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 Military Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4,473 | 1326 | 0.1245 | |
| 2 | California Institute of Technology | 4300 | 90300 | 0.9522 | 987 | 1557 | 0.0257 | |
| 2 | Rice University | 4300 | 85500 | 0.9496 | 4,789 | 1535 | 0.08 | |
| 4 | Johns Hopkins University | 4500 | 88600 | 0.9491 | 6,356 | 1543 | 0.0644 | |
| 5 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 4700 | 86800 | 0.9456 | 4,576 | 1535 | 0.0485 | |
| 6 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 5100 | 39100 | 0.8705 | 34,454 | 1435 | 0.1564 | |
| 7 | Princeton University | 5400 | 81800 | 0.9338 | 5,813 | 1535 | 0.0462 | |
| 8 | Yale University | 5500 | 92300 | 0.9403 | 6,814 | 1507 | 0.0387 | |
| 9 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 6600 | 94100 | 0.9301 | 9,157 | 1535 | 0.0386 | |
| 10 | CUNY City College | 7500 | 31200 | 0.7597 | 12,982 | 1169 | 0.5997 | |
| 11 | Vanderbilt University | 7800 | 95000 | 0.9178 | 7,221 | 1527 | 0.0586 | |
| 12 | Washington University in St Louis | 9300 | 96200 | 0.9037 | 8,220 | 1513 | 0.1206 | |
| 13 | University of Notre Dame | 10100 | 86100 | 0.8826 | 8,880 | 1499 | 0.1127 | |
| 14 | Cornell University | 10300 | 92000 | 0.8877 | 16,128 | 1521 | 0.0841 | |
| 15 | Brigham Young University | 10900 | 29000 | 0.6237 | 32,221 | 1374 | 0.6919 | |
| 16 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 11100 | 27200 | 0.5927 | 40,754 | 1391 | 0.3915 | |
| 17 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 11300 | 34400 | 0.6706 | 37,140 | 1442 | 0.4237 | |
| 18 | Lafayette College | 11800 | 85800 | 0.863 | 2,775 | 1427 | 0.3145 | |
| 19 | New York University | 12100 | 91800 | 0.868 | 29,060 | 1520 | 0.0923 | |
| 20 | Northern Illinois University | 12300 | 29000 | 0.5739 | 11,349 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 21 | Lehigh University | 12500 | 85700 | 0.8546 | 5,911 | 1436 | 0.2593 | |
| 22 | Northwestern University | 12600 | 87700 | 0.8563 | 8,846 | 1513 | 0.0722 | |
| 23 | The University of Texas Permian Basin | 12900 | 37100 | 0.6518 | 4,218 | 1020 | 0.9307 | |
| 24 | The University of Texas at Austin | 13200 | 30700 | 0.5697 | 43,165 | 1335 | 0.2664 | |
| 24 | University of California-Santa Barbara | 13200 | 39000 | 0.6621 | 23,181 | 1354 | 0.3296 | |
| 26 | Carnegie Mellon University | 13700 | 87300 | 0.8428 | 7,824 | 1528 | 0.1166 | |
| 26 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 13700 | 32200 | 0.5744 | 39,083 | 1412 | 0.4517 | |
| 28 | Louisiana Tech University | 13800 | 24900 | 0.4451 | 11,071 | 1164 | 0.9073 | |
| 28 | West Virginia University Institute of Technology | 13800 | 29100 | 0.5266 | 1,448 | 1105 | 0.61 | |
| 30 | Texas Tech University | 14000 | 27000 | 0.4813 | 32,580 | 1200 | 0.7265 | |
| 30 | University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point | 14000 | 23600 | 0.4065 | 7,557 | 1140 | 0.9037 | |
| 32 | West Virginia University | 14200 | 23300 | 0.3905 | 18,614 | 1125 | 0.778 | |
| 33 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | 14300 | 26500 | 0.4624 | 22,351 | 1159 | 0.7504 | |
| 33 | University of Idaho | 14300 | 26400 | 0.458 | 9,574 | 1119 | 0.7553 | |
