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 | |
| 2 | University of Pennsylvania | 9400 | 92900 | 0.8988 | 11,478 | 1536 | 0.054 | |
| 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 | 11300 | 92700 | 0.8781 | 7,833 | 1457 | 0.1291 | |
| 7 | Northern Arizona University | 11600 | 27900 | 0.5837 | 22,990 | 1090 | 0.8961 | |
| 8 | Cornell University | 11700 | 93100 | 0.8745 | 16,128 | 1521 | 0.0876 | |
| 9 | University of Wisconsin-River Falls | 11800 | 20500 | 0.4246 | 4,880 | 1124 | 0.8172 | |
| 10 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 11900 | 25700 | 0.5363 | 46,815 | 1378 | 0.6057 | |
| 11 | University of Central Florida | 12000 | 25300 | 0.525 | 59,552 | 1280 | 0.4011 | |
| 11 | University of Houston | 12000 | 28400 | 0.5781 | 39,257 | 1249 | 0.7392 | |
| 13 | University of North Florida | 12600 | 22400 | 0.438 | 13,735 | 1150 | 0.5324 | |
| 14 | University of South Florida | 12900 | 17100 | 0.2454 | 38,525 | 1239 | 0.4319 | |
| 15 | University of Michigan-Flint | 13000 | 46300 | 0.719 | 5,011 | 1109 | 0.7046 | |
| 16 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | 13200 | 25700 | 0.4862 | 28,674 | 980 | 0.9419 | |
| 17 | California State University-Bakersfield | 13300 | 45000 | 0.7049 | 8,865 | 925 | 0.9385 | |
| 18 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 19 | Peru State College | 13700 | 22300 | 0.3874 | 1,308 | 0 | 0 | |
| 20 | Baptist Health Sciences University | 14100 | 26600 | 0.4691 | 782 | 1020 | 0.8202 | |
| 20 | Grand Valley State University | 14100 | 25300 | 0.4432 | 19,002 | 1084 | 0.8302 | |
| 20 | Union College | 14100 | 92400 | 0.8473 | 2,065 | 1393 | 0.4392 | |
| 23 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Greater Allegheny | 14200 | 40600 | 0.6496 | 352 | 1180 | 0.9647 | |
| 24 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5048 | 11,348 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 25 | Central Michigan University | 14400 | 37800 | 0.6183 | 10,193 | 1095 | 0.8982 | |
| 26 | Northeastern University | 15000 | 89900 | 0.8331 | 17,432 | 1490 | 0.0522 | |
| 27 | Western Michigan University | 15300 | 26500 | 0.423 | 13,027 | 1115 | 0.846 | |
| 28 | Radford University | 15500 | 32000 | 0.5152 | 6,161 | 1070 | 0.8953 | |
| 28 | University of Central Oklahoma | 15500 | 28700 | 0.46 | 10,777 | 1075 | 0.7812 | |
| 30 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 15600 | 31000 | 0.4964 | 8,553 | 1045 | 0.8688 | |
| 30 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville | 15600 | 25800 | 0.3938 | 5,386 | 1050 | 0.9092 | |
| 32 | Sam Houston State University | 15800 | 30300 | 0.4782 | 17,787 | 1030 | 0.9026 | |
| 33 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 15900 | 38500 | 0.5862 | 37,140 | 1406 | 0.4237 | |
| 34 | Oakland University | 16000 | 28200 | 0.4329 | 12,587 | 1130 | 0.8784 | |
| 35 | Waynesburg University | 16600 | 45000 | 0.6305 | 1,030 | 1093 | 0.8982 | |
| 36 | Morehead State University | 16900 | 28000 | 0.3962 | 8,258 | 1140 | 0.7721 | |
| 37 | Missouri State University-Springfield | 17200 | 25700 | 0.3307 | 20,584 | 1134 | 0.9053 | |
| 37 | Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi | 17200 | 20700 | 0.169 | 8,320 | 1090 | 0.8858 | |
| 39 | Salem State University | 17500 | 28500 | 0.3859 | 4,867 | 1075 | 0.9588 | |
| 39 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 17500 | 29900 | 0.4159 | 60,710 | 1278 | 0.5743 | |
| 41 | University of Lynchburg | 17600 | 54900 | 0.6791 | 1,595 | 1104 | 0.4301 | |
| 42 | Delaware State University | 17900 | 42200 | 0.5752 | 4,581 | 930 | 0.4658 | |
