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 | New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,217 | 1229 | 0.5405 | |
| 1 | United States Coast Guard Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,081 | 1283 | 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 | 1314 | 0.0936 | |
| 5 | University of Chicago | 4000 | 87200 | 0.9541 | 7,519 | 1535 | 0.0448 | |
| 6 | California Institute of Technology | 4300 | 90300 | 0.9522 | 987 | 1557 | 0.0257 | |
| 6 | Rice University | 4300 | 85500 | 0.9496 | 4,789 | 1535 | 0.08 | |
| 8 | Johns Hopkins University | 4400 | 88600 | 0.9502 | 6,356 | 1543 | 0.0644 | |
| 9 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 4700 | 86800 | 0.9456 | 4,576 | 1535 | 0.0485 | |
| 10 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 5000 | 39100 | 0.8731 | 34,454 | 1435 | 0.1564 | |
| 11 | Princeton University | 5400 | 81800 | 0.9338 | 5,813 | 1535 | 0.0462 | |
| 12 | Yale University | 5500 | 92300 | 0.9403 | 6,814 | 1507 | 0.0387 | |
| 13 | University of Pennsylvania | 5700 | 93000 | 0.9389 | 10,013 | 1528 | 0.054 | |
| 14 | Harvard University | 5900 | 90900 | 0.9353 | 7,038 | 1535 | 0.0365 | |
| 15 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 6500 | 94100 | 0.9312 | 9,157 | 1535 | 0.0386 | |
| 16 | Wellesley College | 7000 | 90900 | 0.9233 | 2,407 | 1500 | 0.1405 | |
| 17 | CUNY City College | 7500 | 31200 | 0.7597 | 12,982 | 1169 | 0.5997 | |
| 18 | Vanderbilt University | 7800 | 95000 | 0.9178 | 7,221 | 1527 | 0.0586 | |
| 19 | Brown University | 8400 | 93900 | 0.9103 | 7,910 | 1535 | 0.0539 | |
| 20 | Washington University in St Louis | 9200 | 96200 | 0.904 | 8,220 | 1513 | 0.1206 | |
| 21 | University of Notre Dame | 10000 | 86100 | 0.8838 | 8,880 | 1499 | 0.1127 | |
| 22 | University of California-Davis | 10100 | 37800 | 0.732 | 32,273 | 1290 | 0.4183 | |
| 23 | Cornell University | 10300 | 92000 | 0.8877 | 16,128 | 1521 | 0.0841 | |
| 24 | Brigham Young University | 10900 | 29000 | 0.6237 | 32,221 | 1374 | 0.6919 | |
| 25 | Lafayette College | 11800 | 85800 | 0.863 | 2,775 | 1427 | 0.3145 | |
| 26 | New York University | 12000 | 91800 | 0.869 | 29,060 | 1520 | 0.0923 | |
| 26 | University of California-San Diego | 12000 | 34000 | 0.6466 | 34,955 | 1375 | 0.2677 | |
| 28 | Lehigh University | 12300 | 85700 | 0.857 | 5,911 | 1436 | 0.2593 | |
| 28 | Northern Illinois University | 12300 | 29000 | 0.5744 | 11,349 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 30 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 12400 | 27200 | 0.5443 | 39,083 | 1412 | 0.4517 | |
| 31 | Bowdoin College | 12600 | 89900 | 0.8601 | 1,881 | 1505 | 0.0713 | |
| 31 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 12600 | 12600 | 0 | 25,255 | 1134 | 0.737 | |
| 31 | Northwestern University | 12600 | 87700 | 0.8563 | 8,846 | 1513 | 0.0722 | |
| 34 | The University of Texas Permian Basin | 12700 | 37100 | 0.6572 | 4,218 | 1020 | 0.9307 | |
| 35 | The University of Texas at Austin | 13100 | 30700 | 0.573 | 43,165 | 1335 | 0.2664 | |
| 35 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | 13100 | 38500 | 0.6596 | 17,901 | 1470 | 0.1681 | |
| 37 | Carnegie Mellon University | 13600 | 87300 | 0.844 | 7,824 | 1528 | 0.1166 | |
| 38 | North Carolina A & T State University | 13700 | 17900 | 0.2353 | 12,216 | 1020 | 0.4617 | |
| 39 | Louisiana Tech University | 13800 | 24900 | 0.4451 | 11,071 | 1164 | 0.9073 | |
| 40 | Texas Tech University | 14000 | 27000 | 0.4813 | 32,580 | 1200 | 0.7265 | |
| 40 | University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point | 14000 | 23600 | 0.4065 | 7,557 | 1140 | 0.9037 | |
