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 | California Institute of Technology | 7500 | 91800 | 0.9183 | 987 | 1557 | 0.0257 | |
| 2 | Brigham Young University | 8000 | 22000 | 0.6362 | 32,952 | 1374 | 0.6778 | |
| 3 | Washington University in St Louis | 9300 | 102300 | 0.9087 | 8,220 | 1513 | 0.1206 | |
| 4 | Stephen F Austin State University | 10100 | 27800 | 0.6356 | 9,129 | 1075 | 0.9399 | |
| 5 | Valdosta State University | 10500 | 24800 | 0.5775 | 7,166 | 1015 | 0.7229 | |
| 6 | Northern Arizona University | 11600 | 27900 | 0.5827 | 22,990 | 1090 | 0.8961 | |
| 7 | The University of Texas at El Paso | 11700 | 26900 | 0.5645 | 21,118 | 980 | 0.9992 | |
| 8 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 11900 | 25700 | 0.5363 | 46,815 | 1378 | 0.6057 | |
| 9 | University of Central Florida | 12000 | 25300 | 0.525 | 59,552 | 1280 | 0.4011 | |
| 10 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | 12200 | 25000 | 0.5113 | 31,127 | 1115 | 0.8679 | |
| 11 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 12500 | 28100 | 0.5551 | 8,553 | 1045 | 0.8688 | |
| 12 | University of North Florida | 12600 | 22400 | 0.438 | 13,735 | 1150 | 0.5324 | |
| 13 | Colorado College | 12800 | 94600 | 0.865 | 2,031 | 1357 | 0.1847 | |
| 14 | University of Arizona | 12900 | 30900 | 0.5835 | 44,848 | 1233 | 0.8614 | |
| 15 | Western Kentucky University | 13000 | 27000 | 0.5169 | 14,151 | 970 | 0.9387 | |
| 16 | Texas A&M University-Commerce | 13200 | 30000 | 0.5601 | 9,992 | 1045 | 0.9224 | |
| 17 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 18 | Francis Marion University | 14000 | 24100 | 0.4198 | 3,692 | 1015 | 0.8639 | |
| 19 | Union College | 14100 | 92400 | 0.8473 | 2,065 | 1393 | 0.4392 | |
| 19 | University of Idaho | 14100 | 25800 | 0.4543 | 9,574 | 1119 | 0.7553 | |
| 21 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5048 | 11,348 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 22 | Texas State University | 15200 | 25500 | 0.4042 | 36,236 | 1100 | 0.8932 | |
| 23 | University of California-Irvine | 15300 | 38000 | 0.5977 | 30,204 | 1333 | 0.2857 | |
| 24 | Lehigh University | 15600 | 89600 | 0.8263 | 5,911 | 1436 | 0.2593 | |
| 24 | Northwest Missouri State University | 15600 | 38800 | 0.5992 | 5,241 | 1095 | 0.8609 | |
| 24 | University of West Georgia | 15600 | 24600 | 0.3662 | 9,103 | 1040 | 0.5161 | |
| 27 | James Madison University | 15700 | 28900 | 0.4573 | 20,973 | 1260 | 0.7152 | |
| 28 | Appalachian State University | 15800 | 19500 | 0.1899 | 19,560 | 1190 | 0.9014 | |
| 28 | Sam Houston State University | 15800 | 30300 | 0.4782 | 17,787 | 1030 | 0.9026 | |
| 28 | University of North Texas | 15800 | 26100 | 0.3953 | 34,458 | 1114 | 0.7223 | |
| 31 | Tennessee State University | 16000 | 39200 | 0.5913 | 5,057 | 980 | 0.7011 | |
| 31 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | 16000 | 22300 | 0.2822 | 24,868 | 1214 | 0.796 | |
| 33 | University of Nebraska at Omaha | 16100 | 23400 | 0.3124 | 11,756 | 1124 | 0.8698 | |
| 34 | Grove City College | 16400 | 39700 | 0.5876 | 2,341 | 1266 | 0.7232 | |
| 35 | Eastern Michigan University | 16500 | 36100 | 0.5436 | 10,470 | 1055 | 0.7964 | |
