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 | College of the Ozarks | 6600 | 38400 | 0.8291 | 1,454 | 1135 | 0.1199 | |
| 2 | University of Pennsylvania | 9200 | 92900 | 0.9009 | 11,478 | 1536 | 0.054 | |
| 3 | Grinnell College | 9300 | 91400 | 0.8984 | 1,788 | 1462 | 0.1451 | |
| 4 | Dine College | 10200 | 13700 | 0.2546 | 1,423 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Georgetown College | 11100 | 61900 | 0.8205 | 1,111 | 1120 | 0.9106 | |
| 6 | Georgetown University | 11200 | 92700 | 0.8792 | 7,833 | 1457 | 0.1291 | |
| 7 | Cornell University | 11500 | 93100 | 0.8767 | 16,128 | 1521 | 0.0876 | |
| 8 | Eastern Kentucky University | 11800 | 22900 | 0.4856 | 13,448 | 1110 | 0.7761 | |
| 9 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 11900 | 25700 | 0.5363 | 46,815 | 1378 | 0.6057 | |
| 10 | University of West Florida | 12000 | 21500 | 0.4413 | 9,970 | 1149 | 0.5824 | |
| 11 | Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi | 12100 | 28900 | 0.5822 | 8,320 | 1090 | 0.8858 | |
| 12 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 12500 | 28100 | 0.5551 | 8,553 | 1045 | 0.8688 | |
| 13 | University of South Florida | 12900 | 17100 | 0.2454 | 38,525 | 1239 | 0.4319 | |
| 14 | University of Michigan-Flint | 13000 | 46300 | 0.719 | 5,011 | 1109 | 0.7046 | |
| 15 | California State University-Bakersfield | 13300 | 45000 | 0.7049 | 8,865 | 925 | 0.9385 | |
| 16 | Missouri State University-Springfield | 13500 | 25700 | 0.4747 | 20,584 | 1134 | 0.9053 | |
| 17 | Peru State College | 13600 | 22300 | 0.3887 | 1,308 | 0 | 0 | |
| 17 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 19 | University of Houston | 13700 | 22000 | 0.3766 | 39,257 | 1249 | 0.7392 | |
| 20 | Baptist Health Sciences University | 14100 | 26600 | 0.4691 | 782 | 1020 | 0.8202 | |
| 20 | Union College | 14100 | 92400 | 0.8473 | 2,065 | 1393 | 0.4392 | |
| 22 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Greater Allegheny | 14200 | 40600 | 0.6496 | 352 | 1180 | 0.9647 | |
| 23 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5048 | 11,348 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 24 | Central Michigan University | 14400 | 37800 | 0.6183 | 10,193 | 1095 | 0.8982 | |
| 25 | Northeastern University | 15000 | 89900 | 0.8331 | 17,432 | 1490 | 0.0522 | |
| 26 | Western Michigan University | 15300 | 26500 | 0.423 | 13,027 | 1115 | 0.846 | |
| 27 | Sam Houston State University | 15800 | 30300 | 0.4782 | 17,787 | 1030 | 0.9026 | |
| 27 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 15800 | 38500 | 0.5888 | 37,140 | 1406 | 0.4237 | |
| 29 | Oakland University | 16000 | 28200 | 0.4329 | 12,587 | 1130 | 0.8784 | |
| 30 | Waynesburg University | 16600 | 45000 | 0.6305 | 1,030 | 1093 | 0.8982 | |
| 31 | University of Lynchburg | 17600 | 54900 | 0.6796 | 1,595 | 1104 | 0.4301 | |
| 32 | Delaware State University | 17900 | 42200 | 0.5752 | 4,581 | 930 | 0.4658 | |