| 43 | University of Rhode Island | 19200 | 33900 | 0.4337 | 14,376 | 1148 | 0.7216 | |
| 44 | University of South Alabama | 19300 | 22400 | 0.1387 | 9,241 | 1140 | 0.7096 | |
| 45 | La Sierra University | 19800 | 65900 | 0.6992 | 1,226 | 1025 | 0.915 | |
| 46 | Ouachita Baptist University | 19900 | 58200 | 0.6583 | 1,729 | 1209 | 0.6752 | |
| 47 | Daemen University | 20000 | 55100 | 0.6371 | 1,653 | 1050 | 0.6826 | |
| 47 | The College of Idaho | 20000 | 59900 | 0.6661 | 1,041 | 1189 | 0.491 | |
| 49 | North Park University | 20200 | 53200 | 0.6202 | 1,841 | 1075 | 0.6851 | |
| 50 | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry | 20300 | 29300 | 0.3067 | 2,381 | 1239 | 0.6328 | |
| 51 | State University of New York at Cortland | 20500 | 27700 | 0.2597 | 5,911 | 1175 | 0.5979 | |
| 52 | South Dakota State University | 20600 | 25200 | 0.1844 | 10,719 | 1120 | 0.9834 | |
| 53 | University of Northern Iowa | 20900 | 24000 | 0.1312 | 7,711 | 1129 | 0.9274 | |
| 54 | Tarleton State University | 21000 | 23000 | 0.087 | 15,254 | 1080 | 0.8955 | |
| 55 | Thomas University | 21100 | 25300 | 0.1662 | 1,022 | 1110 | 0.383 | |
| 56 | Niagara University | 21900 | 57400 | 0.6182 | 2,692 | 1160 | 0.8737 | |
| 57 | McDaniel College | 22100 | 63900 | 0.6538 | 1,620 | 1155 | 0.7793 | |
| 57 | Texas Southern University | 22100 | 25500 | 0.1335 | 6,844 | 915 | 0.9691 | |
| 59 | Newman University | 22300 | 54000 | 0.5871 | 2,529 | 1069 | 0.7398 | |
| 59 | State University of New York at Plattsburgh | 22300 | 43200 | 0.4839 | 3,825 | 1175 | 0.7841 | |
| 61 | Buena Vista University | 22500 | 59100 | 0.6197 | 1,436 | 1124 | 0.7761 | |
| 62 | St Lawrence University | 22700 | 87800 | 0.7413 | 1,949 | 1359 | 0.5434 | |
| 63 | Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences | 22800 | 56900 | 0.5991 | 533 | 1244 | 0.5269 | |
| 63 | Oklahoma City University | 22800 | 64400 | 0.6461 | 1,514 | 1174 | 0.7702 | |
| 65 | University of South Dakota | 22900 | 26000 | 0.1211 | 7,619 | 1120 | 0.9878 | |
| 66 | Dakota State University | 23100 | 25600 | 0.0977 | 3,066 | 1192 | 0.8805 | |
| 66 | Saint Cloud State University | 23100 | 36800 | 0.3737 | 8,738 | 1079 | 0.948 | |
| 68 | Houghton University | 23200 | 44300 | 0.4763 | 1,162 | 1277 | 0.8866 | |
| 68 | Missouri Southern State University | 23200 | 26700 | 0.1311 | 3,881 | 1074 | 0.9703 | |
| 70 | Millikin University | 23800 | 43700 | 0.4549 | 1,495 | 1020 | 0.6668 | |
| 71 | Bradley University | 24100 | 49900 | 0.5161 | 3,596 | 1223 | 0.7676 | |
| 71 | Vanguard University of Southern California | 24100 | 57300 | 0.5793 | 1,960 | 1100 | 0.6244 | |
| 73 | Saint Ambrose University | 24200 | 55400 | 0.5628 | 1,939 | 1085 | 0.7733 | |
| 74 | Southwestern Adventist University | 24300 | 43200 | 0.4376 | 758 | 1064 | 0.7836 | |
| 75 | King's College | 24500 | 63100 | 0.6121 | 1,568 | 1170 | 0.9311 | |
| 76 | Guilford College | 24600 | 57400 | 0.5714 | 1,132 | 1100 | 0.8 | |
| 76 | University of Saint Mary | 24600 | 53700 | 0.541 | 1,027 | 1040 | 0.8663 | |
| 78 | Huntingdon College | 24700 | 44400 | 0.4434 | 880 | 1130 | 0.6949 | |
| 79 | Franklin College | 25000 | 61800 | 0.5948 | 931 | 1150 | 0.698 | |
| 80 | Roberts Wesleyan University | 25300 | 60200 | 0.58 | 1,393 | 1142 | 0.7063 | |
| 81 | Brewton-Parker Christian University | 25500 | 34300 | 0.258 | 1,234 | 990 | 0.9649 | |
| 81 | Eastern Kentucky University | 25500 | 38400 | 0.3363 | 13,448 | 1110 | 0.7761 | |
| 83 | Seattle Pacific University | 25800 | 70000 | 0.6314 | 1,776 | 1180 | 0.834 | |