| 42 | Kansas State University | 14100 | 26100 | 0.4588 | 15,650 | 1164 | 0.8199 | |
| 43 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | 14200 | 26500 | 0.463 | 22,351 | 1159 | 0.7504 | |
| 43 | West Virginia University | 14200 | 23300 | 0.3905 | 18,614 | 1125 | 0.778 | |
| 45 | University of Idaho | 14300 | 26400 | 0.458 | 9,574 | 1119 | 0.7553 | |
| 46 | California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt | 14500 | 24900 | 0.417 | 5,474 | 1138 | 0.9198 | |
| 46 | Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville | 14500 | 41100 | 0.6478 | 8,975 | 1045 | 0.9721 | |
| 48 | Case Western Reserve University | 14700 | 80400 | 0.8167 | 6,528 | 1485 | 0.3778 | |
| 49 | Stanford University | 14800 | 71300 | 0.792 | 7,904 | 1535 | 0.0361 | |
| 50 | University of California-Berkeley | 15000 | 43500 | 0.655 | 33,469 | 1407 | 0.1104 | |
| 51 | University of California-Irvine | 15200 | 35300 | 0.5701 | 30,204 | 1333 | 0.2878 | |
| 52 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 15400 | 28100 | 0.452 | 8,553 | 1054 | 0.8688 | |
| 53 | University of California-Riverside | 15500 | 36500 | 0.5749 | 22,599 | 1199 | 0.7685 | |
| 53 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 15500 | 24800 | 0.3744 | 30,187 | 1292 | 0.6015 | |
| 55 | Florida State University | 15600 | 23100 | 0.3246 | 32,711 | 1360 | 0.2422 | |
| 56 | Northeastern University | 16100 | 89900 | 0.8213 | 22,695 | 1490 | 0.0522 | |
| 57 | University of California-Los Angeles | 16300 | 36700 | 0.5548 | 33,471 | 1399 | 0.0897 | |
| 58 | North Carolina State University | 16500 | 28500 | 0.4223 | 28,422 | 1335 | 0.4167 | |
| 59 | University of Southern California | 16600 | 76000 | 0.7815 | 21,023 | 1485 | 0.1002 | |
| 60 | California State University Maritime Academy | 16700 | 37100 | 0.5505 | 761 | 1069 | 0.9873 | |
| 61 | Tufts University | 16900 | 92400 | 0.8175 | 7,126 | 1507 | 0.1153 | |
| 61 | University of Southern Mississippi | 16900 | 23100 | 0.2682 | 10,193 | 1181 | 0.9912 | |
| 63 | University of Georgia | 17000 | 27100 | 0.373 | 31,514 | 1336 | 0.3719 | |
| 64 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 17200 | 27200 | 0.3671 | 44,170 | 1327 | 0.4979 | |
| 65 | Bucknell University | 17700 | 88400 | 0.7996 | 3,920 | 1284 | 0.2893 | |
| 65 | University of Rochester | 17700 | 93100 | 0.8101 | 6,580 | 1469 | 0.4008 | |
| 67 | University of Arkansas | 17800 | 27700 | 0.3574 | 28,859 | 1179 | 0.7431 | |
| 68 | Centre College | 17900 | 70100 | 0.7449 | 1,356 | 1330 | 0.5553 | |
| 68 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 17900 | 28100 | 0.3632 | 20,592 | 1435 | 0.1407 | |
| 68 | University of Rhode Island | 17900 | 34400 | 0.4794 | 14,376 | 1148 | 0.7216 | |
| 71 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 18200 | 18200 | 0 | 34,242 | 1273 | 0.7333 | |
| 72 | McNeese State University | 18900 | 29200 | 0.3532 | 5,560 | 1110 | 0.6755 | |
| 73 | San Jose State University | 19200 | 29900 | 0.3576 | 28,008 | 0 | 0.8461 | |
| 74 | Youngstown State University | 19300 | 29300 | 0.3409 | 8,436 | 1065 | 0.8066 | |
| 75 | University of Mississippi | 19400 | 27000 | 0.2814 | 21,585 | 1182 | 0.9658 | |
| 76 | University of Nevada-Reno | 19500 | 28200 | 0.3085 | 18,895 | 1134 | 0.7371 | |
| 77 | Cleveland State University | 19700 | 37300 | 0.4721 | 9,418 | 1005 | 0.913 | |
| 77 | Wayne State University | 19700 | 32300 | 0.3906 | 16,173 | 1174 | 0.7786 | |
| 79 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 19800 | 24500 | 0.1915 | 19,888 | 1209 | 0.8517 | |
| 80 | University of Wyoming | 19900 | 26700 | 0.2545 | 8,130 | 1159 | 0.9688 | |
