9562 | |
| 40 | Bucknell University | 15200 | 95700 | 0.8416 | 3,928 | 1275 | 0.322 | |
| 40 | University of Mississippi | 15200 | 27000 | 0.4369 | 22,939 | 1172 | 0.9738 | |
| 42 | Lehigh University | 15700 | 89800 | 0.8252 | 5,986 | 1436 | 0.2896 | |
| 43 | Grand Valley State University | 15800 | 28300 | 0.441 | 19,154 | 1074 | 0.9271 | |
| 44 | Kansas State University | 15900 | 26400 | 0.3953 | 16,555 | 1163 | 0.875 | |
| 44 | University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire | 15900 | 24700 | 0.3557 | 8,329 | 1209 | 0.385 | |
| 46 | Stanford University | 16100 | 1932300 | 0.9917 | 7,346 | 1542 | 0.038 | |
| 47 | North Carolina State University | 16300 | 28500 | 0.4289 | 29,340 | 1374 | 0.3954 | |
| 48 | Union College | 16500 | 93300 | 0.8231 | 1,954 | 1399 | 0.4342 | |
| 49 | University of Miami | 16700 | 96300 | 0.8267 | 13,241 | 1408 | 0.1761 | |
| 50 | The University of Texas at Arlington | 16800 | 28100 | 0.4019 | 32,545 | 1129 | 0.799 | |
| 51 | Wright State University-Main Campus | 16900 | 26600 | 0.365 | 7,747 | 1073 | 0.9617 | |
| 52 | University of Louisville | 17000 | 29100 | 0.4162 | 17,916 | 1134 | 0.7921 | |
| 53 | University of Colorado Boulder | 17100 | 31900 | 0.4622 | 32,244 | 1351 | 0.7809 | |
| 54 | Duke University | 17300 | 98500 | 0.8246 | 6,525 | 1533 | 0.0524 | |
| 55 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 17400 | 29900 | 0.4174 | 60,710 | 1278 | 0.5732 | |
| 56 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 17600 | 35600 | 0.5063 | 8,513 | 1160 | 0.9261 | |
| 57 | Yale University | 17700 | 278600 | 0.9364 | 6,667 | 1507 | 0.0475 | |
| 58 | University of Arkansas | 17800 | 28400 | 0.3726 | 29,252 | 1179 | 0.7388 | |
| 59 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 17900 | 47900 | 0.6257 | 21,028 | 1450 | 0.1334 | |
| 60 | San Jose State University | 18200 | 41100 | 0.5567 | 29,890 | 1135 | 0.8039 | |
| 61 | Illinois Institute of Technology | 19400 | 74500 | 0.7398 | 3,190 | 1317 | 0.6187 | |
| 61 | Jackson State University | 19400 | 28100 | 0.3091 | 4,967 | 940 | 0.9602 | |
| 63 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 20200 | 38500 | 0.4738 | 25,141 | 1256 | 0.7613 | |
| 64 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 20300 | 39800 | 0.4894 | 37,985 | 1390 | 0.5815 | |
| 65 | Syracuse University | 20400 | 83600 | 0.756 | 16,149 | 1374 | 0.4879 | |
| 65 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 20400 | 26100 | 0.2181 | 31,845 | 1298 | 0.5651 | |
| 67 | Washington State University | 20700 | 35900 | 0.4229 | 21,400 | 1131 | 0.861 | |
| 68 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | 20900 | 80400 | 0.7399 | 17,848 | 1470 | 0.1565 | |
| 69 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | 21300 | 27800 | 0.2336 | 31,127 | 1115 | 0.8679 | |
| 70 | Alabama State University | 21400 | 43200 | 0.5034 | 3,521 | 945 | 0.9755 | |
| 70 | Virginia Commonwealth University | 21400 | 29900 | 0.2847 | 21,469 | 1167 | 0.9061 | |
| 72 | Indiana Institute of Technology | 21600 | 48800 | 0.5574 | 1,650 | 1055 | 0.7039 | |
| 73 | University of Florida | 21700 | 22500 | 0.0355 | 37,283 | 1406 | 0.2033 | |
| 74 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 21800 | 37300 | 0.4156 | 26,490 | 1183 | 0.8863 | |
| 74 | Grand Canyon University | 21800 | 34200 | 0.363 | 75,936 | 1075 | 0.7891 | |