| 84 | Christian Brothers University | 25900 | 57600 | 0.5497 | 1,155 | 1110 | 0.867 | |
| 85 | Saginaw Valley State University | 26000 | 38900 | 0.3332 | 6,135 | 1055 | 0.7207 | |
| 86 | Minnesota State University Moorhead | 26100 | 28300 | 0.076 | 3,375 | 1090 | 0.5876 | |
| 86 | University of Evansville | 26100 | 64700 | 0.5961 | 1,742 | 1174 | 0.776 | |
| 88 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg | 27200 | 37700 | 0.2788 | 4,047 | 1219 | 0.976 | |
| 89 | University of Minnesota Duluth | 27300 | 31100 | 0.1238 | 8,426 | 1235 | 0.8875 | |
| 90 | Rowan University | 27500 | 41300 | 0.3345 | 16,100 | 1219 | 0.7766 | |
| 91 | Wilmington College | 27600 | 48200 | 0.4284 | 1,006 | 1020 | 0.924 | |
| 92 | Mississippi Christian University | 27900 | 45100 | 0.3805 | 2,883 | 1110 | 0.2911 | |
| 93 | George Fox University | 28300 | 69400 | 0.5925 | 3,354 | 1193 | 0.9351 | |
| 94 | University of Akron Main Campus | 28600 | 32300 | 0.1145 | 11,160 | 1069 | 0.5967 | |
| 95 | New England College | 28800 | 65800 | 0.5624 | 1,032 | 930 | 0.9213 | |
| 96 | Russell Sage College | 29100 | 59500 | 0.5112 | 1,247 | 1010 | 0.5326 | |
| 97 | Edgewood College | 29800 | 51900 | 0.4259 | 1,236 | 1125 | 0.7573 | |
| 97 | Southern Adventist University | 29800 | 46900 | 0.3637 | 2,929 | 1134 | 0.655 | |
| 99 | Mercy University | 30100 | 44500 | 0.3237 | 6,774 | 1135 | 0.8584 | |
| 99 | West Virginia Wesleyan College | 30100 | 53800 | 0.4399 | 971 | 1030 | 0.9334 | |
| 101 | North Carolina Central University | 30300 | 40000 | 0.2424 | 6,595 | 1060 | 0.8696 | |
| 102 | Oklahoma Baptist University | 30500 | 54700 | 0.4419 | 1,427 | 1025 | 0.4941 | |
| 102 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 30500 | 78100 | 0.6093 | 14,267 | 1381 | 0.6693 | |
| 102 | Scripps College | 30500 | 94900 | 0.679 | 1,117 | 1475 | 0.3829 | |
| 105 | University of West Florida | 30600 | 38000 | 0.1946 | 9,970 | 1149 | 0.5824 | |
| 106 | Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia | 30800 | 77600 | 0.6029 | 5,044 | 1274 | 0.8883 | |
| 106 | University of Pikeville | 30800 | 34800 | 0.1151 | 1,540 | 1055 | 1 | |
| 108 | Taylor University | 31100 | 59100 | 0.4733 | 2,503 | 1229 | 0.7353 | |
| 109 | St. Andrews University | 31600 | 44700 | 0.2941 | 628 | 991 | 0.648 | |
| 110 | Marquette University | 32300 | 66500 | 0.5142 | 8,045 | 1309 | 0.8134 | |
| 111 | Liberty University | 33200 | 44600 | 0.2556 | 52,961 | 1174 | 0.9898 | |
| 112 | Alverno College | 33300 | 55500 | 0.3991 | 673 | 1000 | 0.8574 | |
| 113 | California Baptist University | 33600 | 65600 | 0.4878 | 8,417 | 1070 | 0.8488 | |
| 114 | Elizabethtown College | 33700 | 55300 | 0.3907 | 1,903 | 1214 | 0.7787 | |
| 115 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 33900 | 36100 | 0.0609 | 33,033 | 1264 | 0.8529 | |
| 116 | LeTourneau University | 34000 | 54800 | 0.3798 | 3,187 | 1178 | 0.3801 | |
| 117 | Springfield College | 34100 | 66300 | 0.4858 | 1,763 | 1244 | 0.7189 | |
| 118 | Trevecca Nazarene University | 34700 | 50900 | 0.3175 | 1,903 | 1085 | 0.6944 | |
| 118 | Washburn University | 34700 | 38400 | 0.0963 | 5,331 | 1095 | 0.9551 | |
| 120 | Beloit College | 35000 | 81400 | 0.5697 | 1,004 | 1299 | 0.6304 | |
| 121 | Adelphi University | 35200 | 63300 | 0.4445 | 5,325 | 1237 | 0.6591 | |
| 121 | University of New England | 35200 | 68000 | 0.4827 | 3,884 | 1145 | 0.9163 | |
| 123 | New York Institute of Technology | 35500 | 83600 | 0.5755 | 3,646 | 1298 | 0.8102 | |
| 124 | Siena College | 35900 | 65100 | 0.4486 | 3,467 | 1254 | 0.6902 | |
| 125 | Loyola University Maryland | 36700 | 78800 | 0.5343 | 3,881 | 1303 | 0.7549 | |
