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 | 1314 | 0.0936 | |
| 2 | Northeastern University Professional Programs | 3700 | 53000 | 0.9299 | 2,525 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | Williams College | 3700 | 89100 | 0.9586 | 2,101 | 1527 | 0.0825 | |
| 4 | University of Chicago | 4000 | 87200 | 0.9541 | 7,519 | 1535 | 0.0448 | |
| 5 | Rice University | 4300 | 85500 | 0.9496 | 4,789 | 1535 | 0.08 | |
| 6 | Johns Hopkins University | 4400 | 88600 | 0.9502 | 6,356 | 1543 | 0.0644 | |
| 7 | Trinity College | 4500 | 91500 | 0.9509 | 2,237 | 1393 | 0.3352 | |
| 8 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 4700 | 86800 | 0.9456 | 4,576 | 1535 | 0.0485 | |
| 9 | Colby College | 5100 | 90200 | 0.9432 | 2,412 | 1497 | 0.0709 | |
| 10 | Amherst College | 5300 | 95600 | 0.9444 | 1,914 | 1514 | 0.0901 | |
| 11 | Princeton University | 5400 | 81800 | 0.9338 | 5,813 | 1535 | 0.0462 | |
| 12 | Yale University | 5500 | 92300 | 0.9403 | 6,814 | 1507 | 0.0387 | |
| 13 | University of Pennsylvania | 5700 | 93000 | 0.9389 | 10,013 | 1528 | 0.054 | |
| 14 | Wesleyan University | 5800 | 91100 | 0.9367 | 3,805 | 1405 | 0.1649 | |
| 15 | Harvard University | 5900 | 90900 | 0.9353 | 7,038 | 1535 | 0.0365 | |
| 16 | Davidson College | 6000 | 89900 | 0.933 | 1,869 | 1454 | 0.1337 | |
| 17 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 6500 | 94100 | 0.9312 | 9,157 | 1535 | 0.0386 | |
| 18 | Wellesley College | 7000 | 90900 | 0.9233 | 2,407 | 1500 | 0.1405 | |
| 19 | Bates College | 7200 | 91800 | 0.9214 | 1,760 | 1438 | 0.1332 | |
| 20 | Smith College | 7400 | 92700 | 0.9197 | 2,549 | 1477 | 0.21 | |
| 21 | Brandeis University | 7600 | 89800 | 0.9151 | 3,632 | 1454 | 0.4051 | |
| 22 | Vanderbilt University | 7800 | 95000 | 0.9178 | 7,221 | 1527 | 0.0586 | |
| 23 | Emory University | 8300 | 90100 | 0.9079 | 7,407 | 1499 | 0.1029 | |
| 24 | Brown University | 8400 | 93900 | 0.9103 | 7,910 | 1535 | 0.0539 | |
| 25 | Middlebury College | 8500 | 89800 | 0.9052 | 2,760 | 1499 | 0.1075 | |
| 25 | Pomona College | 8500 | 88500 | 0.9039 | 1,766 | 1520 | 0.0709 | |
| 27 | Hamilton College | 8700 | 88400 | 0.9017 | 2,037 | 1499 | 0.1362 | |
| 28 | Haverford College | 8900 | 97300 | 0.9086 | 1,431 | 1499 | 0.1237 | |
| 29 | Georgetown University | 9000 | 92200 | 0.9025 | 7,833 | 1457 | 0.1291 | |
| 30 | Washington University in St Louis | 9200 | 96200 | 0.904 | 8,220 | 1513 | 0.1206 | |
| 31 | Grinnell College | 9300 | 91400 | 0.8984 | 1,788 | 1462 | 0.1451 | |
| 31 | Mount Holyoke College | 9300 | 89700 | 0.8968 | 2,178 | 1449 | 0.3603 | |
| 33 | St Olaf College | 9400 | 75600 | 0.8754 | 3,124 | 1378 | 0.4832 | |
| 34 | Duke University | 9800 | 93500 | 0.8955 | 6,523 | 1539 | 0.0571 | |
| 35 | Colgate University | 9900 | 91600 | 0.8915 | 3,193 | 1488 | 0.1388 | |
| 36 | University of Notre Dame | 10000 | 86100 | 0.8838 | 8,880 | 1499 | 0.1127 | |
| 37 | University of California-Davis | 10100 | 37800 | 0.732 | 32,273 | 1290 | 0.4183 | |
| 38 | Cornell University | 10300 | 92000 | 0.8877 | 16,128 | 1521 | 0.0841 | |
| 39 | Reed College | 10500 | 83700 | 0.8744 | 1,346 | 1399 | 0.2461 | |
| 40 | Wake Forest University | 10800 | 88400 | 0.8773 | 5,471 | 1457 | 0.2156 | |
