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 | United States Coast Guard Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,081 | 1294 | 0.2432 | |
| 1 | United States Military Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4,473 | 1326 | 0.1245 | |
| 1 | United States Naval Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4,465 | 1302 | 0.0936 | |
| 4 | Johns Hopkins University | 2700 | 92000 | 0.9704 | 6,356 | 1543 | 0.0644 | |
| 5 | University of Chicago | 4000 | 95000 | 0.9582 | 7,519 | 1535 | 0.0448 | |
| 6 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 4900 | 40700 | 0.8787 | 34,454 | 1435 | 0.1564 | |
| 7 | Princeton University | 5300 | 82400 | 0.9353 | 5,813 | 1535 | 0.0462 | |
| 8 | Yale University | 5500 | 92200 | 0.94 | 6,814 | 1507 | 0.0387 | |
| 9 | Harvard University | 5900 | 90900 | 0.9353 | 7,038 | 1535 | 0.0365 | |
| 10 | Swarthmore College | 6400 | 93800 | 0.9319 | 1,623 | 1520 | 0.0746 | |
| 11 | Milwaukee School of Engineering | 6600 | 70200 | 0.9065 | 2,705 | 1292 | 0.6239 | |
| 12 | California Institute of Technology | 6800 | 91800 | 0.9264 | 987 | 1557 | 0.0257 | |
| 13 | Bowdoin College | 7000 | 89900 | 0.9224 | 1,881 | 1505 | 0.0713 | |
| 14 | Vanderbilt University | 7800 | 96500 | 0.9194 | 7,221 | 1527 | 0.0586 | |
| 15 | Brigham Young University | 8000 | 22000 | 0.6362 | 32,952 | 1374 | 0.6778 | |
| 16 | University of Pennsylvania | 8100 | 92900 | 0.913 | 10,013 | 1528 | 0.054 | |
| 17 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 8200 | 90000 | 0.9093 | 4,580 | 1542 | 0.0455 | |
| 18 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 8400 | 98000 | 0.9146 | 9,157 | 1535 | 0.0386 | |
| 19 | Rice University | 8600 | 89100 | 0.9038 | 4,789 | 1535 | 0.08 | |
| 20 | Carnegie Mellon University | 9000 | 90900 | 0.9007 | 7,824 | 1528 | 0.1166 | |
| 21 | Washington University in St Louis | 9300 | 102300 | 0.909 | 8,220 | 1513 | 0.1206 | |
| 22 | Wellesley College | 10400 | 91300 | 0.8862 | 2,407 | 1500 | 0.1405 | |
| 23 | University of Notre Dame | 10600 | 86200 | 0.8775 | 8,880 | 1471 | 0.1127 | |
| 24 | University of California-San Diego | 11300 | 39700 | 0.7152 | 34,955 | 1375 | 0.2677 | |
| 25 | Cornell University | 11800 | 93100 | 0.8735 | 16,128 | 1521 | 0.0841 | |
| 26 | Lafayette College | 11900 | 85800 | 0.8618 | 2,775 | 1427 | 0.3145 | |
| 27 | University of Houston | 12000 | 28400 | 0.5781 | 39,257 | 1249 | 0.7392 | |
| 28 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 12200 | 41900 | 0.7083 | 37,140 | 1442 | 0.4237 | |
| 29 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 12400 | 29100 | 0.5734 | 39,083 | 1412 | 0.4517 | |
| 30 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 12600 | 12600 | 0 | 25,255 | 1134 | 0.737 | |
| 30 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus | 12600 | 54500 | 0.7688 | 12,498 | 1010 | 0.8896 | |
| 32 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 12700 | 34600 | 0.6336 | 8,975 | 1065 | 0.9721 | |
| 33 | West Virginia University | 12800 | 57700 | 0.778 | 18,614 | 1125 | 0.778 | |
| 34 | University of California-Riverside | 13000 | 36500 | 0.6434 | 22,599 | 1199 | 0.7685 | |
| 35 | Northern Illinois University | 13200 | 29000 | 0.5435 | 11,349 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 36 | Youngstown State University | 13400 | 26800 | 0.4996 | 8,436 | 1065 | 0.8066 | |
| 37 | North Carolina A & T State University | 13700 | 17900 | 0.2353 | 12,216 | 1040 | 0.4617 | |
| 38 | The University of Texas Permian Basin | 13900 | 46000 | 0.6974 | 4,218 | 1020 | 0.9307 | |
| 38 | West Virginia University Institute of Technology | 13900 | 48200 | 0.7123 | 1,448 | 1035 | 0.61 | |