| 33 | North Carolina Central University | 18400 | 27600 | 0.3331 | 6,595 | 1060 | 0.8696 | |
| 34 | University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus | 18900 | 31400 | 0.3981 | 13,921 | 1119 | 0.7468 | |
| 35 | Scripps College | 19000 | 94900 | 0.8002 | 1,117 | 1475 | 0.3829 | |
| 36 | University of Central Oklahoma | 19100 | 22700 | 0.1586 | 10,777 | 1075 | 0.7812 | |
| 37 | University of Rhode Island | 19200 | 33900 | 0.4337 | 14,376 | 1148 | 0.7216 | |
| 38 | University of South Alabama | 19300 | 22400 | 0.1387 | 9,241 | 1140 | 0.7096 | |
| 39 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 19400 | 29900 | 0.3535 | 60,710 | 1278 | 0.5743 | |
| 40 | University of Northern Iowa | 19700 | 24000 | 0.1782 | 7,711 | 1129 | 0.9274 | |
| 41 | La Sierra University | 19800 | 65900 | 0.6992 | 1,226 | 1025 | 0.915 | |
| 42 | Ouachita Baptist University | 19900 | 58200 | 0.6583 | 1,729 | 1209 | 0.6752 | |
| 43 | Daemen University | 20000 | 55100 | 0.6371 | 1,653 | 1050 | 0.6826 | |
| 43 | The College of Idaho | 20000 | 59900 | 0.6661 | 1,041 | 1189 | 0.491 | |
| 45 | North Park University | 20200 | 53200 | 0.6202 | 1,841 | 1075 | 0.6851 | |
| 46 | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry | 20300 | 29300 | 0.3067 | 2,381 | 1239 | 0.6328 | |
| 47 | Dakota State University | 20400 | 22500 | 0.0912 | 3,066 | 1192 | 0.8805 | |
| 48 | University of California-Santa Cruz | 20600 | 42900 | 0.5204 | 17,940 | 1281 | 0.6579 | |
| 49 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | 20700 | 39200 | 0.4722 | 11,355 | 1222 | 0.8816 | |
| 50 | Thomas University | 21100 | 25300 | 0.1662 | 1,022 | 1110 | 0.383 | |
| 51 | University of Wisconsin-River Falls | 21600 | 24000 | 0.1032 | 4,880 | 1124 | 0.8172 | |
| 52 | Niagara University | 21800 | 57400 | 0.62 | 2,692 | 1160 | 0.8737 | |
| 53 | South Dakota State University | 21900 | 25200 | 0.1301 | 10,719 | 1120 | 0.9834 | |
| 54 | McDaniel College | 22000 | 63900 | 0.6553 | 1,620 | 1155 | 0.7793 | |
| 55 | Grand Valley State University | 22100 | 35900 | 0.3849 | 19,002 | 1084 | 0.8302 | |
| 56 | Newman University | 22200 | 54000 | 0.5893 | 2,529 | 1069 | 0.7398 | |
| 57 | Buena Vista University | 22400 | 59100 | 0.6212 | 1,436 | 1124 | 0.7761 | |
| 57 | State University of New York at Plattsburgh | 22400 | 43200 | 0.4816 | 3,825 | 1175 | 0.7841 | |
| 59 | St Lawrence University | 22600 | 87800 | 0.7424 | 1,949 | 1359 | 0.5434 | |
| 60 | Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences | 22700 | 56900 | 0.6007 | 533 | 1244 | 0.5269 | |
| 61 | Oklahoma City University | 22800 | 64400 | 0.6461 | 1,514 | 1174 | 0.7702 | |
| 62 | Saint Cloud State University | 22900 | 36800 | 0.3772 | 8,738 | 1079 | 0.948 | |
| 63 | Houghton University | 23200 | 44300 | 0.4763 | 1,162 | 1277 | 0.8866 | |
| 63 | Missouri Southern State University | 23200 | 26700 | 0.1311 | 3,881 | 1074 | 0.9703 | |
| 65 | Millikin University | 23700 | 43700 | 0.4572 | 1,495 | 1020 | 0.6668 | |