| 35 | West Virginia University | 16500 | 40900 | 0.5963 | 18,206 | 1125 | 0.89 | |
| 37 | Middle Tennessee State University | 17200 | 23200 | 0.2586 | 18,042 | 1140 | 0.6909 | |
| 37 | Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi | 17200 | 20700 | 0.169 | 8,320 | 1090 | 0.8858 | |
| 39 | University of Louisville | 17500 | 29100 | 0.399 | 17,086 | 1148 | 0.7941 | |
| 40 | Greensboro College | 17700 | 37800 | 0.5317 | 899 | 1005 | 0.7014 | |
| 40 | University of Miami | 17700 | 95700 | 0.8149 | 13,250 | 1406 | 0.189 | |
| 42 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 18200 | 18200 | 0 | 34,242 | 1273 | 0.7333 | |
| 43 | Youngstown State University | 18400 | 34000 | 0.4589 | 9,400 | 1115 | 0.8445 | |
| 44 | East Tennessee State University | 18500 | 26100 | 0.2907 | 10,829 | 1124 | 0.8619 | |
| 45 | University of Maine at Farmington | 19200 | 33700 | 0.4303 | 1,677 | 1124 | 0.9672 | |
| 45 | Virginia State University | 19200 | 29500 | 0.3488 | 5,124 | 955 | 0.8863 | |
| 47 | Jackson State University | 19300 | 28000 | 0.3102 | 4,650 | 950 | 0.9315 | |
| 48 | University of Mississippi | 19400 | 27000 | 0.2814 | 21,585 | 1182 | 0.9658 | |
| 49 | Pennsylvania Western University | 19700 | 29000 | 0.3212 | 7,586 | 1045 | 0.9433 | |
| 49 | Wichita State University | 19700 | 29800 | 0.3391 | 13,313 | 1073 | 0.9395 | |
| 51 | Loyola University New Orleans | 19900 | 72100 | 0.7238 | 3,007 | 1155 | 0.9305 | |
| 51 | University of Alabama in Huntsville | 19900 | 30500 | 0.3473 | 6,800 | 1293 | 0.6857 | |
| 53 | Georgia State University | 20100 | 26000 | 0.2271 | 27,415 | 1080 | 0.5544 | |
| 54 | Carroll University | 20300 | 61600 | 0.6708 | 2,581 | 1174 | 0.6684 | |
| 55 | Utica University | 20400 | 43400 | 0.5295 | 2,329 | 1118 | 0.9195 | |
| 56 | State University of New York at Cortland | 20500 | 27700 | 0.2597 | 5,911 | 1175 | 0.5979 | |
| 57 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 20600 | 23200 | 0.1121 | 20,444 | 1209 | 0.8499 | |
| 57 | Our Lady of the Lake University | 20600 | 52900 | 0.6104 | 1,108 | 990 | 0.6578 | |
| 57 | University of California-Santa Cruz | 20600 | 42900 | 0.5204 | 17,940 | 1281 | 0.6579 | |
| 60 | South Carolina State University | 20700 | 30000 | 0.3095 | 2,950 | 930 | 0.8262 | |
| 61 | University of Memphis | 20900 | 29600 | 0.2942 | 15,770 | 1075 | 0.7203 | |
| 62 | Tarleton State University | 21000 | 23000 | 0.087 | 15,254 | 1080 | 0.8955 | |
| 63 | Midwestern State University | 21100 | 28600 | 0.2618 | 4,303 | 1010 | 0.9352 | |
| 64 | Louisiana Tech University | 21400 | 26100 | 0.1802 | 10,881 | 1189 | 0.864 | |
| 65 | Louisiana Christian University | 21500 | 26000 | 0.1733 | 763 | 1065 | 0.7719 | |
| 66 | Bentley University | 22000 | 85500 | 0.7426 | 4,526 | 1359 | 0.4505 | |
| 66 | Niagara University | 22000 | 57400 | 0.6165 | 2,692 | 1160 | 0.8737 | |
| 68 | Grand Valley State University | 22100 | 35900 | 0.3849 | 19,002 | 1084 | 0.8302 | |
| 68 | South Dakota State University | 22100 | 25200 | 0.1231 | 10,719 | 1120 | 0.9834 | |
| 70 | Virginia Commonwealth University | 22200 | 33600 | 0.339 | 21,210 | 1148 | 0.9262 | |