| 40 | University of Illinois Chicago | 14000 | 30400 | 0.5387 | 22,495 | 1252 | 0.7735 | |
| 41 | University of South Florida | 14100 | 17100 | 0.1753 | 38,525 | 1239 | 0.4319 | |
| 41 | University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point | 14100 | 34700 | 0.5941 | 7,557 | 1140 | 0.9037 | |
| 43 | Louisiana Tech University | 14300 | 36900 | 0.6124 | 11,071 | 1164 | 0.9073 | |
| 44 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | 14400 | 26500 | 0.4563 | 22,351 | 1159 | 0.7504 | |
| 45 | Central Michigan University | 14600 | 37400 | 0.6102 | 10,219 | 1095 | 0.8982 | |
| 46 | Bucknell University | 14700 | 94800 | 0.8448 | 3,920 | 1284 | 0.2893 | |
| 46 | California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt | 14700 | 24900 | 0.409 | 5,474 | 1138 | 0.9198 | |
| 46 | Case Western Reserve University | 14700 | 83100 | 0.8229 | 6,528 | 1485 | 0.3778 | |
| 46 | Stanford University | 14700 | 71200 | 0.7934 | 7,904 | 1535 | 0.0361 | |
| 50 | Northeastern University | 15000 | 89900 | 0.8331 | 22,695 | 1490 | 0.0522 | |
| 51 | University of California-Irvine | 15200 | 36300 | 0.5811 | 30,204 | 1333 | 0.2878 | |
| 52 | The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga | 15500 | 25600 | 0.3938 | 9,982 | 1125 | 0.7702 | |
| 53 | Lehigh University | 15600 | 89600 | 0.8263 | 5,911 | 1436 | 0.2593 | |
| 54 | California State University-Long Beach | 15800 | 25800 | 0.3877 | 35,843 | 1135 | 0.4628 | |
| 55 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 16100 | 23200 | 0.306 | 19,888 | 1209 | 0.8517 | |
| 56 | University of Florida | 16200 | 22500 | 0.2799 | 36,573 | 1399 | 0.242 | |
| 57 | University of California-Los Angeles | 16300 | 36700 | 0.5555 | 33,471 | 1399 | 0.0897 | |
| 58 | North Carolina State University | 16500 | 28500 | 0.4199 | 28,422 | 1335 | 0.4167 | |
| 58 | Wayne State University | 16500 | 46200 | 0.643 | 16,173 | 1174 | 0.7786 | |
| 60 | California State University Maritime Academy | 16900 | 53200 | 0.6827 | 761 | 1069 | 0.9873 | |
| 60 | University of Maine | 16900 | 29300 | 0.4235 | 591 | 1199 | 0.9684 | |
| 60 | Virginia Commonwealth University | 16900 | 33600 | 0.4966 | 21,210 | 1171 | 0.9232 | |
| 63 | Lamar University | 17200 | 41900 | 0.5895 | 8,218 | 1045 | 0.857 | |
| 64 | University of Louisville | 17300 | 29100 | 0.4059 | 17,086 | 1148 | 0.7941 | |
| 65 | University of South Alabama | 17400 | 35200 | 0.5059 | 9,241 | 1140 | 0.7096 | |
| 65 | University of St Thomas | 17400 | 50900 | 0.6584 | 3,395 | 1080 | 0.8993 | |
| 67 | Prairie View A & M University | 17700 | 39600 | 0.5528 | 8,836 | 970 | 0.7794 | |
| 67 | University of Miami | 17700 | 96300 | 0.8159 | 13,250 | 1406 | 0.189 | |
| 69 | The University of Texas at Tyler | 17800 | 50400 | 0.6471 | 7,683 | 1120 | 0.9402 | |
| 69 | University of Arkansas | 17800 | 27700 | 0.3585 | 28,859 | 1179 | 0.7431 | |
| 71 | University of Rhode Island | 17900 | 46400 | 0.6137 | 14,376 | 1148 | 0.7216 | |
| 72 | McNeese State University | 19000 | 32800 | 0.4213 | 5,560 | 1070 | 0.6755 | |
| 73 | Western Michigan University | 19300 | 26500 | 0.272 | 13,860 | 1104 | 0.846 | |
| 74 | University of Mississippi | 19400 | 27000 | 0.2814 | 21,585 | 1182 | 0.9658 | |
| 74 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 19400 | 36900 | 0.4748 | 24,457 | 1256 | 0.7847 | |
| 76 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | 19600 | 78700 | 0.751 | 17,901 | 1470 | 0.1681 | |
| 77 | Illinois Institute of Technology | 19700 | 75200 | 0.7382 | 3,135 | 1299 | 0.5493 | |
| 78 | University of Southern California | 20000 | 75800 | 0.7365 | 20,630 | 1492 | 0.0981 | |