| 41 | Lafayette College | 11800 | 85800 | 0.863 | 2,775 | 1427 | 0.3145 | |
| 42 | New York University | 12000 | 91800 | 0.869 | 29,060 | 1520 | 0.0923 | |
| 43 | University of Richmond | 12100 | 87400 | 0.862 | 3,055 | 1484 | 0.222 | |
| 44 | Carleton College | 12300 | 74000 | 0.8334 | 2,128 | 1492 | 0.2041 | |
| 44 | Northern Illinois University | 12300 | 29000 | 0.5744 | 11,349 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 46 | Bowdoin College | 12600 | 89900 | 0.8601 | 1,881 | 1505 | 0.0713 | |
| 46 | Northwestern University | 12600 | 87700 | 0.8563 | 8,846 | 1513 | 0.0722 | |
| 48 | The University of Texas at Austin | 13100 | 30700 | 0.573 | 43,165 | 1335 | 0.2664 | |
| 49 | Claremont McKenna College | 13200 | 96400 | 0.863 | 1,390 | 1507 | 0.0959 | |
| 50 | Colorado College | 13300 | 94600 | 0.8591 | 2,031 | 1357 | 0.1847 | |
| 51 | Denison University | 13500 | 69300 | 0.8057 | 2,406 | 1383 | 0.1693 | |
| 52 | Carnegie Mellon University | 13600 | 87300 | 0.844 | 7,824 | 1528 | 0.1166 | |
| 52 | University of Delaware | 13600 | 32500 | 0.5829 | 19,119 | 1303 | 0.6356 | |
| 54 | Pittsburg State University | 14500 | 25200 | 0.4241 | 4,491 | 1055 | 0.8727 | |
| 54 | Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville | 14500 | 41100 | 0.6478 | 8,975 | 1045 | 0.9721 | |
| 54 | Union College | 14500 | 91000 | 0.8407 | 2,065 | 1393 | 0.4392 | |
| 57 | Stanford University | 14800 | 71300 | 0.792 | 7,904 | 1535 | 0.0361 | |
| 58 | University of California-Berkeley | 15000 | 43500 | 0.655 | 33,469 | 1407 | 0.1104 | |
| 59 | Macalester College | 15300 | 88200 | 0.8269 | 2,144 | 1417 | 0.2852 | |
| 60 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 15400 | 28100 | 0.452 | 8,553 | 1054 | 0.8688 | |
| 61 | Albion College | 15600 | 72600 | 0.785 | 1,308 | 1065 | 0.807 | |
| 62 | Northeastern University | 16100 | 89900 | 0.8213 | 22,695 | 1490 | 0.0522 | |
| 63 | University of Southern California | 16600 | 76000 | 0.7815 | 21,023 | 1485 | 0.1002 | |
| 64 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 16700 | 64800 | 0.7426 | 21,075 | 1420 | 0.1534 | |
| 65 | Tufts University | 16900 | 92400 | 0.8175 | 7,126 | 1507 | 0.1153 | |
| 66 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 17200 | 27200 | 0.3671 | 44,170 | 1327 | 0.4979 | |
| 67 | Barnard College | 17600 | 93200 | 0.8112 | 3,269 | 1490 | 0.0796 | |
| 68 | Bucknell University | 17700 | 88400 | 0.7996 | 3,920 | 1284 | 0.2893 | |
| 68 | University of Rochester | 17700 | 93100 | 0.8101 | 6,580 | 1469 | 0.4008 | |
| 70 | Skidmore College | 17800 | 89100 | 0.7998 | 2,704 | 1421 | 0.2105 | |
| 71 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 17900 | 28100 | 0.3632 | 20,592 | 1435 | 0.1407 | |
| 72 | Occidental College | 18300 | 87900 | 0.7917 | 1,881 | 1447 | 0.4417 | |
| 72 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | 18300 | 78300 | 0.7664 | 17,901 | 1470 | 0.1681 | |
| 74 | Eastern Michigan University | 18700 | 36100 | 0.4826 | 10,470 | 1055 | 0.7964 | |
| 75 | Scripps College | 18900 | 94800 | 0.8004 | 1,117 | 1475 | 0.3829 | |
| 76 | San Jose State University | 19200 | 29900 | 0.3576 | 28,008 | 0 | 0.8461 | |
| 77 | Wheaton College | 19600 | 82000 | 0.7609 | 2,119 | 1351 | 0.8998 | |
| 78 | Dickinson College | 19800 | 90100 | 0.7802 | 2,311 | 1399 | 0.4209 | |
