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 Naval Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4,465 | 1302 | 0.0936 | |
| 2 | Williams College | 3700 | 89100 | 0.9586 | 2,101 | 1527 | 0.0825 | |
| 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 | Colby College | 5100 | 90200 | 0.9432 | 2,412 | 1497 | 0.0709 | |
| 6 | Yale University | 5500 | 92300 | 0.9403 | 6,814 | 1507 | 0.0387 | |
| 7 | Northeastern University Professional Programs | 5700 | 53000 | 0.8921 | 2,525 | 0 | 0 | |
| 8 | Wesleyan University | 5800 | 91100 | 0.9367 | 3,805 | 1405 | 0.1649 | |
| 9 | Harvard University | 5900 | 90900 | 0.9348 | 7,038 | 1535 | 0.0365 | |
| 10 | University of Chicago | 6400 | 87200 | 0.9266 | 7,519 | 1535 | 0.0448 | |
| 11 | Johns Hopkins University | 6700 | 88600 | 0.9243 | 6,356 | 1543 | 0.0644 | |
| 12 | Wellesley College | 7000 | 90900 | 0.9233 | 2,407 | 1500 | 0.1405 | |
| 13 | Amherst College | 7200 | 95600 | 0.9246 | 1,914 | 1514 | 0.0901 | |
| 14 | Princeton University | 8000 | 81800 | 0.902 | 5,813 | 1535 | 0.0462 | |
| 15 | Trinity College | 8100 | 91500 | 0.9115 | 2,237 | 1393 | 0.3352 | |
| 16 | Pomona College | 8600 | 88500 | 0.9028 | 1,766 | 1520 | 0.0709 | |
| 17 | Hamilton College | 8700 | 88400 | 0.9017 | 2,037 | 1499 | 0.1362 | |
| 18 | Vanderbilt University | 8800 | 95000 | 0.9072 | 7,221 | 1527 | 0.0586 | |
| 19 | Haverford College | 9100 | 97300 | 0.9065 | 1,431 | 1499 | 0.1237 | |
| 20 | Grinnell College | 9400 | 91400 | 0.8973 | 1,788 | 1462 | 0.1451 | |
| 20 | Smith College | 9400 | 92700 | 0.8982 | 2,549 | 1469 | 0.21 | |
| 20 | St Olaf College | 9400 | 75600 | 0.8754 | 3,124 | 1378 | 0.4832 | |
| 20 | Washington University in St Louis | 9400 | 96200 | 0.9026 | 8,220 | 1513 | 0.1206 | |
| 24 | Davidson College | 9800 | 89900 | 0.891 | 1,869 | 1454 | 0.1337 | |
| 25 | Colgate University | 10000 | 91600 | 0.8904 | 3,193 | 1488 | 0.1388 | |
| 26 | Bates College | 10200 | 91800 | 0.8887 | 1,760 | 1438 | 0.1332 | |
| 26 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 10200 | 94100 | 0.8919 | 9,157 | 1535 | 0.0386 | |
| 26 | University of Notre Dame | 10200 | 86100 | 0.8815 | 8,880 | 1499 | 0.1127 | |
| 29 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 10300 | 27200 | 0.6221 | 40,754 | 1391 | 0.3915 | |
| 30 | Cornell University | 10400 | 92000 | 0.8866 | 16,128 | 1521 | 0.0841 | |
| 31 | University of Pennsylvania | 11500 | 93000 | 0.8765 | 10,013 | 1528 | 0.054 | |
| 32 | Lafayette College | 12000 | 85800 | 0.8606 | 2,775 | 1427 | 0.3145 | |
| 33 | Mount Holyoke College | 12200 | 89700 | 0.8644 | 2,178 | 1449 | 0.3603 | |
| 33 | University of Richmond | 12200 | 87400 | 0.8609 | 3,055 | 1484 | 0.222 | |
| 35 | Emory University | 12300 | 90100 | 0.8635 | 7,407 | 1499 | 0.1029 | |
| 36 | Middlebury College | 12400 | 89800 | 0.8618 | 2,760 | 1499 | 0.1075 | |
| 36 | Northern Illinois University | 12400 | 29000 | 0.5718 | 11,349 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 38 | Northwestern University | 12600 | 87700 | 0.8563 | 8,846 | 1513 | 0.0722 | |
| 39 | The University of Texas at Austin | 13200 | 30700 | 0.5697 | 43,165 | 1335 | 0.2664 | |
| 39 | University of California-Santa Barbara | 13200 | 39000 | 0.6621 | 23,181 | 1354 | 0.3296 | |
| 41 | Duke University | 13500 | 93500 | 0.8559 | 6,523 | 1539 | 0.0571 | |