| 81 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 20100 | 36200 | 0.445 | 36,588 | 1367 | 0.6535 | |
| 81 | University of Colorado Boulder | 20100 | 30600 | 0.3431 | 32,100 | 1290 | 0.8115 | |
| 83 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette | 20500 | 30000 | 0.3172 | 13,179 | 1110 | 0.8883 | |
| 84 | Western Michigan University | 20600 | 31200 | 0.3394 | 13,860 | 1104 | 0.846 | |
| 85 | Milwaukee School of Engineering | 20800 | 69400 | 0.7007 | 2,705 | 1292 | 0.6239 | |
| 86 | University of Maryland-College Park | 20900 | 27100 | 0.2289 | 31,133 | 1456 | 0.448 | |
| 87 | University of Miami | 21100 | 70800 | 0.7023 | 13,250 | 1406 | 0.189 | |
| 88 | Washington State University | 22900 | 36800 | 0.3783 | 14,346 | 1139 | 0.8797 | |
| 89 | University of Minnesota Duluth | 23100 | 29800 | 0.223 | 8,426 | 1235 | 0.8876 | |
| 90 | Hendrix College | 23200 | 51900 | 0.5532 | 1,101 | 1319 | 0.5563 | |
| 91 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 23300 | 33600 | 0.3067 | 65,450 | 1203 | 0.8989 | |
| 92 | Syracuse University | 23500 | 83100 | 0.7172 | 15,958 | 1363 | 0.4611 | |
| 93 | Illinois Institute of Technology | 23900 | 71600 | 0.6664 | 3,135 | 1299 | 0.5493 | |
| 94 | Tulane University of Louisiana | 24100 | 83600 | 0.712 | 7,283 | 1451 | 0.1398 | |
| 95 | University of North Carolina Wilmington | 24400 | 24400 | 0 | 15,254 | 1270 | 0.6424 | |
| 96 | West Virginia University Institute of Technology | 24500 | 39900 | 0.3861 | 1,448 | 1105 | 0.61 | |
| 97 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | 24600 | 32200 | 0.2359 | 10,200 | 1346 | 0.6507 | |
| 98 | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | 24700 | 26900 | 0.082 | 2,170 | 1264 | 0.8525 | |
| 99 | Montana State University | 24900 | 31400 | 0.207 | 15,053 | 1184 | 0.8214 | |
| 100 | Tuskegee University | 25000 | 42100 | 0.4066 | 2,400 | 1030 | 0.3143 | |
| 100 | University of Akron Main Campus | 25000 | 25000 | 0 | 11,160 | 1069 | 0.5967 | |
| 102 | Dordt University | 25200 | 52300 | 0.518 | 1,695 | 1195 | 0.7116 | |
| 103 | University of Kansas | 25600 | 37600 | 0.3189 | 22,085 | 1176 | 0.9348 | |
| 104 | Michigan State University | 25800 | 28900 | 0.1089 | 41,234 | 1223 | 0.848 | |
| 105 | Christian Brothers University | 25900 | 57600 | 0.5503 | 1,155 | 1110 | 0.867 | |
| 106 | Iowa State University | 26100 | 42800 | 0.3894 | 25,628 | 1207 | 0.8866 | |
| 107 | University of Arizona | 26500 | 35200 | 0.247 | 45,025 | 1212 | 0.8614 | |
| 108 | Trine University | 26600 | 56100 | 0.5263 | 4,157 | 1209 | 0.8469 | |
| 109 | Lamar University | 26700 | 37700 | 0.2915 | 8,206 | 1045 | 0.857 | |
| 110 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 27500 | 43800 | 0.3725 | 17,771 | 1044 | 0.7933 | |
| 111 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 27600 | 41900 | 0.3412 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 112 | University of Tulsa | 27700 | 62700 | 0.5585 | 2,852 | 1328 | 0.615 | |
| 113 | University of Louisville | 27900 | 42200 | 0.3387 | 17,086 | 1148 | 0.7941 | |
| 113 | Villanova University | 27900 | 88800 | 0.6856 | 7,006 | 1457 | 0.2698 | |
| 115 | California State University-Long Beach | 28000 | 38400 | 0.2712 | 35,843 | 1135 | 0.4628 | |
| 116 | Clarkson University | 28700 | 78000 | 0.6322 | 2,296 | 1302 | 0.7736 | |
| 116 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 28700 | 78100 | 0.6326 | 14,267 | 1363 | 0.6693 | |
| 116 | University of California-Santa Barbara | 28700 | 55800 | 0.4858 | 23,181 | 1354 | 0.3296 | |
| 119 | University of Iowa | 28900 | 31100 | 0.0709 | 22,738 | 1208 | 0.8362 | |