| 79 | University of Tulsa | 20200 | 62900 | 0.6789 | 2,852 | 1328 | 0.615 | |
| 80 | University of Rochester | 20300 | 93100 | 0.7822 | 6,580 | 1469 | 0.4008 | |
| 81 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette | 20500 | 31000 | 0.3391 | 13,179 | 1110 | 0.8883 | |
| 82 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 20600 | 30700 | 0.3274 | 60,710 | 1278 | 0.5732 | |
| 82 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 20600 | 31100 | 0.3359 | 19,701 | 1214 | 0.8749 | |
| 82 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | 20600 | 38200 | 0.4606 | 11,365 | 1216 | 0.8816 | |
| 85 | University of Wyoming | 20700 | 27900 | 0.2588 | 8,130 | 1159 | 0.9688 | |
| 86 | Centre College | 21000 | 73400 | 0.7135 | 1,356 | 1330 | 0.5434 | |
| 87 | Montana State University | 21600 | 27100 | 0.2027 | 15,053 | 1184 | 0.8214 | |
| 88 | Tufts University | 21900 | 98900 | 0.7783 | 7,126 | 1507 | 0.1153 | |
| 89 | Northwestern University | 22200 | 88100 | 0.7483 | 9,060 | 1533 | 0.0769 | |
| 89 | San Jose State University | 22200 | 41100 | 0.46 | 28,008 | 0 | 0.8461 | |
| 91 | Florida State University | 22600 | 32500 | 0.3046 | 32,711 | 1360 | 0.2422 | |
| 92 | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | 22800 | 26900 | 0.1537 | 2,170 | 1239 | 0.8525 | |
| 93 | University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown | 23100 | 44400 | 0.4794 | 1,809 | 1109 | 0.9484 | |
| 94 | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry | 23200 | 40000 | 0.4199 | 1,984 | 1239 | 0.6328 | |
| 95 | The University of Alabama | 23400 | 31000 | 0.245 | 34,389 | 1233 | 0.7665 | |
| 96 | New York University | 23600 | 91800 | 0.7427 | 29,060 | 1520 | 0.0923 | |
| 97 | Washington State University | 23800 | 38700 | 0.3859 | 21,455 | 1131 | 0.8664 | |
| 98 | University at Buffalo | 24200 | 34000 | 0.2883 | 20,360 | 1303 | 0.7418 | |
| 99 | University of North Carolina Wilmington | 24400 | 24400 | 0 | 15,254 | 1270 | 0.6424 | |
| 99 | University of Southern Mississippi | 24400 | 26500 | 0.0792 | 10,193 | 1181 | 0.9912 | |
| 101 | Hendrix College | 24700 | 59300 | 0.5831 | 1,101 | 1260 | 0.5563 | |
| 102 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | 25000 | 56100 | 0.5541 | 31,127 | 1115 | 0.8679 | |
| 103 | Dordt University | 25200 | 52500 | 0.5197 | 1,695 | 1170 | 0.7116 | |
| 104 | University of Kansas | 25300 | 39900 | 0.3647 | 22,085 | 1176 | 0.9348 | |
| 105 | Michigan State University | 25800 | 28900 | 0.1089 | 41,234 | 1223 | 0.848 | |
| 106 | Christian Brothers University | 25900 | 57600 | 0.5495 | 1,155 | 1110 | 0.867 | |
| 106 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 25900 | 59900 | 0.5675 | 34,242 | 1273 | 0.7333 | |
| 108 | Stony Brook University | 26100 | 33200 | 0.2129 | 18,263 | 1404 | 0.4904 | |
| 109 | Iowa State University | 26200 | 42800 | 0.3878 | 25,628 | 1207 | 0.8866 | |
| 110 | Tuskegee University | 26500 | 42100 | 0.371 | 2,400 | 1113 | 0.3143 | |
| 111 | Trine University | 26600 | 56100 | 0.5251 | 4,157 | 1209 | 0.8469 | |
| 112 | University of Idaho | 27000 | 45200 | 0.4023 | 9,574 | 1119 | 0.7553 | |
| 113 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 27100 | 41500 | 0.3468 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 113 | University of Minnesota Duluth | 27100 | 31800 | 0.1459 | 8,426 | 1235 | 0.8876 | |
| 115 | University of Arizona | 27200 | 38500 | 0.2932 | 45,025 | 1212 | 0.8614 | |
| 116 | Cleveland State University | 27300 | 37300 | 0.2682 | 9,418 | 1105 | 0.913 | |
| 117 | Rowan University | 27500 | 41600 | 0.3386 | 16,199 | 1214 | 0.783 | |
