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 | 1,108 | 1334 | 0.2244 | |
| 1 | United States Military Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4,473 | 1326 | 0.1245 | |
| 1 | United States Naval Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4,474 | 1305 | 0.0927 | |
| 4 | Johns Hopkins University | 2700 | 92000 | 0.9704 | 6,356 | 1543 | 0.0644 | |
| 5 | Princeton University | 3900 | 82600 | 0.9528 | 5,813 | 1535 | 0.0462 | |
| 6 | University of Chicago | 4100 | 95000 | 0.9571 | 7,598 | 1535 | 0.0448 | |
| 7 | Yale University | 5500 | 92200 | 0.94 | 6,814 | 1507 | 0.0387 | |
| 8 | Harvard University | 5900 | 95600 | 0.9384 | 8,844 | 1535 | 0.0365 | |
| 9 | Vanderbilt University | 7800 | 96200 | 0.9185 | 7,221 | 1527 | 0.0586 | |
| 10 | Brigham Young University | 8000 | 22000 | 0.6362 | 32,952 | 1374 | 0.6778 | |
| 11 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 8200 | 90000 | 0.9093 | 4,535 | 1542 | 0.0455 | |
| 12 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 8300 | 97100 | 0.915 | 9,164 | 1535 | 0.0399 | |
| 13 | California Institute of Technology | 8400 | 91800 | 0.9085 | 987 | 1557 | 0.0257 | |
| 14 | Carnegie Mellon University | 9000 | 90900 | 0.9007 | 7,377 | 1528 | 0.1166 | |
| 15 | Bowdoin College | 9600 | 89900 | 0.8934 | 1,881 | 1505 | 0.0713 | |
| 15 | Bucknell University | 9600 | 91800 | 0.8959 | 3,920 | 1396 | 0.2893 | |
| 17 | Rice University | 9800 | 89100 | 0.8903 | 4,789 | 1535 | 0.08 | |
| 18 | University of California-Davis | 10200 | 38100 | 0.7328 | 32,273 | 1290 | 0.4183 | |
| 19 | University of Notre Dame | 10800 | 86200 | 0.8752 | 8,880 | 1500 | 0.1127 | |
| 19 | Washington University in St Louis | 10800 | 102300 | 0.8943 | 8,220 | 1513 | 0.1206 | |
| 21 | University of Tulsa | 11400 | 62900 | 0.8184 | 2,852 | 1328 | 0.6151 | |
| 22 | University of California-San Diego | 11500 | 39700 | 0.7102 | 34,955 | 1375 | 0.2671 | |
| 22 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 11500 | 29100 | 0.6053 | 40,684 | 1331 | 0.3915 | |
| 24 | Cornell University | 11800 | 93100 | 0.8735 | 16,128 | 1521 | 0.0876 | |
| 25 | Lafayette College | 12000 | 85800 | 0.8606 | 2,775 | 1427 | 0.3145 | |
| 25 | University of Houston | 12000 | 28400 | 0.5781 | 39,257 | 1249 | 0.7392 | |
| 27 | University of Pennsylvania | 12300 | 92900 | 0.8676 | 11,478 | 1536 | 0.054 | |
| 28 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 12400 | 29200 | 0.5745 | 38,040 | 1418 | 0.452 | |
| 29 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 12600 | 12600 | 0 | 25,255 | 1134 | 0.7517 | |
| 30 | University of Arizona | 12900 | 30900 | 0.5835 | 44,848 | 1233 | 0.8614 | |
| 31 | University of California-Santa Barbara | 13200 | 43000 | 0.693 | 23,181 | 1354 | 0.3297 | |
| 32 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 32 | University of Delaware | 13600 | 34500 | 0.6053 | 20,026 | 1294 | 0.706 | |
| 34 | Brown University | 13900 | 94000 | 0.8521 | 7,910 | 1535 | 0.0539 | |
| 35 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5048 | 11,348 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 36 | Northwestern University | 14600 | 88300 | 0.8348 | 9,399 | 1527 | 0.0769 | |
| 37 | Case Western Reserve University | 14800 | 91300 | 0.8383 | 6,528 | 1475 | 0.3654 | |
| 37 | Stanford University | 14800 | 71700 | 0.794 | 7,904 | 1535 | 0.0361 | |
| 39 | Northeastern University | 15000 | 89900 | 0.8331 | 17,432 | 1490 | 0.0522 | |
| 40 | The University of Texas at Tyler | 15100 | 24900 | 0.3931 | 7,683 | 1120 | 0.9402 | |
| 41 | Florida State University | 15600 | 22900 | 0.3184 | 32,720 | 1360 | 0.2422 | |