| 119 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 28900 | 31100 | 0.071 | 19,701 | 1214 | 0.8749 | |
| 121 | Clemson University | 29100 | 37100 | 0.2156 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 | |
| 122 | University of North Dakota | 29800 | 32500 | 0.0831 | 11,033 | 1150 | 0.769 | |
| 123 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 29900 | 52900 | 0.435 | 37,140 | 1442 | 0.4237 | |
| 124 | University of South Alabama | 30000 | 35000 | 0.1429 | 9,241 | 1140 | 0.7096 | |
| 125 | Lincoln Memorial University | 30100 | 44900 | 0.3293 | 1,668 | 1085 | 0.626 | |
| 126 | Maine Maritime Academy | 30200 | 33400 | 0.0959 | 945 | 1180 | 0.5606 | |
| 126 | Mississippi College | 30200 | 45400 | 0.3352 | 2,724 | 1110 | 0.4928 | |
| 128 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | 30500 | 41800 | 0.2705 | 31,127 | 1115 | 0.8679 | |
| 129 | University of Toledo | 30800 | 42000 | 0.267 | 11,013 | 1159 | 0.9202 | |
| 130 | University of Houston | 30900 | 35200 | 0.1223 | 39,257 | 1249 | 0.7392 | |
| 131 | Rider University | 31600 | 64300 | 0.5084 | 3,196 | 1214 | 0.794 | |
| 132 | Kutztown University of Pennsylvania | 32100 | 39500 | 0.1875 | 6,306 | 1214 | 0.9075 | |
| 133 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus | 32200 | 39200 | 0.1788 | 12,498 | 1010 | 0.8896 | |
| 134 | Hampton University | 32300 | 47000 | 0.3128 | 3,728 | 956 | 0.6225 | |
| 135 | Widener University | 32500 | 75300 | 0.5682 | 2,811 | 1155 | 0.8402 | |
| 136 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | 32600 | 38500 | 0.1533 | 7,890 | 1105 | 0.2056 | |
| 137 | University of Dayton | 32800 | 64100 | 0.4883 | 7,737 | 1284 | 0.6566 | |
| 138 | University of Maryland-Baltimore County | 32900 | 45200 | 0.2722 | 10,767 | 1326 | 0.7243 | |
| 139 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell | 33100 | 54600 | 0.3936 | 12,122 | 1283 | 0.8296 | |
| 140 | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | 34100 | 74600 | 0.5432 | 2,315 | 1382 | 0.7686 | |
| 141 | The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga | 34400 | 34500 | 0.0029 | 9,982 | 1125 | 0.7702 | |
| 142 | Prairie View A & M University | 34500 | 39600 | 0.1288 | 8,056 | 955 | 0.7441 | |
| 143 | University of South Florida | 34700 | 34700 | 0 | 38,525 | 1239 | 0.4319 | |
| 144 | California Baptist University | 35100 | 65200 | 0.4616 | 8,417 | 1069 | 0.8535 | |
| 144 | University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown | 35100 | 49600 | 0.2921 | 1,809 | 1109 | 0.9484 | |
| 146 | Missouri University of Science and Technology | 36100 | 56300 | 0.3588 | 5,552 | 1305 | 0.7255 | |
| 146 | University of Maine | 36100 | 45100 | 0.1996 | 591 | 1199 | 0.9684 | |
| 148 | Colorado School of Mines | 36300 | 59800 | 0.3932 | 5,852 | 1396 | 0.596 | |
| 148 | Mississippi State University | 36300 | 50500 | 0.2815 | 18,567 | 1214 | 0.7764 | |
| 148 | Tennessee Technological University | 36300 | 38500 | 0.0572 | 8,838 | 1159 | 0.8316 | |
| 151 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 36700 | 38900 | 0.0566 | 23,351 | 1239 | 0.766 | |
| 152 | The University of Texas at Tyler | 37100 | 46700 | 0.2056 | 7,683 | 1120 | 0.9402 | |
| 153 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville | 37400 | 41600 | 0.101 | 5,187 | 1005 | 0.9229 | |
| 153 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 62000 | 0.3968 | 31,035 | 1366 | 0.5499 | |
| 155 | University of Connecticut | 37600 | 41800 | 0.1005 | 19,388 | 1324 | 0.5395 | |
| 156 | Benedictine College | 37700 | 50800 | 0.258 | 2,391 | 1229 | 0.7645 | |