| 117 | University of Maryland-Baltimore County | 27500 | 27500 | 0 | 10,767 | 1326 | 0.7243 | |
| 117 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 27500 | 43800 | 0.3725 | 17,771 | 1044 | 0.7933 | |
| 120 | Syracuse University | 27800 | 83100 | 0.6654 | 15,958 | 1363 | 0.4611 | |
| 121 | Clarkson University | 27900 | 78000 | 0.6425 | 2,296 | 1302 | 0.7736 | |
| 121 | Villanova University | 27900 | 88800 | 0.6856 | 7,006 | 1457 | 0.2698 | |
| 123 | University of Akron Main Campus | 28600 | 33400 | 0.1437 | 11,160 | 1069 | 0.5967 | |
| 124 | University of Iowa | 29000 | 31100 | 0.0686 | 22,738 | 1208 | 0.8362 | |
| 125 | Clemson University | 29200 | 37100 | 0.2137 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 | |
| 125 | Kansas State University | 29200 | 31400 | 0.0722 | 15,650 | 1164 | 0.8199 | |
| 125 | University of Connecticut | 29200 | 33700 | 0.1337 | 20,056 | 1329 | 0.5239 | |
| 128 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 29300 | 33900 | 0.1358 | 30,187 | 1292 | 0.6015 | |
| 129 | Lincoln Memorial University | 30000 | 44900 | 0.3315 | 1,668 | 1085 | 0.626 | |
| 130 | Maine Maritime Academy | 30300 | 33400 | 0.0929 | 945 | 1180 | 0.5606 | |
| 131 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 30800 | 78100 | 0.6056 | 14,267 | 1363 | 0.6693 | |
| 131 | University of Toledo | 30800 | 42000 | 0.2653 | 11,013 | 1159 | 0.9202 | |
| 133 | Missouri University of Science and Technology | 31000 | 36900 | 0.162 | 5,552 | 1305 | 0.7255 | |
| 134 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 31100 | 49800 | 0.3755 | 20,592 | 1435 | 0.1407 | |
| 134 | University of North Dakota | 31100 | 33700 | 0.0781 | 11,033 | 1189 | 0.769 | |
| 136 | University of California-Santa Barbara | 31300 | 59600 | 0.4745 | 23,181 | 1354 | 0.3296 | |
| 137 | University of Dayton | 31800 | 64200 | 0.5048 | 7,740 | 1284 | 0.6566 | |
| 138 | Rider University | 32000 | 60600 | 0.472 | 3,196 | 1214 | 0.794 | |
| 139 | Manhattan University | 32200 | 72500 | 0.5559 | 2,928 | 1248 | 0.785 | |
| 139 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 32200 | 36700 | 0.121 | 41,303 | 1338 | 0.7975 | |
| 141 | Hampton University | 32300 | 62400 | 0.482 | 3,728 | 956 | 0.6225 | |
| 142 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 32500 | 35100 | 0.0742 | 30,564 | 1302 | 0.416 | |
| 143 | California Baptist University | 33600 | 65600 | 0.4876 | 8,417 | 1069 | 0.8535 | |
| 144 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 34100 | 58500 | 0.4177 | 36,588 | 1367 | 0.6535 | |
| 145 | Kutztown University of Pennsylvania | 34300 | 35900 | 0.0446 | 6,306 | 1214 | 0.9075 | |
| 146 | University of New Haven | 35400 | 67100 | 0.4725 | 4,903 | 1180 | 0.6038 | |
| 147 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell | 36200 | 56800 | 0.3624 | 12,122 | 1283 | 0.8296 | |
| 148 | Colorado School of Mines | 36300 | 60100 | 0.3962 | 5,852 | 1396 | 0.596 | |
| 148 | Mississippi State University | 36300 | 50500 | 0.2801 | 18,567 | 1214 | 0.7764 | |
| 150 | Auburn University | 36400 | 38000 | 0.0421 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 150 | Tennessee Technological University | 36400 | 38500 | 0.0554 | 8,838 | 1159 | 0.8316 | |
| 152 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 36800 | 38900 | 0.0548 | 23,351 | 1239 | 0.766 | |
| 153 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 66500 | 0.4373 | 31,035 | 1366 | 0.5499 | |
| 154 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville | 37500 | 41600 | 0.0993 | 5,386 | 995 | 0.9092 | |
| 155 | Benedictine College | 37700 | 50800 | 0.2579 | 2,391 | 1223 | 0.7645 | |
| 156 | University of Nevada-Reno | 38000 | 45800 | 0.1704 | 18,895 | 1134 | 0.7371 | |
