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 | Johns Hopkins University | 2700 | 92000 | 0.9704 | 6,356 | 1543 | 0.0644 | |
| 3 | Princeton University | 3800 | 82600 | 0.954 | 5,813 | 1535 | 0.0462 | |
| 4 | Yale University | 5500 | 92200 | 0.94 | 6,814 | 1507 | 0.0387 | |
| 5 | California Institute of Technology | 7500 | 91800 | 0.9183 | 987 | 1557 | 0.0257 | |
| 6 | Vanderbilt University | 7700 | 96200 | 0.9195 | 7,221 | 1527 | 0.0586 | |
| 7 | Brigham Young University | 8000 | 22000 | 0.6362 | 32,952 | 1374 | 0.6778 | |
| 8 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 8200 | 90000 | 0.9093 | 4,535 | 1542 | 0.0455 | |
| 9 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 8300 | 97100 | 0.915 | 9,164 | 1535 | 0.0399 | |
| 10 | Carnegie Mellon University | 9000 | 90900 | 0.9007 | 7,377 | 1528 | 0.1166 | |
| 11 | Washington University in St Louis | 9300 | 102300 | 0.9087 | 8,220 | 1513 | 0.1206 | |
| 12 | Bucknell University | 9600 | 91800 | 0.8959 | 3,920 | 1396 | 0.2893 | |
| 13 | Rice University | 9800 | 89100 | 0.8903 | 4,789 | 1535 | 0.08 | |
| 14 | University of California-Davis | 10200 | 38100 | 0.7328 | 32,273 | 1290 | 0.4183 | |
| 15 | University of Notre Dame | 10700 | 86200 | 0.8763 | 8,880 | 1500 | 0.1127 | |
| 16 | University of Tulsa | 11400 | 62900 | 0.8184 | 2,852 | 1328 | 0.6151 | |
| 17 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 11500 | 29100 | 0.6053 | 40,684 | 1331 | 0.3915 | |
| 18 | Cornell University | 11800 | 93100 | 0.8735 | 16,128 | 1521 | 0.0876 | |
| 19 | Lafayette College | 12000 | 85800 | 0.8606 | 2,775 | 1427 | 0.3145 | |
| 20 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | 12200 | 25000 | 0.5113 | 31,127 | 1115 | 0.8679 | |
| 20 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | 12200 | 38800 | 0.6861 | 17,885 | 1470 | 0.1681 | |
| 22 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 12500 | 28100 | 0.5551 | 8,553 | 1045 | 0.8688 | |
| 23 | University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point | 12900 | 24700 | 0.478 | 7,490 | 1140 | 0.918 | |
| 24 | University of California-Santa Barbara | 13200 | 43000 | 0.693 | 23,181 | 1354 | 0.3297 | |
| 25 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 26 | University of Houston | 13700 | 22000 | 0.3766 | 39,257 | 1249 | 0.7392 | |
| 26 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 13700 | 50700 | 0.7294 | 38,040 | 1418 | 0.452 | |
| 28 | University of Idaho | 14100 | 25800 | 0.4543 | 9,574 | 1119 | 0.7553 | |
| 29 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5048 | 11,348 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 30 | Northwestern University | 14600 | 88300 | 0.8348 | 9,399 | 1527 | 0.0769 | |
| 31 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | 14700 | 26500 | 0.4465 | 22,364 | 1159 | 0.7504 | |
| 32 | Case Western Reserve University | 14800 | 91300 | 0.8383 | 6,528 | 1475 | 0.3654 | |
| 32 | Stanford University | 14800 | 71700 | 0.794 | 7,904 | 1535 | 0.0361 | |
| 34 | University of St Thomas | 14900 | 50900 | 0.7075 | 3,365 | 1095 | 0.8992 | |
| 35 | Northeastern University | 15000 | 89900 | 0.8331 | 17,432 | 1490 | 0.0522 | |
| 36 | University of California-Irvine | 15300 | 38000 | 0.5977 | 30,204 | 1333 | 0.2857 | |
