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 | |
| 1 | University of California-Los Angeles | 0 | 68600 | 1 | 33,471 | 1399 | 0.0897 | |
| 3 | Rice University | 4300 | 85500 | 0.9496 | 4,789 | 1535 | 0.08 | |
| 4 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 4900 | 86800 | 0.9433 | 4,576 | 1535 | 0.0485 | |
| 5 | Yale University | 5500 | 92300 | 0.9403 | 6,814 | 1507 | 0.0387 | |
| 6 | Johns Hopkins University | 6700 | 88600 | 0.9243 | 6,356 | 1543 | 0.0644 | |
| 7 | California Institute of Technology | 8000 | 90300 | 0.9112 | 987 | 1557 | 0.0257 | |
| 7 | Princeton University | 8000 | 81800 | 0.902 | 5,813 | 1535 | 0.0462 | |
| 9 | CUNY City College | 8600 | 31200 | 0.7245 | 12,982 | 1169 | 0.5997 | |
| 10 | Vanderbilt University | 8800 | 95000 | 0.9072 | 7,221 | 1527 | 0.0586 | |
| 11 | Washington University in St Louis | 9400 | 96200 | 0.9026 | 8,220 | 1513 | 0.1206 | |
| 12 | University of California-Davis | 10100 | 37800 | 0.732 | 32,273 | 1290 | 0.4183 | |
| 13 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 10200 | 94100 | 0.8919 | 9,157 | 1535 | 0.0386 | |
| 13 | University of Notre Dame | 10200 | 86100 | 0.8815 | 8,880 | 1499 | 0.1127 | |
| 15 | Cornell University | 10400 | 92000 | 0.8866 | 16,128 | 1521 | 0.0841 | |
| 16 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 11300 | 34400 | 0.6706 | 37,140 | 1442 | 0.4237 | |
| 16 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 11300 | 27200 | 0.5853 | 40,754 | 1391 | 0.3915 | |
| 18 | Lafayette College | 12000 | 85800 | 0.8606 | 2,775 | 1427 | 0.3145 | |
| 19 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus | 12200 | 29900 | 0.5919 | 12,498 | 1010 | 0.8896 | |
| 20 | Northern Illinois University | 12400 | 29000 | 0.5718 | 11,349 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 20 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 12400 | 27200 | 0.5443 | 39,083 | 1412 | 0.4517 | |
| 22 | Brigham Young University | 12500 | 29000 | 0.5686 | 32,221 | 1374 | 0.6919 | |
| 23 | Northwestern University | 12600 | 87700 | 0.8563 | 8,846 | 1513 | 0.0722 | |
| 24 | The University of Texas Permian Basin | 12700 | 37100 | 0.6572 | 4,218 | 1020 | 0.9307 | |
| 25 | The University of Texas at Austin | 13200 | 30700 | 0.5697 | 43,165 | 1335 | 0.2664 | |
| 26 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | 13400 | 24400 | 0.4513 | 31,127 | 1115 | 0.8679 | |
| 27 | West Virginia University Institute of Technology | 13700 | 29100 | 0.53 | 1,448 | 1105 | 0.61 | |
| 28 | Louisiana Tech University | 13800 | 24900 | 0.4451 | 11,071 | 1164 | 0.9073 | |
| 28 | North Carolina A & T State University | 13800 | 17900 | 0.2297 | 12,216 | 1020 | 0.4617 | |
| 30 | University of California-Santa Barbara | 13900 | 39000 | 0.6441 | 23,181 | 1354 | 0.3296 | |
| 31 | Texas Tech University | 14000 | 27000 | 0.4813 | 32,580 | 1200 | 0.7265 | |
| 32 | University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point | 14100 | 23600 | 0.4023 | 7,557 | 1140 | 0.9037 | |
| 33 | Case Western Reserve University | 14200 | 80400 | 0.8229 | 6,528 | 1485 | 0.3778 | |
| 33 | Kansas State University | 14200 | 26100 | 0.4563 | 15,650 | 1164 | 0.8199 | |
