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 | Grinnell College | 9400 | 91400 | 0.8973 | 1,788 | 1462 | 0.1451 | |
| 3 | University of Pennsylvania | 9500 | 92900 | 0.8977 | 11,478 | 1536 | 0.054 | |
| 4 | Dine College | 10200 | 13700 | 0.2546 | 1,423 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | University of California-Davis | 10200 | 38100 | 0.7328 | 32,273 | 1290 | 0.4183 | |
| 6 | Georgetown College | 11100 | 61900 | 0.8205 | 1,111 | 1120 | 0.9106 | |
| 7 | Georgetown University | 11300 | 92700 | 0.8781 | 7,833 | 1457 | 0.1291 | |
| 8 | Cornell University | 11800 | 93100 | 0.8735 | 16,128 | 1521 | 0.0876 | |
| 8 | Eastern Kentucky University | 11800 | 22900 | 0.4856 | 13,448 | 1110 | 0.7761 | |
| 8 | University of Wisconsin-River Falls | 11800 | 20500 | 0.4246 | 4,880 | 1124 | 0.8172 | |
| 11 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 11900 | 25700 | 0.5363 | 46,815 | 1378 | 0.6057 | |
| 12 | University of Central Florida | 12000 | 25300 | 0.525 | 59,552 | 1280 | 0.4011 | |
| 13 | Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi | 12100 | 28900 | 0.5822 | 8,320 | 1090 | 0.8858 | |
| 14 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 12500 | 28100 | 0.5551 | 8,553 | 1045 | 0.8688 | |
| 15 | New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | 12600 | 25900 | 0.5145 | 1,066 | 1197 | 0.4449 | |
| 15 | University of North Florida | 12600 | 22400 | 0.438 | 13,735 | 1150 | 0.5324 | |
| 17 | University of South Florida | 12900 | 17100 | 0.2454 | 38,525 | 1239 | 0.4319 | |
| 18 | University of Michigan-Flint | 13000 | 46300 | 0.719 | 5,011 | 1109 | 0.7046 | |
| 19 | Peru State College | 13600 | 22300 | 0.3899 | 1,308 | 0 | 0 | |
| 19 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 21 | University of Georgia | 13700 | 26600 | 0.485 | 32,399 | 1382 | 0.377 | |
| 21 | University of Houston | 13700 | 22000 | 0.3766 | 39,257 | 1249 | 0.7392 | |
| 23 | California State University-Bakersfield | 13900 | 30600 | 0.5459 | 8,865 | 925 | 0.9385 | |
| 24 | Baptist Health Sciences University | 14100 | 26600 | 0.4691 | 782 | 1020 | 0.8202 | |
| 24 | Union College | 14100 | 92400 | 0.8473 | 2,065 | 1393 | 0.4392 | |
| 26 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5048 | 11,348 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 26 | Saginaw Valley State University | 14300 | 30100 | 0.5239 | 6,135 | 1055 | 0.7207 | |
| 28 | Central Michigan University | 14400 | 37800 | 0.6183 | 10,193 | 1095 | 0.8982 | |
| 29 | Northeastern University | 15000 | 89900 | 0.8331 | 17,432 | 1490 | 0.0522 | |
| 30 | Western Michigan University | 15300 | 26500 | 0.423 | 13,027 | 1115 | 0.846 | |
| 31 | Radford University | 15500 | 32000 | 0.5138 | 6,161 | 1070 | 0.8953 | |
| 31 | University of Central Oklahoma | 15500 | 28700 | 0.46 | 10,777 | 1075 | 0.7812 | |
| 33 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville | 15700 | 25800 | 0.392 | 5,386 | 1050 | 0.9092 | |