| 42 | University of Delaware | 13600 | 32500 | 0.5809 | 19,119 | 1303 | 0.6356 | |
| 43 | Brandeis University | 13900 | 89800 | 0.845 | 3,632 | 1455 | 0.4051 | |
| 44 | Bowdoin College | 14000 | 89900 | 0.8445 | 1,881 | 1505 | 0.0713 | |
| 44 | Georgetown University | 14000 | 92200 | 0.8482 | 7,833 | 1457 | 0.1291 | |
| 46 | Claremont McKenna College | 14100 | 96400 | 0.8537 | 1,390 | 1507 | 0.0959 | |
| 47 | Reed College | 14300 | 83700 | 0.8293 | 1,346 | 1399 | 0.2461 | |
| 48 | Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville | 14400 | 41100 | 0.6502 | 8,975 | 1045 | 0.9721 | |
| 49 | Pittsburg State University | 14500 | 25200 | 0.4241 | 4,491 | 1055 | 0.8727 | |
| 49 | Wake Forest University | 14500 | 88400 | 0.8355 | 5,471 | 1457 | 0.2156 | |
| 51 | Stanford University | 14800 | 71300 | 0.792 | 7,904 | 1535 | 0.0361 | |
| 52 | University of California-Berkeley | 15000 | 43500 | 0.655 | 33,469 | 1407 | 0.1104 | |
| 53 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 15300 | 28100 | 0.4555 | 8,553 | 1054 | 0.8688 | |
| 54 | Albion College | 15600 | 72600 | 0.785 | 1,308 | 1065 | 0.807 | |
| 55 | New York University | 15800 | 91800 | 0.8277 | 29,060 | 1520 | 0.0923 | |
| 56 | Carleton College | 16000 | 74000 | 0.784 | 2,128 | 1492 | 0.2041 | |
| 56 | University of West Alabama | 16000 | 24600 | 0.3489 | 2,673 | 970 | 0.8711 | |
| 58 | Northeastern University | 16100 | 89900 | 0.8213 | 22,695 | 1490 | 0.0522 | |
| 59 | Carnegie Mellon University | 16400 | 87300 | 0.8119 | 7,824 | 1528 | 0.1166 | |
| 60 | Missouri State University-Springfield | 16800 | 25700 | 0.3463 | 20,584 | 1134 | 0.9053 | |
| 60 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 16800 | 64800 | 0.7406 | 21,075 | 1420 | 0.1534 | |
| 62 | Tufts University | 16900 | 92400 | 0.8175 | 7,126 | 1507 | 0.1153 | |
| 63 | Emporia State University | 17100 | 27000 | 0.3668 | 2,396 | 1075 | 0.9771 | |
| 64 | Colorado College | 17200 | 94600 | 0.8184 | 2,031 | 1357 | 0.1847 | |
| 64 | Denison University | 17200 | 69300 | 0.7512 | 2,406 | 1383 | 0.1693 | |
| 64 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 17200 | 27200 | 0.3671 | 44,170 | 1327 | 0.4979 | |
| 64 | Weber State University | 17200 | 22100 | 0.2219 | 31,672 | 1075 | 1 | |
| 68 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 17300 | 26300 | 0.3426 | 19,701 | 1214 | 0.8749 | |
| 69 | Barnard College | 17600 | 93200 | 0.8112 | 3,269 | 1490 | 0.0796 | |
| 70 | Bucknell University | 17700 | 88400 | 0.7996 | 3,920 | 1284 | 0.2893 | |
| 71 | Skidmore College | 17800 | 89100 | 0.7998 | 2,704 | 1421 | 0.2105 | |
| 72 | Macalester College | 17900 | 88200 | 0.7974 | 2,144 | 1417 | 0.2852 | |
| 72 | University of Rhode Island | 17900 | 34400 | 0.4794 | 14,376 | 1148 | 0.7216 | |
| 74 | Union College | 18300 | 91000 | 0.799 | 2,065 | 1393 | 0.4392 | |
| 75 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | 18500 | 78300 | 0.7638 | 17,901 | 1470 | 0.1681 | |
| 76 | Eastern Michigan University | 19000 | 36100 | 0.4734 | 10,470 | 1055 | 0.7964 | |
| 77 | University of Southern California | 19200 | 76000 | 0.7473 | 21,023 | 1485 | 0.1002 | |
| 78 | Western Kentucky University | 19600 | 26800 | 0.2689 | 14,151 | 960 | 0.9387 | |
| 79 | University of Southern Mississippi | 19800 | 26300 | 0.2468 | 10,193 | 1181 | 0.9912 | |