| 78 | University of Southern Mississippi | 19800 | 26300 | 0.2468 | 10,193 | 1181 | 0.9912 | |
| 80 | Oberlin College | 20300 | 90000 | 0.7748 | 2,950 | 1430 | 0.3298 | |
| 81 | Western Michigan University | 20600 | 31200 | 0.3394 | 13,860 | 1104 | 0.846 | |
| 82 | University of Maryland-College Park | 20900 | 27100 | 0.2289 | 31,133 | 1456 | 0.448 | |
| 83 | University of Miami | 21100 | 70800 | 0.7023 | 13,250 | 1406 | 0.189 | |
| 84 | Bentley University | 22000 | 84500 | 0.7394 | 4,526 | 1359 | 0.4505 | |
| 84 | Lycoming College | 22000 | 65800 | 0.666 | 807 | 1189 | 0.7407 | |
| 86 | Lake Forest College | 22100 | 76700 | 0.7115 | 1,814 | 1323 | 0.5681 | |
| 86 | University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh | 22100 | 22200 | 0.0045 | 11,874 | 1082 | 0.8377 | |
| 88 | Hobart William Smith Colleges | 22200 | 81100 | 0.726 | 1,794 | 1313 | 0.6399 | |
| 89 | Ave Maria University | 22300 | 44800 | 0.502 | 1,250 | 1193 | 0.4481 | |
| 90 | Florida State University | 22600 | 25000 | 0.0962 | 32,711 | 1360 | 0.2422 | |
| 91 | St Lawrence University | 22700 | 87600 | 0.7409 | 1,949 | 1359 | 0.5434 | |
| 92 | Murray State University | 22900 | 27600 | 0.1707 | 8,281 | 1124 | 0.8568 | |
| 93 | Lawrence University | 23500 | 71900 | 0.6728 | 1,417 | 1293 | 0.6394 | |
| 93 | Missouri State University-Springfield | 23500 | 25700 | 0.0856 | 20,584 | 1134 | 0.9053 | |
| 93 | Syracuse University | 23500 | 83100 | 0.7172 | 15,958 | 1363 | 0.4611 | |
| 96 | Beloit College | 23800 | 75600 | 0.6855 | 1,004 | 1298 | 0.6304 | |
| 97 | Tulane University of Louisiana | 24100 | 83600 | 0.712 | 7,283 | 1451 | 0.1398 | |
| 98 | Minnesota State University Moorhead | 24400 | 26600 | 0.0828 | 3,413 | 1085 | 0.5295 | |
| 99 | Calvin University | 24600 | 53000 | 0.536 | 3,356 | 1214 | 0.7091 | |
| 100 | American University | 24800 | 82000 | 0.6977 | 7,476 | 1372 | 0.6187 | |
| 101 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 25000 | 36600 | 0.3173 | 65,450 | 1203 | 0.8989 | |
| 101 | University of West Alabama | 25000 | 35100 | 0.2874 | 2,673 | 970 | 0.8711 | |
| 103 | Boston College | 25100 | 94600 | 0.7347 | 9,654 | 1490 | 0.1619 | |
| 104 | Ball State University | 25400 | 25900 | 0.0193 | 15,189 | 1170 | 0.855 | |
| 105 | Earlham College | 26400 | 75800 | 0.6521 | 696 | 1233 | 0.7311 | |
| 106 | The University of the South | 26900 | 74700 | 0.6396 | 1,644 | 1313 | 0.569 | |
| 107 | Northern Kentucky University | 27000 | 31600 | 0.1454 | 10,163 | 1090 | 0.8307 | |
| 108 | Emporia State University | 27200 | 37700 | 0.2783 | 2,396 | 1075 | 0.9771 | |
| 109 | Weber State University | 27700 | 33300 | 0.1682 | 31,672 | 1075 | 1 | |
| 110 | Villanova University | 27900 | 88800 | 0.6856 | 7,006 | 1457 | 0.2698 | |
| 111 | Goucher College | 28200 | 77000 | 0.6342 | 981 | 1228 | 0.777 | |
| 112 | Dartmouth College | 28300 | 91100 | 0.689 | 4,570 | 1528 | 0.054 | |
| 113 | Connecticut College | 28400 | 83300 | 0.6595 | 1,990 | 1287 | 0.3704 | |
| 114 | University of Hartford | 28500 | 70100 | 0.5926 | 4,223 | 1224 | 0.9579 | |
| 115 | University of Akron Main Campus | 28600 | 31500 | 0.0921 | 11,160 | 1069 | 0.5967 | |
| 116 | Clarkson University | 28700 | 78000 | 0.6322 | 2,296 | 1302 | 0.7736 | |