| 34 | Sam Houston State University | 15800 | 30300 | 0.4782 | 17,787 | 1030 | 0.9026 | |
| 35 | Waynesburg University | 16600 | 45000 | 0.6306 | 1,030 | 1093 | 0.8982 | |
| 36 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Greater Allegheny | 16800 | 44500 | 0.6221 | 352 | 1180 | 0.9647 | |
| 37 | Missouri State University-Springfield | 17200 | 25700 | 0.3307 | 20,584 | 1134 | 0.9053 | |
| 38 | University of Lynchburg | 17500 | 54900 | 0.6801 | 1,595 | 1104 | 0.4301 | |
| 39 | Delaware State University | 17900 | 42200 | 0.5752 | 4,581 | 930 | 0.4658 | |
| 40 | North Carolina Central University | 18400 | 27600 | 0.3331 | 6,595 | 1060 | 0.8696 | |
| 41 | State University of New York at Plattsburgh | 18800 | 32000 | 0.4129 | 3,825 | 1175 | 0.7841 | |
| 42 | University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus | 18900 | 31400 | 0.3981 | 13,921 | 1119 | 0.7468 | |
| 43 | University of Rhode Island | 19200 | 33900 | 0.4337 | 14,376 | 1148 | 0.7216 | |
| 44 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 19300 | 29900 | 0.3543 | 60,710 | 1278 | 0.5743 | |
| 44 | University of South Alabama | 19300 | 22400 | 0.1387 | 9,241 | 1140 | 0.7096 | |
| 46 | La Sierra University | 19800 | 65900 | 0.6992 | 1,226 | 1025 | 0.915 | |
| 47 | Ouachita Baptist University | 19900 | 58200 | 0.6583 | 1,729 | 1209 | 0.6752 | |
| 48 | Daemen University | 20000 | 55100 | 0.6371 | 1,653 | 1050 | 0.6826 | |
| 48 | The College of Idaho | 20000 | 59900 | 0.6661 | 1,041 | 1189 | 0.491 | |
| 50 | North Park University | 20300 | 53200 | 0.6183 | 1,841 | 1075 | 0.6851 | |
| 50 | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry | 20300 | 29300 | 0.3067 | 2,381 | 1239 | 0.6328 | |
| 52 | Dakota State University | 20400 | 22500 | 0.0912 | 3,066 | 1192 | 0.8805 | |
| 53 | State University of New York at Cortland | 20500 | 27700 | 0.2597 | 5,911 | 1175 | 0.5979 | |
| 54 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | 20700 | 39200 | 0.4722 | 11,355 | 1222 | 0.8816 | |
| 55 | University of Northern Iowa | 20900 | 24000 | 0.1293 | 7,711 | 1129 | 0.9274 | |
| 56 | Thomas University | 21100 | 25300 | 0.1662 | 1,022 | 1110 | 0.383 | |
| 57 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 21800 | 37300 | 0.4156 | 26,221 | 1204 | 0.8854 | |
| 58 | Niagara University | 22000 | 57400 | 0.6165 | 2,692 | 1160 | 0.8737 | |
| 59 | Grand Valley State University | 22100 | 35900 | 0.3849 | 19,002 | 1084 | 0.8302 | |
| 59 | McDaniel College | 22100 | 63900 | 0.6538 | 1,620 | 1155 | 0.7793 | |
| 59 | South Dakota State University | 22100 | 25200 | 0.1231 | 10,719 | 1120 | 0.9834 | |
| 62 | Washburn University | 22200 | 29500 | 0.2478 | 5,331 | 1095 | 0.9551 | |
| 63 | Newman University | 22400 | 54000 | 0.5862 | 2,529 | 1069 | 0.7398 | |
| 64 | Buena Vista University | 22500 | 59100 | 0.6191 | 1,436 | 1124 | 0.7761 | |