| 35 | Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville | 14500 | 41100 | 0.6478 | 8,975 | 1045 | 0.9721 | |
| 36 | Case Western Reserve University | 14700 | 80400 | 0.8167 | 6,528 | 1485 | 0.3778 | |
| 37 | Stanford University | 14800 | 71300 | 0.792 | 7,904 | 1535 | 0.0361 | |
| 38 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 15200 | 35700 | 0.5744 | 26,500 | 1183 | 0.8857 | |
| 39 | Northeastern University | 16100 | 89900 | 0.8213 | 22,695 | 1490 | 0.0522 | |
| 40 | North Carolina State University | 16500 | 28500 | 0.4215 | 28,422 | 1335 | 0.4167 | |
| 41 | University of Southern California | 16600 | 76000 | 0.7815 | 21,023 | 1485 | 0.1002 | |
| 42 | Tufts University | 16900 | 92400 | 0.8175 | 7,126 | 1507 | 0.1153 | |
| 43 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 17200 | 27200 | 0.3671 | 44,170 | 1327 | 0.4979 | |
| 43 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 17200 | 26300 | 0.3464 | 19,701 | 1214 | 0.8749 | |
| 45 | Bucknell University | 17700 | 88400 | 0.7996 | 3,920 | 1284 | 0.2893 | |
| 46 | University of Rochester | 17800 | 93100 | 0.809 | 6,580 | 1469 | 0.4008 | |
| 46 | University of South Alabama | 17800 | 22400 | 0.2057 | 9,241 | 1140 | 0.7096 | |
| 48 | University of Maine | 17900 | 29000 | 0.3831 | 591 | 1199 | 0.9684 | |
| 49 | University of Louisville | 18000 | 29100 | 0.3818 | 17,086 | 1148 | 0.7941 | |
| 50 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | 18400 | 78300 | 0.7651 | 17,901 | 1470 | 0.1681 | |
| 51 | University of Mississippi | 18700 | 45500 | 0.5895 | 21,585 | 1182 | 0.9658 | |
| 52 | McNeese State University | 18900 | 29200 | 0.3532 | 5,560 | 1110 | 0.6755 | |
| 53 | Kansas State University | 19000 | 31400 | 0.395 | 15,650 | 1164 | 0.8199 | |
| 54 | San Jose State University | 19200 | 29900 | 0.3576 | 28,008 | 0 | 0.8461 | |
| 55 | Youngstown State University | 19300 | 29300 | 0.3409 | 8,436 | 1065 | 0.8066 | |
| 56 | Cleveland State University | 19700 | 37300 | 0.4721 | 9,418 | 1005 | 0.913 | |
| 56 | Wayne State University | 19700 | 32300 | 0.3906 | 16,173 | 1174 | 0.7786 | |
| 58 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 19800 | 24500 | 0.1915 | 19,888 | 1209 | 0.8517 | |
| 58 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 19800 | 31000 | 0.3613 | 60,710 | 1278 | 0.5732 | |
| 60 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 20100 | 38800 | 0.4812 | 36,588 | 1367 | 0.6535 | |
| 60 | University of Colorado Boulder | 20100 | 30600 | 0.3431 | 32,100 | 1290 | 0.8115 | |
| 62 | Western Michigan University | 20600 | 31200 | 0.3394 | 13,860 | 1104 | 0.846 | |
| 63 | Montana State University | 20900 | 27100 | 0.2285 | 15,053 | 1184 | 0.8214 | |
| 63 | University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown | 20900 | 30300 | 0.3099 | 1,809 | 1109 | 0.9484 | |
| 65 | Florida State University | 22600 | 25000 | 0.0962 | 32,711 | 1360 | 0.2422 | |
| 66 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 22900 | 22900 | 0 | 30,187 | 1292 | 0.6015 | |
| 67 | University of Minnesota Duluth | 23100 | 29800 | 0.2231 | 8,426 | 1235 | 0.8876 | |
| 68 | The University of Alabama | 23400 | 29900 | 0.2177 | 34,389 | 1233 | 0.7665 | |
| 69 | Syracuse University | 23500 | 83100 | 0.7172 | 15,958 | 1363 | 0.4611 | |