| 35 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | 14300 | 26500 | 0.4594 | 22,351 | 1159 | 0.7504 | |
| 35 | University of Houston | 14300 | 23600 | 0.3946 | 39,257 | 1249 | 0.7392 | |
| 35 | University of Idaho | 14300 | 26400 | 0.458 | 9,574 | 1119 | 0.7553 | |
| 35 | West Virginia University | 14300 | 23300 | 0.3862 | 18,614 | 1125 | 0.778 | |
| 39 | Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville | 14400 | 41100 | 0.6502 | 8,975 | 1045 | 0.9721 | |
| 39 | The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga | 14400 | 25600 | 0.4367 | 9,982 | 1125 | 0.7702 | |
| 41 | Stanford University | 14800 | 71300 | 0.792 | 7,904 | 1535 | 0.0361 | |
| 42 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 15200 | 35700 | 0.5744 | 26,500 | 1183 | 0.8857 | |
| 43 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 15300 | 28100 | 0.4555 | 8,553 | 1054 | 0.8688 | |
| 44 | California State University-Long Beach | 15500 | 25800 | 0.3993 | 35,843 | 1135 | 0.4628 | |
| 45 | Florida State University | 15600 | 23100 | 0.3246 | 32,711 | 1360 | 0.2422 | |
| 45 | North Carolina State University | 15600 | 27500 | 0.4331 | 28,422 | 1335 | 0.4167 | |
| 47 | New York University | 15800 | 91800 | 0.8277 | 29,060 | 1520 | 0.0923 | |
| 48 | University of California-Riverside | 15900 | 36500 | 0.564 | 22,599 | 1199 | 0.7685 | |
| 49 | Northeastern University | 16100 | 89900 | 0.8213 | 22,695 | 1490 | 0.0522 | |
| 50 | Lehigh University | 16200 | 85700 | 0.8114 | 5,911 | 1436 | 0.2593 | |
| 51 | Carnegie Mellon University | 16400 | 87300 | 0.8119 | 7,824 | 1528 | 0.1166 | |
| 52 | Lamar University | 16500 | 22900 | 0.2791 | 8,206 | 1045 | 0.857 | |
| 53 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | 16700 | 78300 | 0.7868 | 17,901 | 1470 | 0.1681 | |
| 54 | Tufts University | 16900 | 92400 | 0.8175 | 7,126 | 1507 | 0.1153 | |
| 55 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 17300 | 26300 | 0.3426 | 19,701 | 1214 | 0.8749 | |
| 56 | University of Kansas | 17600 | 34900 | 0.4954 | 22,085 | 1176 | 0.9348 | |
| 57 | Bucknell University | 17700 | 88400 | 0.7996 | 3,920 | 1284 | 0.2893 | |
| 58 | University of Arkansas | 17900 | 27700 | 0.3527 | 28,859 | 1179 | 0.7431 | |
| 59 | University of Louisville | 18100 | 29100 | 0.3784 | 17,086 | 1148 | 0.7941 | |
| 60 | Prairie View A & M University | 18500 | 25400 | 0.2717 | 8,056 | 955 | 0.7441 | |
| 61 | McNeese State University | 18900 | 29200 | 0.3532 | 5,560 | 1110 | 0.6755 | |
| 62 | University of Southern California | 19200 | 76000 | 0.7473 | 21,023 | 1485 | 0.1002 | |
| 63 | Youngstown State University | 19300 | 29300 | 0.3409 | 8,436 | 1065 | 0.8066 | |
| 64 | Cleveland State University | 19700 | 37300 | 0.4721 | 9,418 | 1005 | 0.913 | |
| 65 | University of Mississippi | 19800 | 27000 | 0.2666 | 21,585 | 1182 | 0.9658 | |
| 65 | University of Nevada-Reno | 19800 | 28200 | 0.2979 | 18,895 | 1134 | 0.7371 | |
| 65 | Wayne State University | 19800 | 32300 | 0.3875 | 16,173 | 1174 | 0.7786 | |
| 68 | Iowa State University | 20100 | 24200 | 0.1704 | 25,628 | 1207 | 0.8866 | |
| 69 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 20200 | 38800 | 0.481 | 36,588 | 1367 | 0.6535 | |