| 80 | Dickinson College | 20100 | 90100 | 0.7769 | 2,311 | 1399 | 0.4209 | |
| 81 | Western Michigan University | 20500 | 31200 | 0.3426 | 13,860 | 1104 | 0.846 | |
| 82 | University of Maryland-College Park | 20900 | 27100 | 0.2289 | 31,133 | 1456 | 0.448 | |
| 83 | Wheaton College | 21000 | 82000 | 0.7438 | 2,119 | 1351 | 0.8998 | |
| 84 | Brown University | 21300 | 93900 | 0.7729 | 7,910 | 1535 | 0.0539 | |
| 84 | University of Central Oklahoma | 21300 | 22700 | 0.0617 | 10,454 | 1095 | 0.8176 | |
| 86 | University of Missouri-Kansas City | 21400 | 34000 | 0.3702 | 10,206 | 1190 | 0.7218 | |
| 87 | University of Miami | 21500 | 70800 | 0.6967 | 13,250 | 1406 | 0.189 | |
| 88 | University of California-Irvine | 21900 | 35300 | 0.38 | 30,204 | 1333 | 0.2878 | |
| 89 | Bentley University | 22000 | 84500 | 0.7394 | 4,526 | 1359 | 0.4505 | |
| 89 | Lycoming College | 22000 | 65800 | 0.6661 | 807 | 1189 | 0.7407 | |
| 91 | University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh | 22100 | 22200 | 0.0045 | 11,874 | 1082 | 0.8377 | |
| 92 | Hobart William Smith Colleges | 22200 | 81100 | 0.726 | 1,794 | 1313 | 0.6399 | |
| 93 | Ave Maria University | 22300 | 44800 | 0.502 | 1,250 | 1193 | 0.4481 | |
| 94 | Ball State University | 22400 | 22400 | 0 | 15,189 | 1170 | 0.855 | |
| 95 | Florida State University | 22600 | 25000 | 0.0962 | 32,711 | 1360 | 0.2422 | |
| 96 | Murray State University | 23000 | 27600 | 0.166 | 8,281 | 1124 | 0.8568 | |
| 97 | Oberlin College | 23400 | 90000 | 0.7403 | 2,950 | 1430 | 0.3298 | |
| 98 | Lawrence University | 23500 | 71900 | 0.6728 | 1,417 | 1293 | 0.6394 | |
| 99 | Syracuse University | 23600 | 83100 | 0.716 | 15,958 | 1363 | 0.4611 | |
| 100 | Beloit College | 23800 | 75600 | 0.6855 | 1,004 | 1298 | 0.6304 | |
| 101 | University of Rochester | 24100 | 93100 | 0.7414 | 6,580 | 1469 | 0.4008 | |
| 102 | Calvin University | 24600 | 53000 | 0.536 | 3,356 | 1214 | 0.7091 | |
| 102 | Minnesota State University Moorhead | 24600 | 26600 | 0.0779 | 3,413 | 1085 | 0.5295 | |
| 104 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 25000 | 36600 | 0.3173 | 65,450 | 1203 | 0.8989 | |
| 104 | University of Akron Main Campus | 25000 | 25000 | 0 | 11,160 | 1069 | 0.5967 | |
| 106 | Boston College | 25100 | 94600 | 0.7347 | 9,654 | 1490 | 0.1619 | |
| 106 | Scripps College | 25100 | 94800 | 0.735 | 1,117 | 1472 | 0.3829 | |
| 106 | Tennessee Technological University | 25100 | 33700 | 0.2548 | 8,838 | 1159 | 0.8316 | |
| 109 | Occidental College | 25200 | 87900 | 0.7132 | 1,881 | 1447 | 0.4417 | |
| 110 | Lake Forest College | 25700 | 76700 | 0.6646 | 1,814 | 1323 | 0.5681 | |
| 111 | St Lawrence University | 26000 | 87600 | 0.7033 | 1,949 | 1359 | 0.5434 | |
| 112 | Earlham College | 26500 | 75800 | 0.6509 | 696 | 1233 | 0.7311 | |
| 113 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 26700 | 40300 | 0.3373 | 20,418 | 1375 | 0.5808 | |
| 114 | Tulane University of Louisiana | 26900 | 83600 | 0.6785 | 7,283 | 1451 | 0.1398 | |
| 115 | Northern Kentucky University | 27000 | 31600 | 0.1454 | 10,163 | 1090 | 0.8307 | |
| 115 | The University of the South | 27000 | 74700 | 0.6383 | 1,644 | 1313 | 0.569 | |
| 117 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 27600 | 36700 | 0.248 | 41,303 | 1338 | 0.7975 | |