| 157 | Kettering University | 38400 | 83800 | 0.5418 | 1,212 | 1204 | 0.7867 | |
| 158 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | 38500 | 38500 | 0 | 7,890 | 1105 | 0.2056 | |
| 159 | Texas Tech University | 38700 | 41000 | 0.0561 | 32,580 | 1200 | 0.7265 | |
| 160 | New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | 39300 | 44400 | 0.1157 | 1,217 | 1229 | 0.5405 | |
| 161 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 41500 | 47200 | 0.1206 | 65,450 | 1203 | 0.8989 | |
| 162 | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | 41600 | 83300 | 0.5009 | 2,315 | 1382 | 0.7686 | |
| 163 | Widener University | 42300 | 79400 | 0.4674 | 2,811 | 1155 | 0.8402 | |
| 164 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 42600 | 54700 | 0.2212 | 20,418 | 1375 | 0.5808 | |
| 165 | University of Maryland-College Park | 43000 | 53400 | 0.1948 | 31,133 | 1456 | 0.448 | |
| 166 | Florida Institute of Technology | 43400 | 68600 | 0.3665 | 3,677 | 1224 | 0.577 | |
| 166 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 43400 | 53700 | 0.1917 | 46,815 | 1339 | 0.6057 | |
| 168 | Oregon State University | 44900 | 61900 | 0.2745 | 31,253 | 1272 | 0.773 | |
| 169 | The University of Texas at Austin | 45300 | 45300 | 0 | 43,165 | 1348 | 0.2664 | |
| 170 | University of Georgia | 45900 | 51600 | 0.1108 | 31,514 | 1336 | 0.3719 | |
| 171 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 46100 | 86200 | 0.4651 | 5,743 | 1438 | 0.6343 | |
| 172 | University of Delaware | 47700 | 61300 | 0.2229 | 19,287 | 1302 | 0.6924 | |
| 173 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48600 | 51200 | 0.0514 | 44,170 | 1327 | 0.4979 | |
| 174 | Tulane University of Louisiana | 48700 | 92100 | 0.4715 | 7,283 | 1451 | 0.1398 | |
| 175 | Drexel University | 48800 | 83800 | 0.4176 | 13,169 | 1339 | 0.7944 | |
| 175 | University of Alabama in Huntsville | 48800 | 48800 | 0 | 6,800 | 1245 | 0.6857 | |
| 177 | University of Kentucky | 48900 | 56600 | 0.1357 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 178 | Stevens Institute of Technology | 49400 | 85800 | 0.4242 | 4,236 | 1445 | 0.4758 | |
| 179 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 50500 | 82600 | 0.3887 | 5,558 | 1292 | 0.6016 | |
| 180 | University of Utah | 51600 | 53700 | 0.0398 | 28,064 | 1237 | 0.8598 | |
| 181 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 53400 | 53400 | 0 | 33,572 | 1264 | 0.8529 | |
| 182 | Howard University | 53500 | 76900 | 0.3042 | 11,519 | 1208 | 0.4134 | |
| 183 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 53700 | 64200 | 0.1635 | 23,920 | 1390 | 0.5973 | |
| 184 | University of Colorado Boulder | 55200 | 56600 | 0.0247 | 32,100 | 1290 | 0.8115 | |
| 185 | Miami University-Oxford | 56600 | 56600 | 0 | 16,816 | 1299 | 0.754 | |
| 186 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 58100 | 66100 | 0.121 | 40,754 | 1391 | 0.3915 | |
| 187 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 59100 | 61200 | 0.0349 | 26,500 | 1183 | 0.8857 | |
| 188 | Michigan Technological University | 59300 | 59300 | 0 | 6,022 | 1256 | 0.8353 | |
| 189 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | 63500 | 63500 | 0 | 10,200 | 1346 | 0.6507 | |
| 190 | Hawaii Pacific University | 63700 | 65800 | 0.0324 | 3,533 | 1120 | 0.8587 | |
| 191 | University of California-Davis | 69800 | 69800 | 0 | 32,273 | 1290 | 0.4183 | |
| 192 | University of California-Berkeley | 70600 | 75900 | 0.0698 | 33,469 | 1407 | 0.1104 |
School data is from 2022–2023 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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