| 65 | University of South Dakota | 23700 | 26000 | 0.0876 | 7,619 | 1120 | 0.9878 | |
| 67 | Bradley University | 24100 | 49900 | 0.5161 | 3,596 | 1223 | 0.7676 | |
| 67 | Vanguard University of Southern California | 24100 | 57300 | 0.5793 | 1,960 | 1100 | 0.6244 | |
| 69 | Saint Ambrose University | 24200 | 55400 | 0.5628 | 1,939 | 1085 | 0.7733 | |
| 70 | Southwestern Adventist University | 24300 | 43200 | 0.4376 | 758 | 1064 | 0.7836 | |
| 71 | King's College | 24500 | 63100 | 0.6121 | 1,568 | 1170 | 0.9311 | |
| 72 | Huntingdon College | 24600 | 44400 | 0.4457 | 880 | 1130 | 0.6949 | |
| 72 | University of Saint Mary | 24600 | 53700 | 0.5416 | 1,027 | 1040 | 0.8663 | |
| 74 | Guilford College | 24700 | 57400 | 0.5696 | 1,132 | 1100 | 0.8 | |
| 75 | Franklin College | 24900 | 61800 | 0.5962 | 931 | 1150 | 0.698 | |
| 76 | Brewton-Parker Christian University | 25300 | 34300 | 0.2618 | 1,234 | 990 | 0.9649 | |
| 76 | Roberts Wesleyan University | 25300 | 60200 | 0.58 | 1,393 | 1142 | 0.7063 | |
| 78 | Northern Arizona University | 25500 | 43200 | 0.41 | 22,990 | 1090 | 0.8961 | |
| 79 | Christian Brothers University | 25800 | 57600 | 0.5512 | 1,155 | 1110 | 0.867 | |
| 79 | Saginaw Valley State University | 25800 | 38900 | 0.3366 | 6,135 | 1055 | 0.7207 | |
| 79 | Seattle Pacific University | 25800 | 70000 | 0.6314 | 1,776 | 1180 | 0.834 | |
| 82 | Minnesota State University Moorhead | 26000 | 28300 | 0.0806 | 3,375 | 1090 | 0.5876 | |
| 82 | Salem State University | 26000 | 43200 | 0.3984 | 4,867 | 1075 | 0.9588 | |
| 84 | University of Evansville | 26100 | 64700 | 0.5966 | 1,742 | 1174 | 0.776 | |
| 85 | University of Minnesota Duluth | 27100 | 31100 | 0.128 | 8,426 | 1235 | 0.8875 | |
| 86 | Wilmington College | 27400 | 48200 | 0.4311 | 1,006 | 1020 | 0.924 | |
| 87 | Mississippi College | 27800 | 45100 | 0.3834 | 2,883 | 1110 | 0.2911 | |
| 87 | Morehead State University | 27800 | 32600 | 0.1471 | 8,258 | 1140 | 0.7721 | |
| 89 | George Fox University | 28300 | 69400 | 0.5925 | 3,354 | 1193 | 0.9351 | |
| 90 | University of Akron Main Campus | 28500 | 32300 | 0.1176 | 11,160 | 1069 | 0.5967 | |
| 91 | New England College | 28800 | 65800 | 0.5624 | 1,032 | 930 | 0.9213 | |
| 91 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | 28800 | 36700 | 0.2151 | 28,674 | 980 | 0.9419 | |
| 91 | University of Iowa | 28800 | 31100 | 0.0733 | 22,738 | 1208 | 0.8362 | |
| 94 | Russell Sage College | 29000 | 59500 | 0.5129 | 1,247 | 1010 | 0.5326 | |
| 95 | Marquette University | 29100 | 63800 | 0.544 | 8,045 | 1309 | 0.8134 | |
| 96 | Southern Adventist University | 29700 | 46900 | 0.3665 | 2,929 | 1134 | 0.655 | |
| 97 | Edgewood College | 29800 | 51900 | 0.4259 | 1,236 | 1125 | 0.7573 | |
| 98 | West Virginia Wesleyan College | 30000 | 53800 | 0.4423 | 971 | 1030 | 0.9334 | |
| 99 | Mercy University | 30100 | 44500 | 0.3237 | 6,774 | 1135 | 0.8584 | |