| 118 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 27800 | 41900 | 0.3364 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 119 | Villanova University | 28000 | 88800 | 0.6845 | 7,006 | 1457 | 0.2698 | |
| 120 | Goucher College | 28300 | 77000 | 0.633 | 981 | 1228 | 0.777 | |
| 121 | American University | 28400 | 82000 | 0.6538 | 7,476 | 1372 | 0.6187 | |
| 122 | Connecticut College | 28600 | 83300 | 0.657 | 1,990 | 1287 | 0.3704 | |
| 122 | University of Hartford | 28600 | 70100 | 0.5914 | 4,223 | 1224 | 0.9579 | |
| 124 | Dartmouth College | 28800 | 91100 | 0.6835 | 4,570 | 1528 | 0.054 | |
| 125 | Clarkson University | 28900 | 78000 | 0.6296 | 2,296 | 1302 | 0.7736 | |
| 125 | Knox College | 28900 | 61000 | 0.5269 | 1,136 | 1287 | 0.7079 | |
| 127 | University of Missouri-St Louis | 29700 | 37200 | 0.1998 | 12,151 | 1154 | 0.5716 | |
| 128 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 29900 | 31100 | 0.0385 | 20,592 | 1435 | 0.1407 | |
| 128 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 29900 | 52900 | 0.435 | 37,140 | 1442 | 0.4237 | |
| 130 | Kent State University at Kent | 30000 | 37500 | 0.2 | 20,841 | 1105 | 0.8634 | |
| 131 | Sonoma State University | 30200 | 40200 | 0.2489 | 5,412 | 1095 | 0.9473 | |
| 132 | San Jose State University | 30300 | 41000 | 0.2608 | 28,008 | 0 | 0.8461 | |
| 133 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 30500 | 78100 | 0.6096 | 14,267 | 1363 | 0.6693 | |
| 134 | Drew University | 30800 | 64400 | 0.522 | 1,611 | 1226 | 0.6783 | |
| 135 | The College of Wooster | 30900 | 82400 | 0.6257 | 1,738 | 1344 | 0.5953 | |
| 135 | University of Toledo | 30900 | 42000 | 0.2639 | 11,013 | 1159 | 0.9202 | |
| 137 | Portland State University | 31300 | 43000 | 0.2715 | 15,960 | 1176 | 0.9091 | |
| 138 | SUNY College at Plattsburgh | 32100 | 44800 | 0.2835 | 3,856 | 1169 | 0.7518 | |
| 139 | Gettysburg College | 32400 | 86500 | 0.6253 | 2,104 | 1337 | 0.389 | |
| 140 | University of Dayton | 32800 | 64100 | 0.4883 | 7,737 | 1284 | 0.6566 | |
| 141 | Ohio Wesleyan University | 33000 | 73700 | 0.552 | 1,525 | 1241 | 0.556 | |
| 142 | University of Oregon | 33200 | 38600 | 0.1391 | 20,622 | 1250 | 0.883 | |
| 143 | Ithaca College | 33600 | 72500 | 0.5365 | 4,268 | 1314 | 0.6901 | |
| 144 | George Washington University | 33700 | 81800 | 0.5882 | 11,677 | 1421 | 0.4709 | |
| 145 | Gordon College | 34300 | 51300 | 0.3314 | 1,314 | 1256 | 0.8562 | |
| 146 | University of South Florida | 34700 | 34700 | 0 | 38,525 | 1239 | 0.4319 | |
| 147 | DePaul University | 34900 | 56200 | 0.3791 | 14,188 | 1218 | 0.7589 | |
| 148 | Baldwin Wallace University | 35700 | 47300 | 0.2452 | 2,862 | 1194 | 0.757 | |
| 148 | The University of Texas at Arlington | 35700 | 42400 | 0.158 | 31,112 | 1130 | 0.8129 | |
| 150 | Boise State University | 35800 | 48800 | 0.2664 | 24,030 | 1025 | 0.8721 | |
| 150 | Rhodes College | 35800 | 68500 | 0.478 | 1,793 | 1359 | 0.4968 | |
| 152 | University of the Pacific | 36500 | 72100 | 0.4939 | 3,249 | 1298 | 0.7132 | |
| 153 | DePauw University | 37400 | 70300 | 0.4675 | 1,917 | 1260 | 0.5719 | |
| 154 | CUNY Queens College | 38300 | 38300 | 0 | 13,464 | 1146 | 0.6434 | |
| 155 | Saint Vincent College | 38600 | 60700 | 0.3636 | 1,284 | 0 | 0.6173 | |
| 155 | Washington State University | 38600 | 53900 | 0.2835 | 14,346 | 1139 | 0.8797 | |