| 41 | Lehigh University | 15600 | 89600 | 0.8263 | 5,911 | 1436 | 0.2593 | |
| 41 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 15600 | 31000 | 0.4964 | 8,553 | 1045 | 0.8688 | |
| 44 | Western Michigan University | 15700 | 31200 | 0.4963 | 13,027 | 1115 | 0.846 | |
| 45 | Kansas State University | 15800 | 26100 | 0.3944 | 15,650 | 1164 | 0.8169 | |
| 46 | University of California-Riverside | 15900 | 36500 | 0.564 | 22,600 | 1199 | 0.7639 | |
| 46 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 15900 | 38500 | 0.5862 | 37,140 | 1406 | 0.4237 | |
| 48 | University of Maine | 16500 | 29300 | 0.4371 | 9,601 | 1205 | 0.9664 | |
| 48 | West Virginia University | 16500 | 40900 | 0.5963 | 18,206 | 1125 | 0.89 | |
| 50 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 17500 | 29900 | 0.4141 | 60,710 | 1278 | 0.5743 | |
| 51 | Prairie View A & M University | 17600 | 25400 | 0.3071 | 8,877 | 975 | 0.7931 | |
| 52 | University of Miami | 17700 | 95700 | 0.8149 | 13,250 | 1406 | 0.189 | |
| 53 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 17900 | 44300 | 0.5956 | 20,591 | 1435 | 0.1407 | |
| 54 | Cal Poly Maritime Academy | 18000 | 48400 | 0.6283 | 804 | 1110 | 0.9501 | |
| 55 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 18200 | 18200 | 0 | 34,242 | 1273 | 0.7333 | |
| 55 | The University of Texas Permian Basin | 18200 | 28600 | 0.3634 | 4,218 | 1030 | 0.9489 | |
| 57 | McNeese State University | 18900 | 27400 | 0.3102 | 5,668 | 1060 | 0.7827 | |
| 58 | University of Nevada-Reno | 19200 | 28200 | 0.3189 | 19,117 | 1134 | 0.7371 | |
| 59 | University of Mississippi | 19400 | 27000 | 0.2814 | 21,585 | 1182 | 0.9658 | |
| 60 | University of Alabama in Huntsville | 19900 | 30500 | 0.3473 | 6,800 | 1293 | 0.6857 | |
| 60 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | 19900 | 78600 | 0.7467 | 17,885 | 1470 | 0.1681 | |
| 60 | Youngstown State University | 19900 | 34000 | 0.4147 | 9,400 | 1115 | 0.8445 | |
| 63 | Cleveland State University | 20000 | 30900 | 0.3523 | 9,482 | 1069 | 0.913 | |
| 63 | University of Southern California | 20000 | 75900 | 0.7369 | 20,630 | 1492 | 0.0981 | |
| 65 | Iowa State University | 20100 | 24200 | 0.171 | 25,628 | 1207 | 0.8866 | |
| 66 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 20200 | 45200 | 0.5537 | 31,035 | 1366 | 0.5478 | |
| 67 | University of Rochester | 20300 | 93100 | 0.7822 | 6,580 | 1462 | 0.4008 | |
| 68 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 20600 | 23200 | 0.1121 | 20,444 | 1209 | 0.8499 | |
| 69 | Louisiana Tech University | 21400 | 26100 | 0.1802 | 10,881 | 1189 | 0.864 | |
| 70 | Tufts University | 21600 | 98900 | 0.7813 | 7,126 | 1507 | 0.1149 | |
| 71 | Marian University | 22000 | 59800 | 0.6317 | 2,378 | 1085 | 0.9546 | |
| 72 | University of Illinois Chicago | 22200 | 30100 | 0.2629 | 22,495 | 1252 | 0.7735 | |
| 73 | Montana State University | 22300 | 27100 | 0.1769 | 15,046 | 1184 | 0.8214 | |
| 74 | The University of Alabama | 22600 | 31000 | 0.2708 | 34,389 | 1284 | 0.7665 | |
| 75 | New York University | 22700 | 91800 | 0.7524 | 29,060 | 1520 | 0.0923 | |
| 76 | San Jose State University | 23000 | 41100 | 0.4405 | 28,008 | 1124 | 0.8461 | |
| 76 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 23000 | 27500 | 0.1618 | 17,450 | 1044 | 0.9518 | |
| 78 | Illinois Institute of Technology | 23100 | 69800 | 0.6694 | 3,135 | 1307 | 0.5493 | |
| 78 | University of Southern Mississippi | 23100 | 23100 | 0 | 10,193 | 1181 | 0.9912 | |
| 78 | University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point | 23100 | 29000 | 0.2033 | 7,490 | 1140 | 0.918 | |