| 100 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 30300 | 78100 | 0.6118 | 14,267 | 1381 | 0.6693 | |
| 101 | Oklahoma Baptist University | 30400 | 54700 | 0.4443 | 1,427 | 1025 | 0.4941 | |
| 102 | Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia | 30800 | 77600 | 0.6029 | 5,044 | 1274 | 0.8883 | |
| 102 | University of Pikeville | 30800 | 34800 | 0.1151 | 1,540 | 1055 | 1 | |
| 104 | Taylor University | 31100 | 59100 | 0.4738 | 2,503 | 1229 | 0.7353 | |
| 105 | University of North Florida | 31300 | 33000 | 0.0516 | 13,735 | 1150 | 0.5324 | |
| 106 | St. Andrews University | 31400 | 44700 | 0.297 | 628 | 991 | 0.648 | |
| 107 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg | 32200 | 40900 | 0.2127 | 4,047 | 1219 | 0.976 | |
| 108 | Alverno College | 33200 | 55500 | 0.4015 | 673 | 1000 | 0.8574 | |
| 108 | Liberty University | 33200 | 44600 | 0.2556 | 52,961 | 1174 | 0.9898 | |
| 110 | Tarleton State University | 33300 | 33300 | 0 | 15,254 | 1080 | 0.8955 | |
| 111 | California Baptist University | 33400 | 65600 | 0.4908 | 8,417 | 1070 | 0.8488 | |
| 112 | Auburn University | 33700 | 34100 | 0.0117 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4592 | |
| 112 | Elizabethtown College | 33700 | 55300 | 0.3907 | 1,903 | 1214 | 0.7787 | |
| 114 | LeTourneau University | 33900 | 54800 | 0.3817 | 3,187 | 1178 | 0.3801 | |
| 115 | Springfield College | 34100 | 66300 | 0.4858 | 1,763 | 1244 | 0.7189 | |
| 116 | Beloit College | 34500 | 81400 | 0.5758 | 1,004 | 1299 | 0.6304 | |
| 116 | Texas Southern University | 34500 | 42500 | 0.1883 | 6,844 | 915 | 0.9691 | |
| 118 | Trevecca Nazarene University | 34600 | 50900 | 0.32 | 1,903 | 1085 | 0.6944 | |
| 118 | Washburn University | 34600 | 38400 | 0.0989 | 5,331 | 1095 | 0.9551 | |
| 120 | Adelphi University | 35100 | 63300 | 0.4465 | 5,325 | 1237 | 0.6591 | |
| 120 | University of New England | 35100 | 68000 | 0.4841 | 3,884 | 1145 | 0.9163 | |
| 122 | New York Institute of Technology | 35400 | 83600 | 0.5769 | 3,646 | 1298 | 0.8102 | |
| 123 | Siena College | 35900 | 65100 | 0.4486 | 3,467 | 1254 | 0.6902 | |
| 124 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville | 36400 | 41600 | 0.1268 | 5,386 | 1050 | 0.9092 | |
| 125 | Loyola University Maryland | 36700 | 78800 | 0.5343 | 3,881 | 1303 | 0.7549 | |
| 126 | Concordia University Ann Arbor | 37200 | 57000 | 0.3472 | 755 | 1163 | 0.6925 | |
| 127 | Marymount Manhattan College | 37600 | 69900 | 0.4621 | 1,601 | 1224 | 0.8261 | |
| 127 | Northwest Nazarene University | 37600 | 62800 | 0.4011 | 1,043 | 1134 | 0.6474 | |
| 129 | Nazareth University | 37700 | 63300 | 0.4045 | 1,882 | 1211 | 0.7472 | |
| 129 | Union Adventist University | 37700 | 51200 | 0.2625 | 625 | 1075 | 1 | |
| 131 | Saint Joseph's College of Maine | 38100 | 65000 | 0.4136 | 1,097 | 1055 | 0.8351 | |
| 132 | Howard Payne University | 38200 | 54500 | 0.2987 | 751 | 1043 | 0.6737 | |