| 126 | Concordia University Ann Arbor | 37300 | 57000 | 0.3454 | 755 | 1163 | 0.6925 | |
| 127 | Northwest Nazarene University | 37600 | 62800 | 0.4011 | 1,043 | 1134 | 0.6474 | |
| 128 | Marymount Manhattan College | 37800 | 69900 | 0.4592 | 1,601 | 1224 | 0.8261 | |
| 128 | Nazareth University | 37800 | 63300 | 0.4036 | 1,882 | 1211 | 0.7472 | |
| 130 | Union Adventist University | 37900 | 51200 | 0.26 | 625 | 1075 | 1 | |
| 131 | Saint Joseph's College of Maine | 38200 | 65000 | 0.4121 | 1,097 | 1055 | 0.8351 | |
| 132 | Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale | 38300 | 63000 | 0.3923 | 18,071 | 0 | 0.9697 | |
| 133 | Howard Payne University | 38400 | 54500 | 0.2963 | 751 | 1043 | 0.6737 | |
| 134 | Oakwood University | 38600 | 43300 | 0.1074 | 1,177 | 1005 | 0.4522 | |
| 135 | Alvernia University | 38800 | 69400 | 0.4408 | 2,192 | 1195 | 0.5806 | |
| 136 | New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | 39200 | 44400 | 0.116 | 1,066 | 1197 | 0.4449 | |
| 137 | Cumberland University | 39300 | 47500 | 0.1718 | 2,745 | 1055 | 0.6733 | |
| 137 | Xavier University | 39300 | 68100 | 0.4232 | 4,239 | 1218 | 0.8641 | |
| 139 | Fresno Pacific University | 40100 | 52200 | 0.2327 | 1,545 | 1099 | 0.6407 | |
| 140 | University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus | 40400 | 42500 | 0.0495 | 13,921 | 1119 | 0.7468 | |
| 141 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | 41200 | 42300 | 0.026 | 11,959 | 1260 | 0.8818 | |
| 142 | Concordia University-Wisconsin | 41400 | 57000 | 0.2738 | 2,401 | 1209 | 0.782 | |
| 143 | Montreat College | 41900 | 58100 | 0.278 | 781 | 1164 | 0.692 | |
| 144 | Susquehanna University | 42000 | 76800 | 0.4533 | 2,246 | 1204 | 0.8143 | |
| 145 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | 42700 | 56200 | 0.2403 | 11,355 | 1222 | 0.8816 | |
| 146 | Mount Saint Mary's University | 43000 | 80700 | 0.4675 | 1,731 | 1015 | 0.7313 | |
| 147 | Florida Institute of Technology | 43400 | 68600 | 0.3667 | 3,666 | 1224 | 0.577 | |
| 148 | University at Buffalo | 43900 | 46700 | 0.06 | 20,359 | 1303 | 0.7418 | |
| 149 | Marist University | 44100 | 75800 | 0.4181 | 5,551 | 1279 | 0.5651 | |
| 150 | Florida Atlantic University | 44400 | 44400 | 0 | 24,876 | 1130 | 0.6613 | |
| 151 | St. John's University-New York | 44500 | 78000 | 0.4292 | 15,640 | 1249 | 0.8343 | |
| 152 | Quinnipiac University | 44800 | 79200 | 0.4343 | 6,557 | 1245 | 0.7215 | |
| 153 | Biola University | 47300 | 71200 | 0.3358 | 3,481 | 1268 | 0.7435 | |
| 154 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48600 | 51200 | 0.0517 | 44,819 | 1327 | 0.4987 | |
| 155 | University of Georgia | 48800 | 51600 | 0.0542 | 32,399 | 1382 | 0.377 | |
| 156 | University of Iowa | 51000 | 53200 | 0.0404 | 22,738 | 1208 | 0.8362 | |
| 157 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 53000 | 61200 | 0.1332 | 26,221 | 1204 | 0.8854 | |
| 158 | University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis | 57600 | 61400 | 0.0618 | 343 | 1125 | 0.8984 | |
| 159 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 58200 | 64100 | 0.092 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 160 | Auburn University | 58500 | 58500 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4592 | |
| 161 | Indiana University-Bloomington | 60800 | 63000 | 0.0342 | 38,093 | 1302 | 0.7821 | |
| 162 | University of California-Davis | 69800 | 69800 | 0 | 32,273 | 1290 | 0.4183 | |
| 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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