| 36 | Western Michigan University | 15300 | 26500 | 0.423 | 13,027 | 1115 | 0.846 | |
| 38 | Florida State University | 15600 | 22900 | 0.3184 | 32,720 | 1360 | 0.2422 | |
| 38 | Lehigh University | 15600 | 89600 | 0.8263 | 5,911 | 1436 | 0.2593 | |
| 40 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville | 15700 | 25800 | 0.392 | 5,386 | 1050 | 0.9092 | |
| 41 | Kansas State University | 15800 | 26100 | 0.3945 | 15,650 | 1164 | 0.8169 | |
| 42 | University of Kansas | 16000 | 34900 | 0.5421 | 22,085 | 1176 | 0.9348 | |
| 43 | California State University-Long Beach | 16100 | 25800 | 0.3761 | 36,082 | 1135 | 0.4627 | |
| 44 | University of California-Los Angeles | 16300 | 36700 | 0.5554 | 33,475 | 1399 | 0.0897 | |
| 45 | University of Maine | 16500 | 29300 | 0.4371 | 9,601 | 1205 | 0.9664 | |
| 45 | Wayne State University | 16500 | 32900 | 0.4982 | 16,012 | 1174 | 0.8116 | |
| 45 | West Virginia University | 16500 | 40900 | 0.5963 | 18,206 | 1125 | 0.89 | |
| 48 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 17500 | 29900 | 0.4144 | 60,710 | 1278 | 0.5743 | |
| 49 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 17900 | 44300 | 0.5956 | 20,591 | 1435 | 0.1407 | |
| 50 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 18200 | 18200 | 0 | 34,242 | 1273 | 0.7333 | |
| 50 | The University of Texas Permian Basin | 18200 | 28600 | 0.3634 | 4,218 | 1030 | 0.9489 | |
| 52 | Texas Tech University | 18300 | 27100 | 0.3253 | 32,580 | 1200 | 0.7265 | |
| 53 | Youngstown State University | 18400 | 34000 | 0.4589 | 9,400 | 1115 | 0.8445 | |
| 54 | McNeese State University | 18900 | 27400 | 0.3102 | 5,668 | 1060 | 0.7827 | |
| 55 | University of Nevada-Reno | 19200 | 28200 | 0.3189 | 19,117 | 1134 | 0.7371 | |
| 55 | University of Rhode Island | 19200 | 33900 | 0.4337 | 14,376 | 1148 | 0.7216 | |
| 57 | University of South Alabama | 19300 | 22400 | 0.1387 | 9,241 | 1140 | 0.7096 | |
| 58 | University of Mississippi | 19400 | 27000 | 0.2814 | 21,585 | 1182 | 0.9658 | |
| 58 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 19400 | 36900 | 0.4748 | 24,449 | 1256 | 0.7847 | |
| 60 | University of Arizona | 19600 | 30900 | 0.3663 | 44,848 | 1233 | 0.8614 | |
| 61 | University of Alabama in Huntsville | 19900 | 30500 | 0.3473 | 6,800 | 1293 | 0.6857 | |
| 62 | Cleveland State University | 20000 | 30900 | 0.3523 | 9,482 | 1069 | 0.913 | |
| 62 | University of Southern California | 20000 | 75900 | 0.7369 | 20,630 | 1492 | 0.0981 | |
| 64 | Iowa State University | 20100 | 24200 | 0.1714 | 25,628 | 1207 | 0.8866 | |
| 65 | University of Rochester | 20300 | 93100 | 0.7822 | 6,580 | 1462 | 0.4008 | |
| 66 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 20600 | 23200 | 0.1121 | 20,444 | 1209 | 0.8499 | |
| 67 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | 20700 | 39200 | 0.4722 | 11,355 | 1222 | 0.8816 | |
| 67 | University of Wyoming | 20700 | 27900 | 0.2578 | 8,130 | 1179 | 0.9688 | |
| 69 | Washington State University | 21300 | 36200 | 0.4119 | 21,455 | 1125 | 0.8664 | |
| 70 | Louisiana Tech University | 21400 | 26100 | 0.1802 | 10,881 | 1189 | 0.864 | |
| 71 | Tufts University | 21600 | 98900 | 0.7813 | 7,126 | 1507 | 0.1149 | |