| 70 | Washburn University | 22200 | 29500 | 0.2478 | 5,331 | 1095 | 0.9551 | |
| 72 | Hope College | 22800 | 60100 | 0.6204 | 3,395 | 1241 | 0.7924 | |
| 72 | Oklahoma City University | 22800 | 64400 | 0.6461 | 1,514 | 1174 | 0.7702 | |
| 74 | West Texas A & M University | 23500 | 29200 | 0.195 | 6,926 | 1060 | 0.9868 | |
| 75 | Allegheny College | 23600 | 76200 | 0.6906 | 1,171 | 1279 | 0.5457 | |
| 75 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 23600 | 24900 | 0.0522 | 30,187 | 1292 | 0.6015 | |
| 77 | University of Kentucky | 23900 | 36400 | 0.3441 | 25,534 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 78 | Bradley University | 24100 | 49900 | 0.5161 | 3,596 | 1223 | 0.7676 | |
| 79 | Park University | 24500 | 31300 | 0.2176 | 4,657 | 1035 | 0.6904 | |
| 80 | Lewis University | 24700 | 57700 | 0.5718 | 4,326 | 1099 | 0.7129 | |
| 81 | The University of Tennessee-Martin | 25200 | 31500 | 0.2001 | 6,809 | 1110 | 0.882 | |
| 82 | Dillard University | 25300 | 53600 | 0.5284 | 1,068 | 1055 | 0.4186 | |
| 82 | University of Mary Hardin-Baylor | 25300 | 53800 | 0.5299 | 2,803 | 1099 | 0.9576 | |
| 84 | Ave Maria University | 25500 | 46600 | 0.453 | 1,301 | 1164 | 0.4139 | |
| 85 | Ottawa University-Ottawa | 26100 | 64700 | 0.5969 | 870 | 985 | 0.8296 | |
| 86 | Iowa State University | 26200 | 42800 | 0.3871 | 25,628 | 1207 | 0.8866 | |
| 86 | University of Evansville | 26200 | 64700 | 0.5954 | 1,742 | 1174 | 0.776 | |
| 88 | Benedictine University | 26500 | 48900 | 0.4581 | 1,972 | 1161 | 0.9523 | |
| 89 | Georgia Southern University | 26600 | 26800 | 0.0075 | 23,541 | 1065 | 0.8789 | |
| 89 | St Bonaventure University | 26600 | 61200 | 0.5653 | 2,042 | 1189 | 0.8165 | |
| 91 | University of Arkansas | 26800 | 28900 | 0.0729 | 28,859 | 1179 | 0.743 | |
| 92 | Troy University | 26900 | 34700 | 0.2248 | 10,222 | 1090 | 0.9604 | |
| 93 | University of the Incarnate Word | 27000 | 61400 | 0.5604 | 4,638 | 1030 | 0.9814 | |
| 94 | Capital University | 27200 | 62400 | 0.564 | 1,609 | 1084 | 0.7022 | |
| 95 | Wright State University-Main Campus | 27300 | 36500 | 0.2522 | 7,505 | 1073 | 0.9633 | |
| 96 | Kennesaw State University | 27400 | 27400 | 0 | 42,760 | 1120 | 0.6919 | |
| 97 | Cornell College | 27500 | 74800 | 0.6319 | 1,094 | 1243 | 0.799 | |
| 97 | Saginaw Valley State University | 27500 | 39800 | 0.3094 | 6,135 | 1055 | 0.7207 | |
| 99 | Missouri Valley College | 27600 | 38200 | 0.2775 | 1,687 | 980 | 0.6918 | |
| 100 | Oakland University | 27900 | 39300 | 0.2899 | 12,587 | 1130 | 0.8784 | |
| 100 | Villanova University | 27900 | 88800 | 0.6855 | 7,004 | 1457 | 0.2698 | |
| 102 | John Brown University | 28200 | 48300 | 0.416 | 1,948 | 1197 | 0.7614 | |
| 102 | Mississippi State University | 28200 | 32300 | 0.1269 | 18,567 | 1214 | 0.7764 | |
| 104 | George Fox University | 28300 | 69400 | 0.5925 | 3,354 | 1193 | 0.9351 | |
| 105 | Westminster University | 28400 | 62600 | 0.5466 | 842 | 1233 | 0.6657 | |
| 106 | University of Dayton | 28800 | 64200 | 0.5515 | 7,740 | 1302 | 0.6545 | |
| 107 | Jacksonville State University | 29100 | 38200 | 0.2381 | 8,663 | 1069 | 0.7769 | |
| 107 | Marquette University | 29100 | 63800 | 0.544 | 8,045 | 1309 | 0.8134 | |