| 65 | Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences | 22800 | 56900 | 0.5986 | 533 | 1244 | 0.5269 | |
| 65 | Oklahoma City University | 22800 | 64400 | 0.6461 | 1,514 | 1174 | 0.7702 | |
| 65 | St Lawrence University | 22800 | 87800 | 0.7401 | 1,949 | 1359 | 0.5434 | |
| 68 | Saint Cloud State University | 23100 | 36800 | 0.3725 | 8,738 | 1079 | 0.948 | |
| 69 | Houghton University | 23200 | 44300 | 0.4763 | 1,162 | 1277 | 0.8866 | |
| 69 | Missouri Southern State University | 23200 | 26700 | 0.1311 | 3,881 | 1074 | 0.9703 | |
| 71 | Millikin University | 23800 | 43700 | 0.4549 | 1,495 | 1020 | 0.6668 | |
| 72 | University of South Dakota | 23900 | 26000 | 0.0809 | 7,619 | 1120 | 0.9878 | |
| 73 | Bradley University | 24100 | 49900 | 0.5161 | 3,596 | 1223 | 0.7676 | |
| 73 | Vanguard University of Southern California | 24100 | 57300 | 0.5793 | 1,960 | 1100 | 0.6244 | |
| 75 | Saint Ambrose University | 24200 | 55400 | 0.5628 | 1,939 | 1085 | 0.7733 | |
| 76 | Southwestern Adventist University | 24300 | 43200 | 0.4376 | 758 | 1064 | 0.7836 | |
| 77 | King's College | 24500 | 63100 | 0.6121 | 1,568 | 1170 | 0.9311 | |
| 78 | Huntingdon College | 24700 | 44400 | 0.4434 | 880 | 1130 | 0.6949 | |
| 78 | University of Saint Mary | 24700 | 53700 | 0.5402 | 1,027 | 1040 | 0.8663 | |
| 80 | Guilford College | 24800 | 57400 | 0.5679 | 1,132 | 1100 | 0.8 | |
| 81 | Franklin College | 25100 | 61800 | 0.5943 | 931 | 1150 | 0.698 | |
| 82 | Roberts Wesleyan University | 25300 | 60200 | 0.58 | 1,393 | 1142 | 0.7063 | |
| 83 | Brewton-Parker Christian University | 25500 | 34300 | 0.2567 | 1,234 | 990 | 0.9649 | |
| 84 | Northern Arizona University | 25600 | 43200 | 0.4075 | 22,990 | 1090 | 0.8961 | |
| 85 | Seattle Pacific University | 25800 | 70000 | 0.6314 | 1,776 | 1180 | 0.834 | |
| 86 | Christian Brothers University | 26000 | 57600 | 0.5492 | 1,155 | 1110 | 0.867 | |
| 86 | Salem State University | 26000 | 43200 | 0.3984 | 4,867 | 1075 | 0.9588 | |
| 88 | Minnesota State University Moorhead | 26200 | 28300 | 0.0744 | 3,375 | 1090 | 0.5876 | |
| 88 | University of Evansville | 26200 | 64700 | 0.5954 | 1,742 | 1174 | 0.776 | |
| 90 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 26700 | 41500 | 0.3564 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 91 | University of Minnesota Duluth | 27400 | 32000 | 0.144 | 8,426 | 1235 | 0.8875 | |
| 92 | Rowan University | 27500 | 41300 | 0.3345 | 16,100 | 1219 | 0.7766 | |
| 93 | Wilmington College | 27600 | 48200 | 0.4274 | 1,006 | 1020 | 0.924 | |
| 94 | Morehead State University | 27900 | 32600 | 0.1441 | 8,258 | 1140 | 0.7721 | |
| 94 | Oakland University | 27900 | 39300 | 0.2899 | 12,587 | 1130 | 0.8784 | |
| 96 | Mississippi College | 28000 | 45100 | 0.3795 | 2,883 | 1110 | 0.2911 | |
| 97 | George Fox University | 28300 | 69400 | 0.5925 | 3,354 | 1193 | 0.9351 | |
| 98 | University of Akron Main Campus | 28600 | 32300 | 0.1145 | 11,160 | 1069 | 0.5967 | |