| 72 | Virginia Commonwealth University | 22200 | 33600 | 0.339 | 21,210 | 1148 | 0.9262 | |
| 73 | The University of Alabama | 22600 | 31000 | 0.2708 | 34,389 | 1284 | 0.7665 | |
| 74 | New York University | 22700 | 91800 | 0.7524 | 29,060 | 1520 | 0.0923 | |
| 75 | San Jose State University | 23000 | 41100 | 0.4405 | 28,008 | 1124 | 0.8461 | |
| 76 | Illinois Institute of Technology | 23100 | 69800 | 0.6694 | 3,135 | 1307 | 0.5493 | |
| 77 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 23600 | 24900 | 0.0522 | 30,187 | 1292 | 0.6015 | |
| 78 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 24100 | 39300 | 0.3873 | 23,920 | 1397 | 0.5973 | |
| 79 | Miami University-Oxford | 24300 | 27500 | 0.1165 | 16,816 | 1299 | 0.754 | |
| 79 | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | 24300 | 28400 | 0.1445 | 2,216 | 1268 | 0.7987 | |
| 81 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | 24400 | 30600 | 0.2026 | 10,200 | 1325 | 0.6507 | |
| 82 | Clarkson University | 25700 | 78000 | 0.6707 | 2,296 | 1302 | 0.7736 | |
| 83 | Christian Brothers University | 26000 | 57600 | 0.5492 | 1,155 | 1110 | 0.867 | |
| 84 | Dordt University | 26200 | 52500 | 0.5007 | 1,716 | 1205 | 0.6847 | |
| 85 | Tuskegee University | 26300 | 42100 | 0.3757 | 2,659 | 1090 | 0.4868 | |
| 86 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 26700 | 41500 | 0.3564 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 86 | Trine University | 26700 | 56100 | 0.5245 | 4,373 | 1159 | 0.8548 | |
| 88 | University of Arkansas | 26800 | 28900 | 0.0729 | 28,859 | 1179 | 0.743 | |
| 89 | University of Minnesota Duluth | 27500 | 31300 | 0.1215 | 8,426 | 1235 | 0.8875 | |
| 89 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 27500 | 43800 | 0.3725 | 17,450 | 1044 | 0.9518 | |
| 91 | University of Maryland-Baltimore County | 27600 | 27600 | 0 | 10,767 | 1326 | 0.7243 | |
| 92 | Syracuse University | 27700 | 83100 | 0.6665 | 15,957 | 1363 | 0.4592 | |
| 93 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 27800 | 31100 | 0.1064 | 19,701 | 1214 | 0.8749 | |
| 94 | Villanova University | 27900 | 88800 | 0.6855 | 7,004 | 1457 | 0.2698 | |
| 95 | Mississippi State University | 28200 | 32300 | 0.1269 | 18,567 | 1214 | 0.7764 | |
| 96 | University of Akron Main Campus | 28600 | 32300 | 0.1145 | 11,160 | 1069 | 0.5967 | |
| 97 | Colorado School of Mines | 28800 | 38100 | 0.2439 | 6,195 | 1399 | 0.6069 | |
| 97 | University of Dayton | 28800 | 64200 | 0.5515 | 7,740 | 1302 | 0.6545 | |
| 99 | University of Iowa | 29000 | 31100 | 0.0677 | 22,738 | 1208 | 0.8362 | |
| 100 | Montana State University | 29600 | 31900 | 0.072 | 15,046 | 1184 | 0.8214 | |
| 101 | University of Toledo | 29900 | 42000 | 0.2884 | 11,013 | 1229 | 0.9202 | |
| 102 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus | 30400 | 39200 | 0.2248 | 12,507 | 1010 | 0.8897 | |
| 103 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | 30500 | 38500 | 0.2078 | 7,890 | 1110 | 0.2056 | |
| 103 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 30500 | 78100 | 0.6093 | 14,267 | 1381 | 0.6693 | |
| 105 | West Virginia University Institute of Technology | 30900 | 39900 | 0.2256 | 1,278 | 1025 | 0.3668 | |