| 116 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 28700 | 78100 | 0.6326 | 14,267 | 1363 | 0.6693 | |
| 116 | University of California-Santa Barbara | 28700 | 55800 | 0.4858 | 23,181 | 1354 | 0.3296 | |
| 119 | University of Utah | 28800 | 32000 | 0.1002 | 28,064 | 1237 | 0.8598 | |
| 120 | Knox College | 28900 | 61000 | 0.5269 | 1,136 | 1287 | 0.7079 | |
| 120 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 28900 | 31100 | 0.071 | 19,701 | 1214 | 0.8749 | |
| 122 | University of Missouri-St Louis | 29700 | 37200 | 0.2006 | 12,151 | 1154 | 0.5716 | |
| 123 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 29900 | 52900 | 0.435 | 37,140 | 1442 | 0.4237 | |
| 124 | Kent State University at Kent | 30000 | 37500 | 0.2 | 20,841 | 1105 | 0.8634 | |
| 125 | Sonoma State University | 30200 | 40200 | 0.2489 | 5,412 | 1095 | 0.9473 | |
| 126 | Drew University | 30800 | 64400 | 0.522 | 1,611 | 1226 | 0.6783 | |
| 126 | The College of Wooster | 30800 | 82400 | 0.626 | 1,738 | 1344 | 0.5953 | |
| 126 | University of Toledo | 30800 | 42000 | 0.267 | 11,013 | 1159 | 0.9202 | |
| 129 | Portland State University | 31300 | 43000 | 0.2722 | 15,960 | 1176 | 0.9091 | |
| 129 | University of Rhode Island | 31300 | 46700 | 0.3298 | 14,376 | 1148 | 0.7216 | |
| 131 | University of Missouri-Kansas City | 31800 | 39200 | 0.1878 | 10,206 | 1190 | 0.7218 | |
| 132 | SUNY College at Plattsburgh | 32100 | 44800 | 0.2835 | 3,856 | 1169 | 0.7518 | |
| 133 | Gettysburg College | 32300 | 86500 | 0.6268 | 2,104 | 1337 | 0.389 | |
| 134 | University of Dayton | 32800 | 64100 | 0.4883 | 7,737 | 1284 | 0.6566 | |
| 135 | Ohio Wesleyan University | 32900 | 73700 | 0.5534 | 1,525 | 1241 | 0.556 | |
| 136 | Ithaca College | 33600 | 72500 | 0.5365 | 4,268 | 1314 | 0.6901 | |
| 137 | George Washington University | 33700 | 81800 | 0.5882 | 11,677 | 1421 | 0.4709 | |
| 138 | Gordon College | 34300 | 51300 | 0.3314 | 1,314 | 1256 | 0.8562 | |
| 139 | University of South Florida | 34700 | 34700 | 0 | 38,525 | 1239 | 0.4319 | |
| 140 | DePaul University | 34900 | 56200 | 0.3791 | 14,188 | 1218 | 0.7589 | |
| 141 | Baldwin Wallace University | 35700 | 47300 | 0.2452 | 2,862 | 1194 | 0.757 | |
| 141 | The University of Texas at Arlington | 35700 | 42400 | 0.158 | 31,112 | 1130 | 0.8129 | |
| 143 | Boise State University | 35800 | 48800 | 0.2664 | 24,030 | 1025 | 0.8721 | |
| 143 | Rhodes College | 35800 | 68500 | 0.478 | 1,793 | 1359 | 0.4968 | |
| 145 | Western Kentucky University | 36100 | 41900 | 0.1385 | 14,151 | 1090 | 0.9387 | |
| 146 | Tennessee Technological University | 36300 | 38500 | 0.0572 | 8,838 | 1159 | 0.8316 | |
| 147 | University of the Pacific | 36400 | 72100 | 0.4953 | 3,249 | 1298 | 0.7132 | |
| 148 | DePauw University | 37400 | 70300 | 0.4675 | 1,917 | 1260 | 0.5719 | |
| 149 | University of Central Oklahoma | 37600 | 38500 | 0.0234 | 10,454 | 1095 | 0.8176 | |
| 150 | CUNY Queens College | 38300 | 38300 | 0 | 13,464 | 1146 | 0.6434 | |
| 151 | Washington State University | 38500 | 53900 | 0.2859 | 14,346 | 1139 | 0.8797 | |
| 152 | University of Wyoming | 38600 | 43800 | 0.1187 | 8,130 | 1159 | 0.9688 | |
| 153 | Hofstra University | 38800 | 74600 | 0.4797 | 6,581 | 1323 | 0.6808 | |