| 81 | University of Kentucky | 23900 | 36400 | 0.3435 | 25,534 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 82 | University of Kansas | 24200 | 37600 | 0.3585 | 22,085 | 1176 | 0.9348 | |
| 83 | Miami University-Oxford | 24300 | 27500 | 0.1165 | 16,816 | 1299 | 0.754 | |
| 84 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | 24400 | 30600 | 0.2026 | 10,200 | 1325 | 0.6507 | |
| 84 | University of North Carolina Wilmington | 24400 | 24400 | 0 | 15,254 | 1270 | 0.6424 | |
| 86 | Tennessee Technological University | 25100 | 33700 | 0.2554 | 9,187 | 1163 | 0.7613 | |
| 87 | California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt | 25200 | 37900 | 0.3348 | 5,661 | 1085 | 0.982 | |
| 88 | Clarkson University | 25700 | 78000 | 0.6707 | 2,296 | 1302 | 0.7736 | |
| 89 | Christian Brothers University | 26000 | 57600 | 0.549 | 1,155 | 1110 | 0.867 | |
| 90 | Dordt University | 26200 | 52500 | 0.5007 | 1,716 | 1205 | 0.6847 | |
| 91 | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | 26300 | 28400 | 0.0738 | 2,216 | 1268 | 0.7987 | |
| 91 | Tuskegee University | 26300 | 42100 | 0.3757 | 2,659 | 1090 | 0.4868 | |
| 93 | Trine University | 26700 | 56100 | 0.5243 | 4,373 | 1159 | 0.8548 | |
| 94 | University of Arkansas | 26800 | 28900 | 0.0726 | 28,859 | 1179 | 0.743 | |
| 95 | University of Idaho | 27000 | 45200 | 0.4023 | 9,574 | 1119 | 0.7553 | |
| 96 | University of Minnesota Duluth | 27400 | 32000 | 0.1436 | 8,426 | 1235 | 0.8875 | |
| 97 | Rowan University | 27500 | 41300 | 0.3345 | 16,100 | 1219 | 0.7766 | |
| 98 | University of Maryland-Baltimore County | 27600 | 27600 | 0 | 10,767 | 1326 | 0.7243 | |
| 99 | Syracuse University | 27700 | 83100 | 0.6665 | 15,957 | 1363 | 0.4592 | |
| 100 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 27800 | 31100 | 0.1061 | 19,701 | 1214 | 0.8749 | |
| 101 | Villanova University | 27900 | 88800 | 0.6855 | 7,004 | 1457 | 0.2698 | |
| 102 | Mississippi State University | 28200 | 32300 | 0.1266 | 18,567 | 1214 | 0.7764 | |
| 103 | University of Akron Main Campus | 28600 | 32300 | 0.1145 | 11,160 | 1069 | 0.5967 | |
| 104 | University of Dayton | 28800 | 64200 | 0.5515 | 7,740 | 1302 | 0.6545 | |
| 105 | University of Utah | 28900 | 32000 | 0.0967 | 28,064 | 1237 | 0.8598 | |
| 106 | Michigan Technological University | 29000 | 34700 | 0.1643 | 6,013 | 1256 | 0.9243 | |
| 107 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 29300 | 34000 | 0.1383 | 30,187 | 1292 | 0.6015 | |
| 108 | University of Toledo | 29500 | 32600 | 0.0949 | 11,013 | 1229 | 0.9202 | |
| 109 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus | 30400 | 39200 | 0.2248 | 12,507 | 1010 | 0.8897 | |
| 110 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 30500 | 78100 | 0.6093 | 14,267 | 1381 | 0.6693 | |
| 111 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | 30600 | 38500 | 0.2052 | 7,890 | 1110 | 0.2056 | |
| 112 | The College of Wooster | 30800 | 82400 | 0.6259 | 1,738 | 1344 | 0.5953 | |
| 113 | West Virginia University Institute of Technology | 30900 | 39900 | 0.2256 | 1,278 | 1025 | 0.3668 | |
| 114 | California State University-Long Beach | 31000 | 38900 | 0.2032 | 36,082 | 1135 | 0.4627 | |
| 115 | Lamar University | 31200 | 38300 | 0.1855 | 8,184 | 1050 | 0.8641 | |
| 115 | University of North Dakota | 31200 | 33700 | 0.0769 | 11,033 | 1150 | 0.769 | |
| 117 | Hampton University | 31400 | 54800 | 0.427 | 3,728 | 947 | 0.6225 | |
| 117 | Rider University | 31400 | 60600 | 0.4816 | 3,145 | 1233 | 0.7864 | |