| 70 | University of Alabama in Huntsville | 23700 | 28300 | 0.1627 | 6,800 | 1245 | 0.6857 | |
| 71 | Illinois Institute of Technology | 23900 | 71600 | 0.6664 | 3,135 | 1299 | 0.5493 | |
| 72 | Tulane University of Louisiana | 24100 | 83600 | 0.712 | 7,283 | 1451 | 0.1398 | |
| 72 | University at Buffalo | 24100 | 34000 | 0.2912 | 20,360 | 1303 | 0.7418 | |
| 74 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | 24600 | 32200 | 0.2359 | 10,200 | 1346 | 0.6507 | |
| 75 | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | 24700 | 26900 | 0.0812 | 2,170 | 1264 | 0.8525 | |
| 76 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 25000 | 36600 | 0.3173 | 65,450 | 1203 | 0.8989 | |
| 76 | Tennessee Technological University | 25000 | 33700 | 0.2581 | 8,838 | 1159 | 0.8316 | |
| 76 | Tuskegee University | 25000 | 42100 | 0.4066 | 2,400 | 1030 | 0.3143 | |
| 79 | Dordt University | 25200 | 52300 | 0.518 | 1,695 | 1195 | 0.7116 | |
| 80 | University of Kansas | 25600 | 37600 | 0.321 | 22,085 | 1176 | 0.9348 | |
| 81 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell | 25700 | 35700 | 0.2803 | 12,122 | 1283 | 0.8296 | |
| 82 | Christian Brothers University | 25900 | 57600 | 0.5501 | 1,155 | 1110 | 0.867 | |
| 83 | Iowa State University | 26100 | 42800 | 0.3889 | 25,628 | 1207 | 0.8866 | |
| 84 | University of Arizona | 26500 | 35200 | 0.247 | 45,025 | 1212 | 0.8614 | |
| 85 | Trine University | 26600 | 56100 | 0.526 | 4,157 | 1209 | 0.8469 | |
| 86 | Lamar University | 26700 | 37700 | 0.2915 | 8,206 | 1045 | 0.857 | |
| 86 | University of Arkansas | 26700 | 30800 | 0.1328 | 28,859 | 1179 | 0.7431 | |
| 88 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 27500 | 43800 | 0.3725 | 17,771 | 1044 | 0.7933 | |
| 89 | University of Tulsa | 27700 | 62700 | 0.5585 | 2,852 | 1328 | 0.615 | |
| 90 | Villanova University | 27900 | 88800 | 0.6856 | 7,006 | 1457 | 0.2698 | |
| 91 | California State University-Long Beach | 28000 | 38400 | 0.2712 | 35,843 | 1135 | 0.4628 | |
| 92 | University of Akron Main Campus | 28600 | 31500 | 0.0921 | 11,160 | 1069 | 0.5967 | |
| 93 | Clarkson University | 28700 | 78000 | 0.6322 | 2,296 | 1302 | 0.7736 | |
| 93 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 28700 | 78100 | 0.6326 | 14,267 | 1363 | 0.6693 | |
| 95 | Colorado School of Mines | 28900 | 38100 | 0.2418 | 5,852 | 1396 | 0.596 | |
| 96 | Michigan Technological University | 29000 | 34700 | 0.1643 | 6,022 | 1256 | 0.8353 | |
| 97 | Clemson University | 29100 | 37100 | 0.2151 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 | |
| 98 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 29900 | 31100 | 0.0385 | 20,592 | 1435 | 0.1407 | |
| 98 | University of North Dakota | 29900 | 32500 | 0.0825 | 11,033 | 1150 | 0.769 | |
| 100 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | 30500 | 41800 | 0.2705 | 31,127 | 1115 | 0.8679 | |
| 101 | University of Toledo | 30800 | 42000 | 0.2665 | 11,013 | 1159 | 0.9202 | |
| 102 | University of Houston | 30900 | 35200 | 0.1223 | 39,257 | 1249 | 0.7392 | |
| 103 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 31300 | 41100 | 0.2387 | 25,255 | 1134 | 0.737 | |