| 154 | Wayne State University | 39300 | 45500 | 0.1362 | 16,173 | 1174 | 0.7786 | |
| 155 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 39600 | 53700 | 0.2627 | 23,920 | 1390 | 0.5973 | |
| 156 | Pace University | 39700 | 74100 | 0.464 | 8,038 | 1274 | 0.7592 | |
| 156 | Seton Hall University | 39700 | 67400 | 0.4108 | 6,146 | 1313 | 0.7326 | |
| 158 | University of California-San Diego | 40300 | 61100 | 0.3405 | 34,955 | 1375 | 0.2677 | |
| 158 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 40300 | 56700 | 0.2893 | 40,754 | 1391 | 0.3915 | |
| 160 | University of California-Los Angeles | 40400 | 68600 | 0.4116 | 33,471 | 1399 | 0.0897 | |
| 161 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg | 40500 | 40500 | 0 | 4,047 | 1219 | 0.976 | |
| 162 | Manhattan University | 41200 | 71700 | 0.4252 | 2,928 | 1248 | 0.785 | |
| 163 | Saint Vincent College | 41400 | 64600 | 0.3593 | 1,284 | 0 | 0.6173 | |
| 164 | Bryant University | 42400 | 73800 | 0.4255 | 3,200 | 1265 | 0.6546 | |
| 164 | University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus | 42400 | 42400 | 0 | 14,019 | 1159 | 0.7781 | |
| 166 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 42500 | 52100 | 0.1843 | 46,815 | 1339 | 0.6057 | |
| 166 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 42500 | 54900 | 0.2261 | 20,418 | 1375 | 0.5808 | |
| 168 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 42600 | 55100 | 0.227 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 169 | University of California-Riverside | 43500 | 66400 | 0.3448 | 22,599 | 1199 | 0.7685 | |
| 170 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 43800 | 57100 | 0.2315 | 23,351 | 1239 | 0.766 | |
| 171 | Duquesne University | 45300 | 70500 | 0.3575 | 5,371 | 1269 | 0.8356 | |
| 172 | High Point University | 45700 | 70500 | 0.3518 | 5,006 | 1209 | 0.7683 | |
| 173 | University of San Diego | 46000 | 85500 | 0.4619 | 5,851 | 1298 | 0.5238 | |
| 174 | Michigan State University | 47200 | 56200 | 0.1601 | 41,234 | 1223 | 0.848 | |
| 174 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 47200 | 85700 | 0.449 | 5,743 | 1438 | 0.6343 | |
| 176 | Spelman College | 47400 | 49600 | 0.0445 | 2,712 | 1218 | 0.2487 | |
| 177 | University at Albany | 48100 | 48700 | 0.0123 | 12,666 | 1245 | 0.6909 | |
| 178 | University of St Thomas | 50100 | 70300 | 0.2875 | 6,044 | 1270 | 0.9125 | |
| 179 | Providence College | 50200 | 85000 | 0.4096 | 4,556 | 1222 | 0.5089 | |
| 180 | Drexel University | 51100 | 82600 | 0.3812 | 13,169 | 1339 | 0.7944 | |
| 181 | Fordham University | 52600 | 94600 | 0.4442 | 10,307 | 1415 | 0.5628 | |
| 182 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 53200 | 61000 | 0.1279 | 41,303 | 1338 | 0.7975 | |
| 183 | University of San Francisco | 53500 | 83200 | 0.3568 | 5,321 | 1292 | 0.6171 | |
| 184 | University of California-Irvine | 55000 | 64800 | 0.1512 | 30,204 | 1333 | 0.2878 | |
| 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 | 56700 | 58900 | 0.0374 | 26,500 | 1183 | 0.8857 | |
| 188 | University of Oregon | 66700 | 68900 | 0.032 | 20,622 | 1250 | 0.883 | |
| 189 | Loyola Marymount University | 72500 | 94300 | 0.2311 | 7,273 | 1353 | 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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