| 109 | University of South Carolina-Upstate | 29800 | 39700 | 0.2495 | 4,487 | 1115 | 0.6726 | |
| 110 | University of West Florida | 30600 | 38000 | 0.1946 | 9,970 | 1149 | 0.5824 | |
| 111 | Wheaton College | 30700 | 84800 | 0.638 | 2,150 | 1363 | 0.874 | |
| 112 | The College of Wooster | 30800 | 82400 | 0.626 | 1,738 | 1344 | 0.5953 | |
| 113 | Wofford College | 30900 | 73200 | 0.578 | 1,817 | 1305 | 0.5194 | |
| 114 | California State University-Long Beach | 31000 | 38900 | 0.2032 | 36,082 | 1135 | 0.4627 | |
| 114 | University of California-Santa Barbara | 31000 | 59100 | 0.4752 | 23,181 | 1354 | 0.3297 | |
| 116 | University of North Dakota | 31100 | 33700 | 0.0772 | 11,033 | 1150 | 0.769 | |
| 117 | Lamar University | 31200 | 38300 | 0.1855 | 8,184 | 1050 | 0.8641 | |
| 118 | Hampton University | 31400 | 54800 | 0.427 | 3,728 | 947 | 0.6225 | |
| 118 | Rider University | 31400 | 60600 | 0.4816 | 3,145 | 1233 | 0.7864 | |
| 120 | Ohio Wesleyan University | 31700 | 75700 | 0.5809 | 1,525 | 1281 | 0.556 | |
| 121 | Angelo State University | 31800 | 35400 | 0.1019 | 9,702 | 1055 | 0.8301 | |
| 122 | Azusa Pacific University | 32300 | 66600 | 0.5147 | 2,759 | 1189 | 0.8843 | |
| 123 | Samford University | 32600 | 64600 | 0.4955 | 4,210 | 1199 | 0.8236 | |
| 124 | Berry College | 32700 | 60900 | 0.4633 | 2,254 | 1219 | 0.64 | |
| 125 | North Carolina State University | 32900 | 54800 | 0.3999 | 28,422 | 1378 | 0.4174 | |
| 126 | Ursinus College | 33300 | 83700 | 0.6024 | 1,502 | 1303 | 0.9177 | |
| 127 | Cleveland State University | 33500 | 37300 | 0.1019 | 9,482 | 1069 | 0.913 | |
| 127 | Fort Lewis College | 33500 | 41400 | 0.191 | 3,392 | 1109 | 0.773 | |
| 129 | Elizabethtown College | 33700 | 55300 | 0.3907 | 1,903 | 1214 | 0.7787 | |
| 130 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | 33900 | 41000 | 0.174 | 22,364 | 1159 | 0.7504 | |
| 131 | The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga | 34500 | 34500 | 0 | 10,202 | 1140 | 0.8109 | |
| 132 | Coastal Carolina University | 34700 | 45100 | 0.2304 | 10,811 | 1145 | 0.7527 | |
| 133 | Beloit College | 35000 | 81400 | 0.5697 | 1,004 | 1299 | 0.6304 | |
| 134 | Cedarville University | 35900 | 57000 | 0.3704 | 5,790 | 1232 | 0.6529 | |
| 135 | The University of Texas at Tyler | 36000 | 56700 | 0.3648 | 7,683 | 1120 | 0.9402 | |
| 136 | Colorado State University Pueblo | 36800 | 39900 | 0.0779 | 5,086 | 1124 | 0.949 | |
| 136 | Loyola University Maryland | 36800 | 78800 | 0.5331 | 3,881 | 1303 | 0.7549 | |
| 138 | University of Arkansas at Little Rock | 36900 | 37100 | 0.0054 | 5,939 | 1065 | 0.5878 | |
| 139 | Westmont College | 37400 | 80000 | 0.5322 | 1,302 | 1335 | 0.7705 | |
| 140 | Northwest Nazarene University | 37600 | 62800 | 0.4011 | 1,043 | 1134 | 0.6474 | |
| 141 | DePaul University | 37800 | 66000 | 0.4275 | 14,188 | 1254 | 0.7589 | |
| 141 | Marymount Manhattan College | 37800 | 69900 | 0.4592 | 1,601 | 1224 | 0.8261 | |
| 143 | University of Redlands | 38100 | 84200 | 0.5478 | 2,049 | 1226 | 0.8271 | |
| 144 | Hofstra University | 38200 | 76900 | 0.5032 | 6,581 | 1328 | 0.6808 | |