| 69 | University of Colorado Boulder | 20200 | 30600 | 0.3398 | 32,100 | 1290 | 0.8115 | |
| 71 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 20500 | 31000 | 0.3383 | 60,710 | 1278 | 0.5732 | |
| 71 | Western Michigan University | 20500 | 31200 | 0.3426 | 13,860 | 1104 | 0.846 | |
| 73 | University of Maryland-College Park | 20900 | 27100 | 0.2289 | 31,133 | 1456 | 0.448 | |
| 74 | University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown | 21000 | 30300 | 0.3066 | 1,809 | 1109 | 0.9484 | |
| 75 | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | 22800 | 26900 | 0.1515 | 2,170 | 1264 | 0.8525 | |
| 75 | University of California-Irvine | 22800 | 35300 | 0.3545 | 30,204 | 1333 | 0.2878 | |
| 75 | University of Illinois Chicago | 22800 | 30300 | 0.2473 | 22,495 | 1247 | 0.7735 | |
| 78 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 22900 | 22900 | 0 | 30,187 | 1292 | 0.6015 | |
| 78 | Washington State University | 22900 | 36800 | 0.3783 | 14,346 | 1139 | 0.8797 | |
| 80 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 23000 | 27500 | 0.1618 | 17,771 | 1044 | 0.7933 | |
| 81 | Syracuse University | 23600 | 83100 | 0.716 | 15,958 | 1363 | 0.4611 | |
| 82 | University of Alabama in Huntsville | 23700 | 28300 | 0.1627 | 6,800 | 1245 | 0.6857 | |
| 83 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 23800 | 24500 | 0.0285 | 19,888 | 1209 | 0.8517 | |
| 84 | Illinois Institute of Technology | 23900 | 71600 | 0.6664 | 3,135 | 1299 | 0.5493 | |
| 85 | University of Rochester | 24100 | 93100 | 0.7414 | 6,580 | 1469 | 0.4008 | |
| 86 | Miami University-Oxford | 24700 | 27200 | 0.0917 | 16,816 | 1299 | 0.754 | |
| 87 | Montana State University | 24900 | 31400 | 0.207 | 15,053 | 1184 | 0.8214 | |
| 88 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 25000 | 36600 | 0.3173 | 65,450 | 1203 | 0.8989 | |
| 88 | University of Akron Main Campus | 25000 | 25000 | 0 | 11,160 | 1069 | 0.5967 | |
| 90 | Tennessee Technological University | 25100 | 33700 | 0.2548 | 8,838 | 1159 | 0.8316 | |
| 90 | Tuskegee University | 25100 | 42100 | 0.4042 | 2,400 | 1030 | 0.3143 | |
| 92 | Dordt University | 25200 | 52300 | 0.518 | 1,695 | 1195 | 0.7116 | |
| 93 | Michigan State University | 25800 | 28900 | 0.1089 | 41,234 | 1223 | 0.848 | |
| 94 | University of Arizona | 26500 | 35200 | 0.247 | 45,025 | 1212 | 0.8614 | |
| 95 | Trine University | 26600 | 56100 | 0.5258 | 4,157 | 1209 | 0.8469 | |
| 96 | Tulane University of Louisiana | 26900 | 83600 | 0.6785 | 7,283 | 1451 | 0.1398 | |
| 97 | University of Minnesota Duluth | 27100 | 30400 | 0.1092 | 8,426 | 1235 | 0.8876 | |
| 98 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 27400 | 40300 | 0.32 | 20,418 | 1375 | 0.5808 | |
| 99 | Rowan University | 27500 | 40500 | 0.3209 | 16,199 | 1214 | 0.783 | |
| 100 | Christian Brothers University | 27600 | 54600 | 0.4948 | 1,155 | 1110 | 0.867 | |
| 101 | University of Tulsa | 27700 | 62700 | 0.5585 | 2,852 | 1328 | 0.615 | |
| 102 | Villanova University | 28000 | 88800 | 0.6845 | 7,006 | 1457 | 0.2698 | |
| 103 | Mississippi State University | 28300 | 32300 | 0.126 | 18,567 | 1214 | 0.7764 | |
| 104 | Clarkson University | 28900 | 78000 | 0.6296 | 2,296 | 1302 | 0.7736 | |