| 157 | University of New Haven | 38300 | 64900 | 0.4096 | 4,903 | 1180 | 0.6038 | |
| 158 | Kettering University | 38400 | 66900 | 0.426 | 1,212 | 1204 | 0.7867 | |
| 159 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 38800 | 52900 | 0.2664 | 30,564 | 1298 | 0.416 | |
| 160 | University of Alabama in Huntsville | 39000 | 39000 | 0 | 6,800 | 1245 | 0.6857 | |
| 161 | University of Illinois Chicago | 39200 | 48000 | 0.1832 | 22,495 | 1252 | 0.7735 | |
| 162 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 39600 | 53700 | 0.2627 | 23,920 | 1390 | 0.5973 | |
| 163 | Stony Brook University | 39800 | 53000 | 0.2491 | 18,263 | 1395 | 0.4904 | |
| 164 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | 40200 | 40200 | 0 | 11,365 | 1216 | 0.8816 | |
| 165 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 40300 | 56700 | 0.2893 | 40,754 | 1391 | 0.3915 | |
| 166 | Manhattan University | 41200 | 71700 | 0.4252 | 2,928 | 1248 | 0.785 | |
| 167 | Susquehanna University | 42400 | 76800 | 0.4481 | 2,185 | 1204 | 0.7871 | |
| 168 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 42500 | 52100 | 0.1843 | 46,815 | 1339 | 0.6057 | |
| 168 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 42500 | 54900 | 0.2261 | 20,418 | 1375 | 0.5808 | |
| 170 | University at Buffalo | 42600 | 46800 | 0.0897 | 20,360 | 1303 | 0.7418 | |
| 171 | Florida Institute of Technology | 43400 | 68600 | 0.3675 | 3,677 | 1224 | 0.577 | |
| 172 | University of Florida | 43500 | 45600 | 0.046 | 36,567 | 1399 | 0.242 | |
| 173 | Oregon State University | 44900 | 61900 | 0.2748 | 31,253 | 1272 | 0.773 | |
| 174 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 47200 | 85700 | 0.449 | 5,743 | 1438 | 0.6343 | |
| 174 | University of Delaware | 47200 | 53200 | 0.1127 | 19,119 | 1303 | 0.6356 | |
| 176 | The University of Alabama | 48800 | 48800 | 0 | 34,389 | 1233 | 0.7665 | |
| 177 | Stevens Institute of Technology | 49000 | 85800 | 0.4288 | 4,236 | 1445 | 0.4758 | |
| 178 | Virginia Commonwealth University | 50200 | 52300 | 0.0401 | 21,210 | 1171 | 0.9232 | |
| 179 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 50400 | 81000 | 0.3776 | 5,558 | 1292 | 0.6016 | |
| 180 | University of Kentucky | 51000 | 56000 | 0.0893 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 181 | Drexel University | 51100 | 82600 | 0.3812 | 13,169 | 1339 | 0.7944 | |
| 182 | University of Utah | 51500 | 53700 | 0.0411 | 28,064 | 1237 | 0.8598 | |
| 183 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 51700 | 51700 | 0 | 33,572 | 1264 | 0.8529 | |
| 184 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 52400 | 56100 | 0.0661 | 60,710 | 1278 | 0.5732 | |
| 185 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 53200 | 61000 | 0.1279 | 41,303 | 1338 | 0.7975 | |
| 186 | Rowan University | 53600 | 53600 | 0 | 16,199 | 1214 | 0.783 | |
| 187 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 54000 | 59200 | 0.0879 | 24,457 | 1256 | 0.7847 | |
| 188 | Auburn University | 55400 | 55400 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 189 | Miami University-Oxford | 56100 | 56100 | 0 | 16,816 | 1299 | 0.754 | |
| 190 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 56700 | 58900 | 0.0374 | 26,500 | 1183 | 0.8857 | |
| 191 | Howard University | 58400 | 61600 | 0.052 | 11,519 | 1208 | 0.4134 | |
| 192 | Hawaii Pacific University | 58700 | 60900 | 0.0362 | 3,533 | 1120 | 0.8587 | |
| 193 | Michigan Technological University | 59100 | 59100 | 0 | 6,022 | 1256 | 0.8353 |
School data is from 2022–2023 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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