| 119 | Maine Maritime Academy | 31500 | 33400 | 0.057 | 945 | 1180 | 0.5414 | |
| 119 | North Carolina A & T State University | 31500 | 36700 | 0.1416 | 12,497 | 1075 | 0.499 | |
| 119 | University of Louisville | 31500 | 42000 | 0.2498 | 17,086 | 1148 | 0.7941 | |
| 122 | University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown | 31800 | 49500 | 0.3579 | 1,813 | 1109 | 0.9484 | |
| 123 | Hendrix College | 32800 | 59300 | 0.4466 | 1,100 | 1260 | 0.5565 | |
| 124 | North Carolina State University | 32900 | 54800 | 0.3997 | 28,422 | 1378 | 0.4174 | |
| 124 | University of Rhode Island | 32900 | 46400 | 0.2907 | 14,376 | 1148 | 0.7216 | |
| 126 | Auburn University | 33700 | 34100 | 0.0117 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4592 | |
| 127 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | 33900 | 41000 | 0.1742 | 22,364 | 1159 | 0.7504 | |
| 128 | Kutztown University of Pennsylvania | 34300 | 35900 | 0.0446 | 6,306 | 1214 | 0.9075 | |
| 129 | Milwaukee School of Engineering | 34400 | 70200 | 0.5103 | 2,704 | 1277 | 0.5893 | |
| 130 | The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga | 34500 | 34500 | 0 | 10,202 | 1140 | 0.8109 | |
| 131 | University of South Florida | 35000 | 35000 | 0 | 38,525 | 1239 | 0.4319 | |
| 132 | California Baptist University | 35300 | 65600 | 0.4618 | 8,417 | 1070 | 0.8488 | |
| 133 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell | 35400 | 56700 | 0.3757 | 12,122 | 1283 | 0.8304 | |
| 134 | Texas Tech University | 35600 | 38900 | 0.0848 | 32,580 | 1200 | 0.7265 | |
| 135 | Colorado School of Mines | 36200 | 60100 | 0.3977 | 6,195 | 1399 | 0.6069 | |
| 135 | Missouri University of Science and Technology | 36200 | 56300 | 0.3568 | 5,552 | 1305 | 0.7255 | |
| 137 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 36500 | 47500 | 0.2317 | 65,450 | 1203 | 0.8989 | |
| 137 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville | 36500 | 41600 | 0.1224 | 5,386 | 1050 | 0.9092 | |
| 139 | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry | 36600 | 40000 | 0.085 | 2,381 | 1239 | 0.6328 | |
| 140 | University of New Haven | 36800 | 67300 | 0.453 | 4,903 | 1164 | 0.6038 | |
| 141 | University of Connecticut | 37300 | 53600 | 0.3043 | 20,056 | 1329 | 0.5239 | |
| 142 | Kettering University | 37500 | 71800 | 0.4776 | 1,212 | 1260 | 0.7867 | |
| 143 | Benedictine College | 37700 | 50800 | 0.2579 | 2,403 | 1241 | 0.9812 | |
| 144 | Washington State University | 38300 | 53900 | 0.2895 | 21,455 | 1125 | 0.8664 | |
| 145 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 38700 | 53100 | 0.2711 | 30,564 | 1302 | 0.416 | |
| 146 | New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | 39300 | 44400 | 0.1148 | 1,066 | 1197 | 0.4449 | |
| 147 | University of South Alabama | 39700 | 39700 | 0 | 9,241 | 1140 | 0.7096 | |
| 148 | Stony Brook University | 39900 | 53000 | 0.2471 | 18,263 | 1410 | 0.4904 | |
| 149 | University of Wyoming | 40200 | 45300 | 0.1125 | 8,130 | 1179 | 0.9688 | |
| 150 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette | 40300 | 44100 | 0.0862 | 13,432 | 1225 | 0.8701 | |
| 151 | University of California-Los Angeles | 40400 | 81800 | 0.5061 | 33,475 | 1399 | 0.0897 | |
| 151 | Wayne State University | 40400 | 46200 | 0.1256 | 16,012 | 1174 | 0.8116 | |
| 153 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | 40600 | 48500 | 0.1628 | 31,127 | 1115 | 0.8679 | |
| 154 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 40700 | 53600 | 0.2408 | 46,815 | 1378 | 0.6057 | |
| 155 | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | 41500 | 83200 | 0.5012 | 2,315 | 1404 | 0.7686 | |