| 145 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | 38400 | 38700 | 0.0078 | 14,416 | 1210 | 0.8851 | |
| 146 | Saint Francis University | 38500 | 63100 | 0.3899 | 2,567 | 1150 | 0.7682 | |
| 146 | Southern Connecticut State University | 38500 | 52900 | 0.2723 | 7,252 | 1005 | 0.9147 | |
| 148 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 38700 | 53100 | 0.2711 | 30,564 | 1302 | 0.416 | |
| 149 | Alvernia University | 38900 | 69400 | 0.4394 | 2,192 | 1195 | 0.5806 | |
| 150 | Xavier University | 39300 | 68100 | 0.4232 | 4,239 | 1218 | 0.8641 | |
| 151 | Arcadia University | 39400 | 71600 | 0.4487 | 2,030 | 1170 | 0.8022 | |
| 152 | Saint Vincent College | 39500 | 64600 | 0.3888 | 1,284 | 1135 | 0.6173 | |
| 153 | Nichols College | 39600 | 59600 | 0.3359 | 1,163 | 1135 | 0.8084 | |
| 154 | Seton Hall University | 39700 | 67400 | 0.4107 | 6,146 | 1313 | 0.7326 | |
| 155 | University of Maine | 39900 | 45200 | 0.1173 | 9,601 | 1205 | 0.9664 | |
| 156 | University of Wyoming | 40200 | 45300 | 0.1127 | 8,130 | 1179 | 0.9688 | |
| 157 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette | 40300 | 44100 | 0.0862 | 13,432 | 1225 | 0.8701 | |
| 158 | Arkansas State University | 40500 | 41000 | 0.0122 | 9,985 | 1075 | 0.8226 | |
| 159 | Loyola University Chicago | 41000 | 70600 | 0.4192 | 12,538 | 1303 | 0.816 | |
| 160 | Butler University | 41200 | 67900 | 0.3934 | 4,489 | 1279 | 0.8508 | |
| 160 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | 41200 | 42300 | 0.026 | 11,959 | 1260 | 0.8818 | |
| 162 | Seattle University | 42000 | 75000 | 0.4397 | 4,078 | 1305 | 0.7692 | |
| 162 | Susquehanna University | 42000 | 76800 | 0.4533 | 2,246 | 1204 | 0.8143 | |
| 164 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania | 42400 | 42400 | 0 | 14,449 | 1195 | 0.784 | |
| 165 | Merrimack College | 43600 | 78800 | 0.4468 | 4,102 | 1115 | 0.7002 | |
| 166 | Boise State University | 45100 | 50000 | 0.098 | 23,983 | 1135 | 0.8721 | |
| 167 | Georgia College & State University | 45300 | 52400 | 0.1355 | 6,006 | 1165 | 0.7823 | |
| 168 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 45700 | 58800 | 0.223 | 23,329 | 1239 | 0.766 | |
| 169 | Widener University | 45800 | 79400 | 0.4233 | 2,975 | 1184 | 0.7093 | |
| 170 | Saint Louis University | 46300 | 80900 | 0.4275 | 10,413 | 1305 | 0.7504 | |
| 171 | The University of Texas at Arlington | 48000 | 55800 | 0.1398 | 32,545 | 1129 | 0.799 | |
| 172 | University of Georgia | 48800 | 51600 | 0.0542 | 32,399 | 1382 | 0.377 | |
| 173 | Chapman University | 51500 | 93100 | 0.4469 | 7,713 | 1353 | 0.6543 | |
| 174 | Miami University-Oxford | 57400 | 57400 | 0 | 16,816 | 1299 | 0.754 | |
| 175 | Santa Clara University | 57700 | 85400 | 0.3243 | 6,577 | 1427 | 0.48 | |
| 176 | Molloy University | 59800 | 62300 | 0.0402 | 3,240 | 1199 | 0.8174 | |
| 177 | Mercyhurst University | 60900 | 68000 | 0.1044 | 2,274 | 1090 | 0.8102 | |
| 178 | Presbyterian College | 61000 | 62700 | 0.0271 | 853 | 1120 | 0.6837 | |
| 179 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College | 63900 | 63900 | 0 | 3,244 | 1224 | 0.9683 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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