| 99 | New England College | 28800 | 65800 | 0.5624 | 1,032 | 930 | 0.9213 | |
| 99 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | 28800 | 36700 | 0.2151 | 28,674 | 980 | 0.9419 | |
| 101 | University of Iowa | 29000 | 31100 | 0.0677 | 22,738 | 1208 | 0.8362 | |
| 102 | Russell Sage College | 29200 | 59500 | 0.5095 | 1,247 | 1010 | 0.5326 | |
| 103 | Edgewood College | 29800 | 51900 | 0.4259 | 1,236 | 1125 | 0.7573 | |
| 104 | Southern Adventist University | 29900 | 46900 | 0.3627 | 2,929 | 1134 | 0.655 | |
| 105 | Mercy University | 30100 | 44500 | 0.3237 | 6,774 | 1135 | 0.8584 | |
| 106 | West Virginia Wesleyan College | 30200 | 53800 | 0.4391 | 971 | 1030 | 0.9334 | |
| 107 | Oklahoma Baptist University | 30500 | 54700 | 0.4411 | 1,427 | 1025 | 0.4941 | |
| 107 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 30500 | 78100 | 0.6093 | 14,267 | 1381 | 0.6693 | |
| 107 | Scripps College | 30500 | 94900 | 0.6789 | 1,117 | 1475 | 0.3829 | |
| 110 | University of West Florida | 30600 | 38000 | 0.1946 | 9,970 | 1149 | 0.5824 | |
| 111 | Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia | 30800 | 77600 | 0.6029 | 5,044 | 1274 | 0.8883 | |
| 111 | University of Pikeville | 30800 | 34800 | 0.1151 | 1,540 | 1055 | 1 | |
| 113 | Taylor University | 31100 | 59100 | 0.4725 | 2,503 | 1229 | 0.7353 | |
| 114 | St. Andrews University | 31600 | 44700 | 0.2931 | 628 | 991 | 0.648 | |
| 115 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg | 32200 | 40900 | 0.2127 | 4,047 | 1219 | 0.976 | |
| 116 | Marquette University | 32300 | 66500 | 0.5142 | 8,045 | 1309 | 0.8134 | |
| 117 | Liberty University | 33200 | 44600 | 0.2556 | 52,961 | 1174 | 0.9898 | |
| 118 | Tarleton State University | 33300 | 33300 | 0 | 15,254 | 1080 | 0.8955 | |
| 119 | Alverno College | 33400 | 55500 | 0.3983 | 673 | 1000 | 0.8574 | |
| 120 | California Baptist University | 33600 | 65600 | 0.4878 | 8,417 | 1070 | 0.8488 | |
| 121 | Elizabethtown College | 33700 | 55300 | 0.3907 | 1,903 | 1214 | 0.7787 | |
| 122 | LeTourneau University | 34000 | 54800 | 0.3798 | 3,187 | 1178 | 0.3801 | |
| 123 | Springfield College | 34100 | 66300 | 0.4858 | 1,763 | 1244 | 0.7189 | |
| 124 | Texas Southern University | 34500 | 42500 | 0.1883 | 6,844 | 915 | 0.9691 | |
| 125 | Trevecca Nazarene University | 34800 | 50900 | 0.3166 | 1,903 | 1085 | 0.6944 | |
| 126 | Beloit College | 35000 | 81400 | 0.5697 | 1,004 | 1299 | 0.6304 | |
| 127 | Adelphi University | 35200 | 63300 | 0.4438 | 5,325 | 1237 | 0.6591 | |
| 127 | University of New England | 35200 | 68000 | 0.4827 | 3,884 | 1145 | 0.9163 | |
| 129 | New York Institute of Technology | 35500 | 83600 | 0.575 | 3,646 | 1298 | 0.8102 | |
| 130 | Siena College | 35900 | 65100 | 0.4486 | 3,467 | 1254 | 0.6902 | |
| 131 | Loyola University Maryland | 36800 | 78800 | 0.5331 | 3,881 | 1303 | 0.7549 | |
| 132 | Concordia University Ann Arbor | 37300 | 57000 | 0.3454 | 755 | 1163 | 0.6925 | |