| 74 | University of the Pacific | 21800 | 73600 | 0.704 | 3,097 | 1313 | 0.6905 | |
| 77 | Florida State University | 22300 | 32600 | 0.3161 | 34,271 | 1369 | 0.2383 | |
| 78 | Tufts University | 22500 | 99000 | 0.7725 | 7,031 | 1497 | 0.1082 | |
| 79 | Millikin University | 23100 | 43700 | 0.4709 | 1,427 | 1065 | 0.765 | |
| 80 | University of South Dakota | 23500 | 26900 | 0.1263 | 7,515 | 1120 | 0.9884 | |
| 81 | University of Houston | 23600 | 28400 | 0.1692 | 40,366 | 1224 | 0.7577 | |
| 82 | Florida International University | 23700 | 23700 | 0 | 46,249 | 1180 | 0.6085 | |
| 83 | University of North Texas | 23800 | 37400 | 0.3634 | 34,414 | 1094 | 0.7089 | |
| 84 | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry | 24100 | 60700 | 0.6029 | 1,984 | 1239 | 0.6328 | |
| 85 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 24200 | 40400 | 0.4012 | 21,388 | 1369 | 0.5945 | |
| 86 | Miami University-Oxford | 24300 | 28300 | 0.1413 | 16,405 | 1284 | 0.74 | |
| 87 | Montana State University | 24400 | 24400 | 0 | 15,142 | 1184 | 0.9938 | |
| 88 | University of Central Oklahoma | 24700 | 34000 | 0.2735 | 10,777 | 1075 | 0.7812 | |
| 89 | Messiah University | 25000 | 54700 | 0.543 | 2,722 | 1266 | 0.8107 | |
| 90 | Binghamton University | 25700 | 32700 | 0.2159 | 14,559 | 1404 | 0.3731 | |
| 90 | University of North Dakota | 25700 | 28600 | 0.1014 | 11,837 | 1189 | 0.8157 | |
| 92 | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | 26000 | 28400 | 0.0843 | 2,216 | 1268 | 0.7987 | |
| 93 | Stony Brook University | 26100 | 33200 | 0.2129 | 18,616 | 1410 | 0.4818 | |
| 93 | University of Akron Main Campus | 26100 | 28000 | 0.0677 | 11,691 | 1074 | 0.7722 | |
| 93 | University of Evansville | 26100 | 64700 | 0.5968 | 1,920 | 1174 | 0.9412 | |
| 96 | George Fox University | 26400 | 92800 | 0.7157 | 3,530 | 1168 | 0.9282 | |
| 97 | Trine University | 26500 | 56100 | 0.5279 | 4,373 | 1159 | 0.8548 | |
| 97 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | 26500 | 46500 | 0.43 | 11,959 | 1260 | 0.8818 | |
| 99 | University of Mount Union | 27100 | 56300 | 0.5194 | 2,207 | 1089 | 0.782 | |
| 100 | Marquette University | 28000 | 63800 | 0.5612 | 8,206 | 1304 | 0.7802 | |
| 101 | University of Hartford | 28400 | 70100 | 0.5943 | 4,223 | 1224 | 0.9579 | |
| 102 | University of Utah | 28600 | 32000 | 0.1061 | 29,335 | 1222 | 0.9015 | |
| 103 | Oregon State University | 28800 | 36700 | 0.216 | 31,253 | 1272 | 0.773 | |
| 104 | University of Connecticut | 29200 | 55500 | 0.4737 | 20,056 | 1329 | 0.5239 | |
| 104 | University of Toledo | 29200 | 32600 | 0.1041 | 10,726 | 1134 | 0.8889 | |
| 106 | University of Iowa | 29700 | 32100 | 0.0746 | 23,407 | 1203 | 0.799 | |
| 106 | University of Southern California | 29700 | 98300 | 0.698 | 20,768 | 1499 | 0.1119 | |
| 108 | Lawrence Technological University | 30000 | 99100 | 0.6976 | 2,661 | 1149 | 0.8101 | |
| 109 | Gannon University | 30500 | 52900 | 0.4238 | 2,768 | 1174 | 0.7416 | |
| 110 | Alfred University | 30600 | 67100 | 0.544 | 1,478 | 1229 | 0.48 | |
| 110 | California State University-Long Beach | 30600 | 38800 | 0.2113 | 36,056 | 1135 | 0.4543 | |
| 110 | Marymount University | 30600 | 99100 | 0.6911 | 2,503 | 1095 | 0.9316 | |