| 155 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 41500 | 55200 | 0.2481 | 25,900 | 1375 | 0.5808 | |
| 157 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | 42700 | 56200 | 0.2403 | 11,355 | 1222 | 0.8816 | |
| 158 | University of Maryland-College Park | 43000 | 53600 | 0.1979 | 31,133 | 1463 | 0.4479 | |
| 159 | University of Florida | 43300 | 45700 | 0.0526 | 36,573 | 1399 | 0.242 | |
| 160 | Florida Institute of Technology | 43600 | 68700 | 0.3651 | 3,666 | 1224 | 0.577 | |
| 160 | Manhattan University | 43600 | 74100 | 0.4115 | 2,744 | 1274 | 0.7894 | |
| 162 | University at Buffalo | 43900 | 46700 | 0.06 | 20,359 | 1303 | 0.7418 | |
| 163 | Oregon State University | 44900 | 61900 | 0.2743 | 31,253 | 1272 | 0.773 | |
| 164 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 45700 | 58800 | 0.2229 | 23,329 | 1239 | 0.766 | |
| 165 | Widener University | 45800 | 79400 | 0.4233 | 2,975 | 1184 | 0.7093 | |
| 166 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 46200 | 86300 | 0.4644 | 5,741 | 1438 | 0.6347 | |
| 167 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 47000 | 59700 | 0.2125 | 37,985 | 1390 | 0.5815 | |
| 167 | University of Colorado Boulder | 47000 | 57700 | 0.1843 | 32,244 | 1351 | 0.7808 | |
| 169 | Michigan State University | 47200 | 56200 | 0.1601 | 41,234 | 1279 | 0.848 | |
| 170 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48600 | 51200 | 0.0506 | 44,819 | 1327 | 0.4987 | |
| 171 | Tulane University of Louisiana | 48700 | 91400 | 0.4673 | 8,192 | 1451 | 0.1398 | |
| 172 | University of Georgia | 48800 | 51600 | 0.0542 | 32,399 | 1382 | 0.377 | |
| 173 | Drexel University | 48900 | 83900 | 0.4172 | 13,309 | 1339 | 0.7944 | |
| 174 | Stevens Institute of Technology | 49700 | 85800 | 0.4206 | 4,236 | 1445 | 0.4758 | |
| 175 | The University of Texas at Austin | 49900 | 59400 | 0.16 | 43,165 | 1356 | 0.2664 | |
| 176 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 50500 | 83600 | 0.3958 | 5,558 | 1292 | 0.6016 | |
| 177 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 51000 | 84700 | 0.398 | 34,454 | 1435 | 0.1564 | |
| 178 | University of Iowa | 51100 | 53200 | 0.0394 | 22,738 | 1208 | 0.8362 | |
| 179 | Virginia Commonwealth University | 51600 | 52800 | 0.0227 | 21,210 | 1148 | 0.9262 | |
| 180 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 53100 | 61200 | 0.1323 | 26,221 | 1204 | 0.8854 | |
| 181 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 53300 | 53300 | 0 | 33,033 | 1264 | 0.8529 | |
| 181 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 53300 | 61000 | 0.1261 | 41,303 | 1338 | 0.7975 | |
| 183 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 53800 | 62800 | 0.1433 | 23,920 | 1397 | 0.5973 | |
| 184 | Howard University | 55000 | 66500 | 0.173 | 11,519 | 1208 | 0.4134 | |
| 185 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 58200 | 64100 | 0.092 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 186 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 59500 | 61600 | 0.034 | 24,449 | 1256 | 0.7847 | |
| 187 | Clemson University | 61600 | 63700 | 0.0329 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 | |
| 188 | Hawaii Pacific University | 63700 | 65800 | 0.0318 | 3,533 | 1120 | 0.8587 | |
| 189 | University of California-Berkeley | 70800 | 76100 | 0.0697 | 33,070 | 1407 | 0.1098 | |
| 190 | University of California-Irvine | 72000 | 75600 | 0.0476 | 30,204 | 1333 | 0.2857 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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