| 133 | Northwest Nazarene University | 37600 | 62800 | 0.4011 | 1,043 | 1134 | 0.6474 | |
| 134 | Marymount Manhattan College | 37800 | 69900 | 0.4592 | 1,601 | 1224 | 0.8261 | |
| 135 | Union Adventist University | 37900 | 51200 | 0.2591 | 625 | 1075 | 1 | |
| 136 | Saint Joseph's College of Maine | 38200 | 65000 | 0.4121 | 1,097 | 1055 | 0.8351 | |
| 137 | Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale | 38300 | 63000 | 0.3923 | 18,071 | 0 | 0.9697 | |
| 138 | Howard Payne University | 38400 | 54500 | 0.2955 | 751 | 1043 | 0.6737 | |
| 139 | Oakwood University | 38700 | 43300 | 0.1064 | 1,177 | 1005 | 0.4522 | |
| 140 | Alvernia University | 38900 | 69400 | 0.4394 | 2,192 | 1195 | 0.5806 | |
| 141 | Cumberland University | 39300 | 47500 | 0.1708 | 2,745 | 1055 | 0.6733 | |
| 141 | Xavier University | 39300 | 68100 | 0.4232 | 4,239 | 1218 | 0.8641 | |
| 143 | Nazareth University | 39900 | 67200 | 0.4053 | 1,882 | 1211 | 0.7472 | |
| 144 | Fresno Pacific University | 40100 | 52200 | 0.2318 | 1,545 | 1099 | 0.6407 | |
| 145 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | 41200 | 42300 | 0.026 | 11,959 | 1260 | 0.8818 | |
| 146 | Concordia University-Wisconsin | 41400 | 57000 | 0.2738 | 2,401 | 1209 | 0.782 | |
| 147 | Montreat College | 42000 | 58100 | 0.2773 | 781 | 1164 | 0.692 | |
| 147 | Susquehanna University | 42000 | 76800 | 0.4533 | 2,246 | 1204 | 0.8143 | |
| 149 | Mount Saint Mary's University | 43000 | 80700 | 0.4672 | 1,731 | 1015 | 0.7313 | |
| 150 | Florida Institute of Technology | 43600 | 68700 | 0.3652 | 3,666 | 1224 | 0.577 | |
| 151 | University at Buffalo | 43900 | 46700 | 0.06 | 20,359 | 1303 | 0.7418 | |
| 152 | Marist University | 44100 | 75800 | 0.4181 | 5,551 | 1279 | 0.5651 | |
| 153 | Florida Atlantic University | 44400 | 44400 | 0 | 24,876 | 1130 | 0.6613 | |
| 154 | St. John's University-New York | 44500 | 78000 | 0.4292 | 15,640 | 1249 | 0.8343 | |
| 155 | Quinnipiac University | 44800 | 79200 | 0.4343 | 6,557 | 1245 | 0.7215 | |
| 156 | Biola University | 47300 | 71200 | 0.3358 | 3,481 | 1268 | 0.7435 | |
| 157 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48600 | 51200 | 0.0508 | 44,819 | 1327 | 0.4987 | |
| 158 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 49800 | 62200 | 0.1995 | 37,140 | 1406 | 0.4237 | |
| 159 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 53300 | 53300 | 0 | 33,033 | 1264 | 0.8529 | |
| 160 | University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis | 57500 | 61400 | 0.0635 | 343 | 1125 | 0.8984 | |
| 161 | Auburn University | 58500 | 58500 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4592 | |
| 162 | Indiana University-Bloomington | 60900 | 63000 | 0.0334 | 38,093 | 1302 | 0.7821 | |
| 163 | University of California-Santa Cruz | 82400 | 82400 | 0 | 17,940 | 1281 | 0.6579 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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