| 103 | University of Rhode Island | 31300 | 46700 | 0.3298 | 14,376 | 1148 | 0.7216 | |
| 105 | North Carolina A & T State University | 31800 | 36400 | 0.1262 | 12,216 | 1020 | 0.4617 | |
| 106 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus | 32200 | 39200 | 0.1788 | 12,498 | 1010 | 0.8896 | |
| 107 | Hampton University | 32300 | 47000 | 0.3128 | 3,728 | 956 | 0.6225 | |
| 108 | Widener University | 32500 | 75300 | 0.5682 | 2,811 | 1155 | 0.8402 | |
| 109 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | 32600 | 38500 | 0.1533 | 7,890 | 1105 | 0.2056 | |
| 110 | University of Dayton | 32800 | 64100 | 0.4883 | 7,737 | 1284 | 0.6566 | |
| 111 | University of Maryland-Baltimore County | 32900 | 45200 | 0.2722 | 10,767 | 1326 | 0.7243 | |
| 112 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 33600 | 46200 | 0.2729 | 8,553 | 1054 | 0.8688 | |
| 113 | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | 34100 | 74600 | 0.5432 | 2,315 | 1382 | 0.7686 | |
| 114 | The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga | 34400 | 34500 | 0.0029 | 9,982 | 1125 | 0.7702 | |
| 115 | Prairie View A & M University | 34500 | 39600 | 0.1288 | 8,056 | 955 | 0.7441 | |
| 116 | University of South Florida | 34700 | 34700 | 0 | 38,525 | 1239 | 0.4319 | |
| 117 | University of Nevada-Reno | 35000 | 35000 | 0 | 18,895 | 1134 | 0.7371 | |
| 118 | California Baptist University | 35200 | 65200 | 0.4601 | 8,417 | 1069 | 0.8535 | |
| 119 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette | 35700 | 43500 | 0.1794 | 13,179 | 1110 | 0.8883 | |
| 120 | Missouri University of Science and Technology | 36100 | 56300 | 0.3584 | 5,552 | 1305 | 0.7255 | |
| 121 | Mississippi State University | 36300 | 50500 | 0.2811 | 18,567 | 1214 | 0.7764 | |
| 122 | New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | 36400 | 38700 | 0.0595 | 1,217 | 1229 | 0.5405 | |
| 123 | The University of Texas at Tyler | 37100 | 46700 | 0.2056 | 7,683 | 1120 | 0.9402 | |
| 124 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville | 37400 | 41600 | 0.1005 | 5,187 | 1005 | 0.9229 | |
| 124 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 62000 | 0.3968 | 31,035 | 1366 | 0.5499 | |
| 126 | Benedictine College | 37700 | 50800 | 0.258 | 2,391 | 1229 | 0.7645 | |
| 126 | University of Connecticut | 37700 | 41800 | 0.0981 | 19,388 | 1324 | 0.5395 | |
| 128 | University of New Haven | 38300 | 64900 | 0.4096 | 4,903 | 1180 | 0.6038 | |
| 129 | Kettering University | 38400 | 66900 | 0.426 | 1,212 | 1204 | 0.7867 | |
| 130 | Washington State University | 38500 | 53900 | 0.2855 | 14,346 | 1139 | 0.8797 | |
| 131 | University of Wyoming | 38700 | 43800 | 0.1183 | 8,130 | 1159 | 0.9688 | |
| 132 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 38900 | 52900 | 0.2645 | 30,564 | 1298 | 0.416 | |
| 133 | University of Illinois Chicago | 39200 | 48000 | 0.1832 | 22,495 | 1252 | 0.7735 | |
| 134 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 39600 | 53700 | 0.2626 | 23,920 | 1390 | 0.5973 | |
| 135 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | 40200 | 40200 | 0 | 11,365 | 1216 | 0.8816 | |
| 136 | University of California-San Diego | 40300 | 61100 | 0.3405 | 34,955 | 1375 | 0.2677 | |