| 106 | University of North Dakota | 31100 | 33700 | 0.0772 | 11,033 | 1150 | 0.769 | |
| 107 | Lamar University | 31200 | 38300 | 0.1855 | 8,184 | 1050 | 0.8641 | |
| 108 | Hampton University | 31400 | 54800 | 0.427 | 3,728 | 947 | 0.6225 | |
| 109 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 31500 | 41200 | 0.2357 | 25,255 | 1134 | 0.7517 | |
| 109 | North Carolina A & T State University | 31500 | 36700 | 0.1416 | 12,497 | 1075 | 0.499 | |
| 109 | University of Louisville | 31500 | 42000 | 0.2498 | 17,086 | 1148 | 0.7941 | |
| 112 | University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown | 31800 | 49500 | 0.3579 | 1,813 | 1109 | 0.9484 | |
| 113 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 32500 | 35100 | 0.0742 | 30,564 | 1302 | 0.416 | |
| 114 | North Carolina State University | 32900 | 54800 | 0.3999 | 28,422 | 1378 | 0.4174 | |
| 114 | Prairie View A & M University | 32900 | 39600 | 0.1691 | 8,877 | 975 | 0.7931 | |
| 116 | California Baptist University | 33600 | 65600 | 0.4878 | 8,417 | 1070 | 0.8488 | |
| 117 | Auburn University | 33700 | 34100 | 0.0117 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4592 | |
| 118 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 33900 | 36100 | 0.0609 | 33,033 | 1264 | 0.8529 | |
| 119 | The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga | 34500 | 34500 | 0 | 10,202 | 1140 | 0.8109 | |
| 120 | University of South Florida | 35000 | 35000 | 0 | 38,525 | 1239 | 0.4319 | |
| 121 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell | 35400 | 56700 | 0.3757 | 12,122 | 1283 | 0.8304 | |
| 122 | The University of Texas at Tyler | 36000 | 56700 | 0.3648 | 7,683 | 1120 | 0.9402 | |
| 123 | Missouri University of Science and Technology | 36200 | 56300 | 0.357 | 5,552 | 1305 | 0.7255 | |
| 124 | Tennessee Technological University | 36400 | 38500 | 0.0546 | 9,187 | 1163 | 0.7613 | |
| 125 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 36500 | 47500 | 0.2317 | 65,450 | 1203 | 0.8989 | |
| 126 | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry | 36600 | 40000 | 0.085 | 2,381 | 1239 | 0.6328 | |
| 127 | University of New Haven | 36800 | 67300 | 0.453 | 4,903 | 1164 | 0.6038 | |
| 128 | University of Connecticut | 37300 | 53600 | 0.3043 | 20,056 | 1329 | 0.5239 | |
| 129 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 66300 | 0.436 | 31,035 | 1366 | 0.5478 | |
| 130 | Kettering University | 37500 | 71800 | 0.4776 | 1,212 | 1260 | 0.7867 | |
| 131 | Benedictine College | 37700 | 50800 | 0.2579 | 2,403 | 1241 | 0.9812 | |
| 132 | University of Illinois Chicago | 38200 | 50600 | 0.2451 | 22,495 | 1252 | 0.7735 | |
| 133 | New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | 39300 | 44400 | 0.115 | 1,066 | 1197 | 0.4449 | |
| 134 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette | 40300 | 44100 | 0.0862 | 13,432 | 1225 | 0.8701 | |
| 135 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 40700 | 53600 | 0.2408 | 46,815 | 1378 | 0.6057 | |
| 136 | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | 41500 | 83200 | 0.5012 | 2,315 | 1404 | 0.7686 | |
| 136 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 41500 | 55200 | 0.2481 | 25,900 | 1375 | 0.5808 | |