| 113 | Indiana University-Indianapolis | 30800 | 33200 | 0.0722 | 14,834 | 1149 | 0.7803 | |
| 113 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 30800 | 78300 | 0.6067 | 14,267 | 1363 | 0.6693 | |
| 115 | University of Vermont | 31700 | 71700 | 0.5582 | 12,159 | 1372 | 0.7304 | |
| 116 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 32000 | 54400 | 0.4117 | 35,248 | 1289 | 0.6939 | |
| 116 | Rockhurst University | 32000 | 62500 | 0.4871 | 1,964 | 1159 | 0.9392 | |
| 118 | Milwaukee School of Engineering | 33000 | 72600 | 0.5451 | 2,836 | 1283 | 0.6711 | |
| 119 | Harding University | 33400 | 47800 | 0.3012 | 3,536 | 1184 | 0.7052 | |
| 120 | The College of New Jersey | 33600 | 46400 | 0.2757 | 7,433 | 1243 | 0.6148 | |
| 121 | Regis College | 33800 | 74300 | 0.5455 | 987 | 965 | 0.6979 | |
| 122 | Wichita State University | 34000 | 42200 | 0.1944 | 14,906 | 1065 | 0.7224 | |
| 123 | George Washington University | 34400 | 81800 | 0.5796 | 11,495 | 1436 | 0.4713 | |
| 124 | California Baptist University | 34700 | 69800 | 0.5026 | 8,707 | 1024 | 0.8139 | |
| 125 | Valparaiso University | 34900 | 62700 | 0.4428 | 2,056 | 1183 | 0.8994 | |
| 126 | New York Institute of Technology | 35300 | 83600 | 0.5781 | 3,646 | 1298 | 0.8102 | |
| 126 | Stevenson University | 35300 | 59900 | 0.4105 | 3,154 | 1100 | 0.8006 | |
| 128 | Temple University | 35700 | 57200 | 0.3756 | 21,031 | 1172 | 0.8622 | |
| 129 | Western New England University | 36000 | 70600 | 0.4899 | 2,616 | 1199 | 0.8348 | |
| 130 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 36200 | 54400 | 0.3346 | 32,041 | 1324 | 0.4358 | |
| 131 | Rowan University | 36600 | 53600 | 0.317 | 17,157 | 1204 | 0.7654 | |
| 132 | University of Rhode Island | 37400 | 58400 | 0.3595 | 14,466 | 1197 | 0.7456 | |
| 132 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 66700 | 0.4394 | 31,536 | 1366 | 0.5457 | |
| 134 | Widener University | 37900 | 79400 | 0.5228 | 2,975 | 1179 | 0.7093 | |
| 135 | University of Illinois Chicago | 38300 | 51400 | 0.2551 | 24,260 | 1174 | 0.7576 | |
| 136 | Loyola University Chicago | 38800 | 73100 | 0.469 | 12,640 | 1262 | 0.751 | |
| 137 | Mississippi State University | 39000 | 53400 | 0.2695 | 19,093 | 1205 | 0.8363 | |
| 138 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania | 39500 | 42800 | 0.0772 | 14,657 | 1190 | 0.7583 | |
| 139 | Drexel University | 39600 | 86400 | 0.5417 | 12,318 | 1354 | 0.699 | |
| 140 | Endicott College | 39700 | 65700 | 0.3957 | 3,195 | 1275 | 0.7121 | |
| 141 | University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth | 40100 | 59200 | 0.3224 | 5,986 | 1110 | 0.8916 | |
| 142 | Johnson & Wales University-Providence | 40400 | 66000 | 0.3882 | 3,908 | 1050 | 0.8844 | |
| 142 | University of California-Los Angeles | 40400 | 81800 | 0.5061 | 33,534 | 1399 | 0.0941 | |
| 144 | Fairfield University | 41900 | 84400 | 0.5037 | 5,671 | 1345 | 0.2505 | |
| 145 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | 42000 | 43400 | 0.0322 | 9,827 | 1329 | 0.6737 | |
| 146 | Saint Louis University | 42400 | 84300 | 0.4968 | 9,331 | 1250 | 0.7499 | |
| 147 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | 42500 | 63300 | 0.3285 | 10,900 | 1222 | 0.8914 | |
| 148 | University of Maryland-College Park | 42900 | 58600 | 0.2679 | 31,875 | 1456 | 0.4503 | |