| 157 | University of Wyoming | 38800 | 43800 | 0.1158 | 8,130 | 1159 | 0.9688 | |
| 158 | Wayne State University | 39300 | 45500 | 0.1362 | 16,173 | 1174 | 0.7786 | |
| 159 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 39600 | 53800 | 0.264 | 23,920 | 1390 | 0.5973 | |
| 160 | Pace University | 39700 | 74100 | 0.464 | 8,038 | 1274 | 0.7592 | |
| 160 | Seton Hall University | 39700 | 67400 | 0.4108 | 6,146 | 1313 | 0.7326 | |
| 162 | University of California-San Diego | 40300 | 61100 | 0.3405 | 34,955 | 1375 | 0.2677 | |
| 163 | University of California-Los Angeles | 40400 | 68600 | 0.4116 | 33,471 | 1399 | 0.0897 | |
| 164 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg | 40500 | 40500 | 0 | 4,047 | 1219 | 0.976 | |
| 165 | Manhattan University | 41200 | 71700 | 0.4252 | 2,928 | 1248 | 0.785 | |
| 166 | Hofstra University | 41700 | 74600 | 0.4409 | 6,581 | 1323 | 0.6808 | |
| 167 | University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus | 42400 | 42400 | 0 | 14,019 | 1159 | 0.7781 | |
| 168 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 42500 | 52100 | 0.1843 | 46,815 | 1339 | 0.6057 | |
| 169 | University of California-Riverside | 43500 | 66400 | 0.3448 | 22,599 | 1199 | 0.7685 | |
| 170 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 44000 | 57100 | 0.2292 | 23,351 | 1239 | 0.766 | |
| 171 | Duquesne University | 45400 | 70500 | 0.3557 | 5,371 | 1269 | 0.8356 | |
| 172 | High Point University | 45800 | 70500 | 0.3504 | 5,006 | 1209 | 0.7683 | |
| 173 | University of San Diego | 46100 | 85500 | 0.4608 | 5,851 | 1298 | 0.5238 | |
| 174 | Bryant University | 46300 | 73800 | 0.3727 | 3,200 | 1265 | 0.6546 | |
| 175 | Michigan State University | 47200 | 56200 | 0.1601 | 41,234 | 1223 | 0.848 | |
| 176 | Spelman College | 47500 | 49600 | 0.0418 | 2,712 | 1218 | 0.2487 | |
| 177 | University at Albany | 48100 | 48700 | 0.0123 | 12,666 | 1245 | 0.6909 | |
| 178 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 48400 | 85700 | 0.435 | 5,743 | 1438 | 0.6343 | |
| 179 | University of St Thomas | 50100 | 70300 | 0.2875 | 6,044 | 1270 | 0.9125 | |
| 180 | Providence College | 51000 | 85000 | 0.4001 | 4,556 | 1222 | 0.5089 | |
| 181 | Drexel University | 51200 | 82600 | 0.38 | 13,169 | 1339 | 0.7944 | |
| 182 | University of Utah | 51600 | 53700 | 0.0386 | 28,064 | 1237 | 0.8598 | |
| 183 | University of San Francisco | 53500 | 83200 | 0.3568 | 5,321 | 1292 | 0.6171 | |
| 184 | Fordham University | 56000 | 94600 | 0.4082 | 10,307 | 1415 | 0.5628 | |
| 185 | Miami University-Oxford | 56100 | 56100 | 0 | 16,816 | 1299 | 0.754 | |
| 186 | University of California-Santa Cruz | 56200 | 66500 | 0.1549 | 17,940 | 1281 | 0.6557 | |
| 187 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 56900 | 58900 | 0.0352 | 26,500 | 1183 | 0.8857 | |
| 188 | University of California-Davis | 63500 | 63500 | 0 | 32,273 | 1290 | 0.4183 | |
| 189 | Loyola Marymount University | 64000 | 94300 | 0.3212 | 7,273 | 1383 | 0.4508 | |
| 190 | Gonzaga University | 73200 | 73200 | 0 | 5,281 | 1303 | 0.8169 | |
| 191 | The Catholic University of America | 82500 | 82500 | 0 | 3,177 | 1204 | 0.8278 |
School data is from 2022–2023 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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