| 133 | Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale | 38300 | 63000 | 0.3923 | 18,071 | 0 | 0.9697 | |
| 134 | Oakwood University | 38500 | 43300 | 0.1105 | 1,177 | 1005 | 0.4522 | |
| 135 | Alvernia University | 38700 | 69400 | 0.4422 | 2,192 | 1195 | 0.5806 | |
| 136 | State University of New York at Cortland | 38800 | 39900 | 0.0276 | 5,911 | 1175 | 0.5979 | |
| 137 | New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | 39100 | 44400 | 0.119 | 1,066 | 1197 | 0.4449 | |
| 138 | Cumberland University | 39200 | 47500 | 0.1745 | 2,745 | 1055 | 0.6733 | |
| 139 | Xavier University | 39300 | 68100 | 0.4232 | 4,239 | 1218 | 0.8641 | |
| 140 | University of Central Florida | 39700 | 39700 | 0 | 59,552 | 1280 | 0.4011 | |
| 141 | Fresno Pacific University | 39900 | 52200 | 0.2352 | 1,545 | 1099 | 0.6407 | |
| 142 | Concordia University-Wisconsin | 41200 | 57000 | 0.2773 | 2,401 | 1209 | 0.782 | |
| 142 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | 41200 | 42300 | 0.026 | 11,959 | 1260 | 0.8818 | |
| 144 | Montreat College | 41800 | 58100 | 0.2803 | 781 | 1164 | 0.692 | |
| 145 | Susquehanna University | 42000 | 76800 | 0.4533 | 2,246 | 1204 | 0.8143 | |
| 146 | Mount Saint Mary's University | 42900 | 80700 | 0.4683 | 1,731 | 1015 | 0.7313 | |
| 147 | Florida Institute of Technology | 43300 | 68600 | 0.3686 | 3,666 | 1224 | 0.577 | |
| 148 | Radford University | 43500 | 45700 | 0.0499 | 6,161 | 1070 | 0.8953 | |
| 149 | University at Buffalo | 43900 | 46700 | 0.06 | 20,359 | 1303 | 0.7418 | |
| 150 | Marist University | 44100 | 75800 | 0.4181 | 5,551 | 1279 | 0.5651 | |
| 151 | Florida Atlantic University | 44400 | 44400 | 0 | 24,876 | 1130 | 0.6613 | |
| 152 | St. John's University-New York | 44500 | 78000 | 0.4292 | 15,640 | 1249 | 0.8343 | |
| 153 | Quinnipiac University | 44800 | 79200 | 0.4343 | 6,557 | 1245 | 0.7215 | |
| 154 | University of Georgia | 45900 | 51600 | 0.1108 | 32,399 | 1382 | 0.377 | |
| 155 | Biola University | 47100 | 71200 | 0.3386 | 3,481 | 1268 | 0.7435 | |
| 156 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48500 | 51200 | 0.0543 | 44,819 | 1327 | 0.4987 | |
| 157 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 52900 | 61200 | 0.1353 | 26,221 | 1204 | 0.8854 | |
| 158 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 53300 | 53300 | 0 | 33,033 | 1264 | 0.8529 | |
| 159 | Rowan University | 53600 | 53600 | 0 | 16,100 | 1219 | 0.7766 | |
| 160 | University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis | 57500 | 61400 | 0.0635 | 343 | 1125 | 0.8984 | |
| 161 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 58200 | 64100 | 0.092 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 162 | Indiana University-Bloomington | 60700 | 63000 | 0.0362 | 38,093 | 1302 | 0.7821 | |
| 163 | University of California-Davis | 69800 | 69800 | 0 | 32,273 | 1290 | 0.4183 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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