| 138 | University of Maryland-College Park | 43000 | 53600 | 0.1979 | 31,133 | 1463 | 0.4479 | |
| 139 | University of Florida | 43300 | 45700 | 0.0526 | 36,573 | 1399 | 0.242 | |
| 140 | Florida Institute of Technology | 43600 | 68700 | 0.3652 | 3,666 | 1224 | 0.577 | |
| 140 | Manhattan University | 43600 | 74100 | 0.4115 | 2,744 | 1274 | 0.7894 | |
| 142 | University at Buffalo | 43900 | 46700 | 0.06 | 20,359 | 1303 | 0.7418 | |
| 142 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 43900 | 57100 | 0.2297 | 23,329 | 1239 | 0.766 | |
| 144 | Oregon State University | 44900 | 61900 | 0.2743 | 31,253 | 1272 | 0.773 | |
| 145 | Widener University | 45800 | 79400 | 0.4233 | 2,975 | 1184 | 0.7093 | |
| 146 | University of California-San Diego | 45900 | 76000 | 0.396 | 34,955 | 1375 | 0.2671 | |
| 147 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 46100 | 86300 | 0.4656 | 5,741 | 1438 | 0.6347 | |
| 148 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 47000 | 59700 | 0.2127 | 37,985 | 1390 | 0.5815 | |
| 148 | University of Colorado Boulder | 47000 | 57700 | 0.1843 | 32,244 | 1351 | 0.7808 | |
| 150 | Michigan State University | 47200 | 56200 | 0.1601 | 41,234 | 1279 | 0.848 | |
| 151 | University of Delaware | 48400 | 61300 | 0.211 | 20,026 | 1294 | 0.706 | |
| 152 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48600 | 51200 | 0.0508 | 44,819 | 1327 | 0.4987 | |
| 153 | Tulane University of Louisiana | 48700 | 91400 | 0.4673 | 8,192 | 1451 | 0.1398 | |
| 154 | University of Georgia | 48800 | 51600 | 0.0542 | 32,399 | 1382 | 0.377 | |
| 155 | Drexel University | 48900 | 83900 | 0.4172 | 13,309 | 1339 | 0.7944 | |
| 156 | University of Kentucky | 49200 | 58000 | 0.1528 | 25,534 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 157 | University of California-Riverside | 49300 | 66000 | 0.2532 | 22,600 | 1199 | 0.7639 | |
| 158 | Stevens Institute of Technology | 49700 | 85800 | 0.4206 | 4,236 | 1445 | 0.4758 | |
| 159 | The University of Texas at Austin | 49800 | 59400 | 0.1617 | 43,165 | 1356 | 0.2664 | |
| 159 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 49800 | 62200 | 0.1995 | 37,140 | 1406 | 0.4237 | |
| 161 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 50500 | 83600 | 0.3958 | 5,558 | 1292 | 0.6016 | |
| 162 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 51000 | 84700 | 0.398 | 34,454 | 1435 | 0.1564 | |
| 163 | University of Utah | 51600 | 53700 | 0.0392 | 28,064 | 1237 | 0.8598 | |
| 164 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 53100 | 61200 | 0.1324 | 26,221 | 1204 | 0.8854 | |
| 165 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 53300 | 61000 | 0.1262 | 41,303 | 1338 | 0.7975 | |
| 166 | Rowan University | 53600 | 53600 | 0 | 16,100 | 1219 | 0.7766 | |
| 167 | Michigan Technological University | 59300 | 59300 | 0 | 6,013 | 1256 | 0.9243 | |
| 168 | Howard University | 60000 | 66500 | 0.0978 | 11,519 | 1208 | 0.4134 | |
| 169 | Clemson University | 61500 | 63700 | 0.0331 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 | |
| 170 | University of California-Berkeley | 70800 | 76100 | 0.0697 | 33,070 | 1407 | 0.1098 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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