| 105 | University of Toledo | 29500 | 32600 | 0.0943 | 11,013 | 1159 | 0.9202 | |
| 106 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 29900 | 31100 | 0.0385 | 20,592 | 1435 | 0.1407 | |
| 107 | University of North Dakota | 30000 | 32500 | 0.0791 | 11,033 | 1150 | 0.769 | |
| 107 | University of South Alabama | 30000 | 35000 | 0.1429 | 9,241 | 1140 | 0.7096 | |
| 109 | San Jose State University | 30300 | 41000 | 0.2608 | 28,008 | 0 | 0.8461 | |
| 110 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 30500 | 78100 | 0.6096 | 14,267 | 1363 | 0.6693 | |
| 111 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 31200 | 41100 | 0.2411 | 25,255 | 1134 | 0.737 | |
| 112 | University of Rhode Island | 31300 | 46700 | 0.3298 | 14,376 | 1148 | 0.7216 | |
| 113 | Hampton University | 32300 | 47000 | 0.3128 | 3,728 | 956 | 0.6225 | |
| 114 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 32500 | 34700 | 0.0633 | 30,564 | 1298 | 0.416 | |
| 114 | Widener University | 32500 | 75300 | 0.5682 | 2,811 | 1155 | 0.8402 | |
| 116 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | 32600 | 38500 | 0.1533 | 7,890 | 1105 | 0.2056 | |
| 117 | University of Dayton | 32800 | 64100 | 0.4883 | 7,737 | 1284 | 0.6566 | |
| 118 | University of Maryland-Baltimore County | 32900 | 45200 | 0.2722 | 10,767 | 1326 | 0.7243 | |
| 119 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell | 33300 | 54600 | 0.3899 | 12,122 | 1283 | 0.8296 | |
| 120 | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | 34700 | 74600 | 0.5351 | 2,315 | 1382 | 0.7686 | |
| 120 | University of South Florida | 34700 | 34700 | 0 | 38,525 | 1239 | 0.4319 | |
| 122 | California Baptist University | 35200 | 65200 | 0.4601 | 8,417 | 1069 | 0.8535 | |
| 123 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette | 35700 | 43500 | 0.1794 | 13,179 | 1110 | 0.8883 | |
| 124 | University of Maine | 36100 | 45100 | 0.1996 | 591 | 1199 | 0.9684 | |
| 125 | Missouri University of Science and Technology | 36200 | 56300 | 0.3565 | 5,552 | 1305 | 0.7255 | |
| 126 | Colorado School of Mines | 36300 | 59800 | 0.3932 | 5,852 | 1396 | 0.596 | |
| 127 | New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | 36400 | 38700 | 0.0595 | 1,217 | 1229 | 0.5405 | |
| 128 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 36900 | 38900 | 0.0533 | 23,351 | 1239 | 0.766 | |
| 129 | The University of Texas at Tyler | 37100 | 46700 | 0.2056 | 7,683 | 1120 | 0.9402 | |
| 130 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 62000 | 0.3968 | 31,035 | 1366 | 0.5499 | |
| 131 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville | 37600 | 41600 | 0.0979 | 5,187 | 1005 | 0.9229 | |
| 132 | Benedictine College | 37700 | 50800 | 0.258 | 2,391 | 1229 | 0.7645 | |
| 133 | University of Connecticut | 37800 | 41800 | 0.0957 | 19,388 | 1324 | 0.5395 | |
| 134 | University of New Haven | 38300 | 64900 | 0.4096 | 4,903 | 1180 | 0.6038 | |
| 135 | Kettering University | 38400 | 66900 | 0.426 | 1,212 | 1204 | 0.7867 | |
| 136 | University of Wyoming | 38800 | 43800 | 0.1158 | 8,130 | 1159 | 0.9688 | |
| 137 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 39600 | 53800 | 0.264 | 23,920 | 1390 | 0.5973 | |