| 136 | University of Georgia | 40300 | 46000 | 0.1242 | 31,514 | 1336 | 0.3719 | |
| 138 | University of California-Los Angeles | 40400 | 68600 | 0.4116 | 33,471 | 1399 | 0.0897 | |
| 139 | Manhattan University | 41200 | 71700 | 0.4252 | 2,928 | 1248 | 0.785 | |
| 140 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 42500 | 52100 | 0.1843 | 46,815 | 1339 | 0.6057 | |
| 140 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 42500 | 54900 | 0.2261 | 20,418 | 1375 | 0.5808 | |
| 142 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 42600 | 55100 | 0.227 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 143 | University of Maryland-College Park | 42700 | 52900 | 0.1928 | 31,133 | 1456 | 0.448 | |
| 144 | Florida Institute of Technology | 43400 | 68600 | 0.3672 | 3,677 | 1224 | 0.577 | |
| 145 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 43500 | 50300 | 0.1352 | 34,242 | 1273 | 0.7333 | |
| 145 | University of California-Riverside | 43500 | 66400 | 0.3448 | 22,599 | 1199 | 0.7685 | |
| 145 | University of Florida | 43500 | 45600 | 0.046 | 36,567 | 1399 | 0.242 | |
| 148 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 43900 | 57100 | 0.2311 | 23,351 | 1239 | 0.766 | |
| 149 | Oregon State University | 44900 | 61900 | 0.2747 | 31,253 | 1272 | 0.773 | |
| 150 | Michigan State University | 47200 | 56200 | 0.1601 | 41,234 | 1223 | 0.848 | |
| 150 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 47200 | 85700 | 0.449 | 5,743 | 1438 | 0.6343 | |
| 150 | University of Delaware | 47200 | 53200 | 0.1127 | 19,119 | 1303 | 0.6356 | |
| 153 | Stevens Institute of Technology | 49000 | 85800 | 0.4288 | 4,236 | 1445 | 0.4758 | |
| 154 | Virginia Commonwealth University | 50200 | 52300 | 0.0401 | 21,210 | 1171 | 0.9232 | |
| 155 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 50400 | 81000 | 0.3776 | 5,558 | 1292 | 0.6016 | |
| 156 | University of Iowa | 51000 | 53200 | 0.0411 | 22,738 | 1208 | 0.8362 | |
| 156 | University of Kentucky | 51000 | 56000 | 0.0893 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 158 | Drexel University | 51100 | 82600 | 0.3812 | 13,169 | 1339 | 0.7944 | |
| 159 | University of Utah | 51500 | 53700 | 0.0407 | 28,064 | 1237 | 0.8598 | |
| 160 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 51700 | 51700 | 0 | 33,572 | 1264 | 0.8529 | |
| 161 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 53300 | 61000 | 0.1275 | 41,303 | 1338 | 0.7975 | |
| 162 | Rowan University | 53600 | 53600 | 0 | 16,199 | 1214 | 0.783 | |
| 163 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 54000 | 59200 | 0.0876 | 24,457 | 1256 | 0.7847 | |
| 164 | University of California-Irvine | 55000 | 64800 | 0.1512 | 30,204 | 1333 | 0.2878 | |
| 165 | Auburn University | 55400 | 55400 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 166 | Miami University-Oxford | 56100 | 56100 | 0 | 16,816 | 1299 | 0.754 | |
| 167 | Howard University | 58400 | 61600 | 0.052 | 11,519 | 1208 | 0.4134 | |
| 168 | University of California-Davis | 63500 | 63500 | 0 | 32,273 | 1290 | 0.4183 | |
| 169 | University of California-Berkeley | 74600 | 75500 | 0.0119 | 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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