| 149 | Florida Institute of Technology | 43300 | 68700 | 0.3694 | 4,279 | 1234 | 0.5796 | |
| 150 | Wentworth Institute of Technology | 44000 | 71800 | 0.3872 | 4,182 | 1317 | 0.8783 | |
| 151 | LeTourneau University | 44600 | 57300 | 0.2215 | 2,903 | 1242 | 0.4879 | |
| 151 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell | 44600 | 56600 | 0.2119 | 12,122 | 1283 | 0.8296 | |
| 153 | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | 44800 | 83500 | 0.4633 | 2,160 | 1374 | 0.809 | |
| 154 | Duquesne University | 45100 | 70500 | 0.3602 | 5,382 | 1252 | 0.8639 | |
| 155 | University at Buffalo | 46400 | 46400 | 0 | 21,192 | 1309 | 0.8059 | |
| 156 | University of Delaware | 47700 | 62500 | 0.2377 | 19,287 | 1302 | 0.6924 | |
| 157 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48300 | 51200 | 0.0565 | 43,633 | 1342 | 0.4343 | |
| 158 | University of Kentucky | 48500 | 59900 | 0.1909 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 159 | Stevens Institute of Technology | 48800 | 86200 | 0.434 | 4,206 | 1430 | 0.5068 | |
| 160 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 49400 | 58800 | 0.1599 | 25,054 | 1225 | 0.7762 | |
| 161 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 49900 | 64700 | 0.2288 | 46,627 | 1366 | 0.492 | |
| 162 | The University of Texas at Austin | 50300 | 59100 | 0.1488 | 44,314 | 1356 | 0.2222 | |
| 162 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 50300 | 85400 | 0.4112 | 5,461 | 1292 | 0.6189 | |
| 164 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 50800 | 63800 | 0.2038 | 42,565 | 1339 | 0.7887 | |
| 165 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 51100 | 86300 | 0.4079 | 5,833 | 1440 | 0.6725 | |
| 166 | University of California-Berkeley | 51700 | 76600 | 0.3249 | 33,513 | 1407 | 0.1145 | |
| 167 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 53200 | 53300 | 0.0019 | 34,447 | 1273 | 0.8804 | |
| 168 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 53500 | 63400 | 0.1562 | 24,019 | 1404 | 0.5989 | |
| 169 | Tulane University of Louisiana | 53900 | 96100 | 0.439 | 6,839 | 1469 | 0.1446 | |
| 170 | University of California-San Diego | 55700 | 79600 | 0.3001 | 35,442 | 1375 | 0.2856 | |
| 171 | Michigan Technological University | 55800 | 55800 | 0 | 6,009 | 1247 | 0.8546 | |
| 172 | George Mason University | 56100 | 61400 | 0.0864 | 28,862 | 1271 | 0.8647 | |
| 173 | Dartmouth College | 56800 | 96800 | 0.4133 | 4,715 | 1485 | 0.0602 | |
| 174 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 58300 | 63700 | 0.0848 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 175 | Hofstra University | 59100 | 83300 | 0.2906 | 6,599 | 1369 | 0.7267 | |
| 176 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 60600 | 67600 | 0.1035 | 40,996 | 1399 | 0.4175 | |
| 177 | Clemson University | 61300 | 63700 | 0.0376 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 | |
| 178 | Hawaii Pacific University | 63400 | 65800 | 0.0364 | 3,468 | 1200 | 0.8855 | |
| 179 | University of California-Davis | 68300 | 69900 | 0.0229 | 31,695 | 1290 | 0.4435 | |
| 180 | Santa Clara University | 69300 | 85400 | 0.1885 | 6,695 | 1399 | 0.4788 | |
| 181 | University of California-Irvine | 72100 | 75200 | 0.0412 | 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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