| 138 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | 40200 | 40200 | 0 | 11,365 | 1216 | 0.8816 | |
| 139 | University of California-San Diego | 40300 | 61100 | 0.3405 | 34,955 | 1375 | 0.2677 | |
| 139 | University of Georgia | 40300 | 46000 | 0.1242 | 31,514 | 1336 | 0.3719 | |
| 141 | Manhattan University | 41200 | 71700 | 0.4252 | 2,928 | 1248 | 0.785 | |
| 142 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 42500 | 52100 | 0.1843 | 46,815 | 1339 | 0.6057 | |
| 143 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 42600 | 55100 | 0.227 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 143 | University at Buffalo | 42600 | 46800 | 0.0897 | 20,360 | 1303 | 0.7418 | |
| 145 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 43200 | 46200 | 0.0665 | 44,170 | 1327 | 0.4979 | |
| 146 | University of Florida | 43500 | 45600 | 0.046 | 36,567 | 1399 | 0.242 | |
| 147 | Florida Institute of Technology | 43700 | 68800 | 0.3647 | 3,677 | 1224 | 0.577 | |
| 148 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 43800 | 50300 | 0.1293 | 34,242 | 1260 | 0.7333 | |
| 149 | Oregon State University | 44900 | 61900 | 0.2742 | 31,253 | 1272 | 0.773 | |
| 150 | University of Delaware | 47200 | 53200 | 0.1127 | 19,119 | 1303 | 0.6356 | |
| 151 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 48400 | 85700 | 0.435 | 5,743 | 1438 | 0.6343 | |
| 152 | The University of Alabama | 48800 | 48800 | 0 | 34,389 | 1233 | 0.7665 | |
| 153 | Stevens Institute of Technology | 49100 | 85800 | 0.4277 | 4,236 | 1445 | 0.4758 | |
| 154 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | 49900 | 56400 | 0.1152 | 10,200 | 1346 | 0.6507 | |
| 155 | Virginia Commonwealth University | 50100 | 52300 | 0.042 | 21,210 | 1171 | 0.9232 | |
| 156 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 50500 | 81000 | 0.3763 | 5,558 | 1292 | 0.6016 | |
| 157 | University of Kentucky | 51000 | 56000 | 0.0893 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 157 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 51000 | 84200 | 0.3944 | 34,454 | 1435 | 0.1564 | |
| 159 | University of Iowa | 51100 | 53200 | 0.039 | 22,738 | 1208 | 0.8362 | |
| 160 | Drexel University | 51200 | 82600 | 0.38 | 13,169 | 1339 | 0.7944 | |
| 161 | University of Utah | 51600 | 53700 | 0.0386 | 28,064 | 1237 | 0.8598 | |
| 162 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 51700 | 51700 | 0 | 33,572 | 1264 | 0.8529 | |
| 163 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 53400 | 61000 | 0.1257 | 41,303 | 1338 | 0.7975 | |
| 164 | Howard University | 53500 | 61600 | 0.1315 | 11,519 | 1208 | 0.4134 | |
| 165 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 54100 | 59200 | 0.0857 | 24,457 | 1256 | 0.7847 | |
| 166 | Auburn University | 55400 | 55400 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 167 | Michigan Technological University | 59100 | 59100 | 0 | 6,022 | 1256 | 0.8353 | |
| 168 | Clemson University | 61600 | 63700 | 0.0326 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 | |
| 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.
Join thousands of students and parents learning about finding the right college, admissions secrets, scholarships, financial aid, and more.