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 California-Davis | 10200 | 37800 | 0.7293 | 32,273 | 1290 | 0.4183 | |
| 26 | University of Notre Dame | 10200 | 86100 | 0.8815 | 8,880 | 1499 | 0.1127 | |
| 30 | Cornell University | 10400 | 92000 | 0.8866 | 16,128 | 1521 | 0.0841 | |
| 31 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 11300 | 34400 | 0.6706 | 37,140 | 1442 | 0.4237 | |
| 32 | University of Pennsylvania | 11500 | 93000 | 0.8765 | 10,013 | 1528 | 0.054 | |
| 33 | Lafayette College | 12000 | 85800 | 0.8606 | 2,775 | 1427 | 0.3145 | |
| 34 | Mount Holyoke College | 12200 | 89700 | 0.8644 | 2,178 | 1449 | 0.3603 | |
| 34 | University of Richmond | 12200 | 87400 | 0.8609 | 3,055 | 1484 | 0.222 | |
| 36 | Emory University | 12300 | 90100 | 0.8635 | 7,407 | 1499 | 0.1029 | |
| 37 | Middlebury College | 12400 | 89800 | 0.8618 | 2,760 | 1499 | 0.1075 | |
| 37 | Northern Illinois University | 12400 | 29000 | 0.5718 | 11,349 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 39 | Northwestern University | 12600 | 87700 | 0.8563 | 8,846 | 1513 | 0.0722 | |
| 40 | The University of Texas at Austin | 13200 | 30700 | 0.5697 | 43,165 | 1335 | 0.2664 | |
| 41 | Duke University | 13500 | 93500 | 0.8559 | 6,523 | 1539 | 0.0571 | |
| 42 | University of South Florida | 13700 | 17100 | 0.1987 | 38,525 | 1239 | 0.4319 | |
| 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 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 14700 | 25700 | 0.4275 | 46,815 | 1339 | 0.6057 | |
| 52 | Stanford University | 14800 | 71300 | 0.792 | 7,904 | 1535 | 0.0361 | |
| 53 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 15200 | 35700 | 0.5744 | 26,500 | 1183 | 0.8857 | |
| 53 | University of California-Riverside | 15200 | 36500 | 0.5831 | 22,599 | 1199 | 0.7685 | |
| 55 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 15300 | 28100 | 0.4555 | 8,553 | 1054 | 0.8688 | |
| 56 | University of West Alabama | 15500 | 24600 | 0.3692 | 2,673 | 970 | 0.8711 | |
| 57 | Albion College | 15600 | 72600 | 0.785 | 1,308 | 1065 | 0.807 | |
| 58 | New York University | 15800 | 91800 | 0.8277 | 29,060 | 1520 | 0.0923 | |
| 59 | Carleton College | 16000 | 74000 | 0.784 | 2,128 | 1492 | 0.2041 | |
| 60 | Northeastern University | 16100 | 89900 | 0.8213 | 22,695 | 1490 | 0.0522 | |
| 61 | Carnegie Mellon University | 16400 | 87300 | 0.8119 | 7,824 | 1528 | 0.1166 | |
| 62 | Sonoma State University | 16800 | 26700 | 0.3708 | 5,412 | 1095 | 0.9473 | |
| 62 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 16800 | 64800 | 0.7406 | 21,075 | 1420 | 0.1534 | |
| 64 | Tufts University | 16900 | 92400 | 0.8175 | 7,126 | 1507 | 0.1153 | |
| 64 | University of Southern Mississippi | 16900 | 23100 | 0.2682 | 10,193 | 1181 | 0.9912 | |
| 66 | Emporia State University | 17000 | 27000 | 0.3705 | 2,396 | 1075 | 0.9771 | |
| 66 | Weber State University | 17000 | 22100 | 0.2309 | 31,672 | 1075 | 1 | |
| 68 | Colorado College | 17200 | 94600 | 0.8184 | 2,031 | 1357 | 0.1847 | |
| 68 | Denison University | 17200 | 69300 | 0.7512 | 2,406 | 1383 | 0.1693 | |
| 68 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 17200 | 27200 | 0.3671 | 44,170 | 1327 | 0.4979 | |
| 71 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 17500 | 26300 | 0.335 | 19,701 | 1214 | 0.8749 | |
| 72 | Barnard College | 17600 | 93200 | 0.8112 | 3,269 | 1490 | 0.0796 | |
| 73 | Bucknell University | 17700 | 88400 | 0.7996 | 3,920 | 1284 | 0.2893 | |
| 74 | Skidmore College | 17800 | 89100 | 0.7998 | 2,704 | 1421 | 0.2105 | |
| 75 | Macalester College | 17900 | 88200 | 0.7974 | 2,144 | 1417 | 0.2852 | |
| 76 | University of Rhode Island | 18200 | 34400 | 0.4707 | 14,376 | 1148 | 0.7216 | |
| 77 | Union College | 18300 | 91000 | 0.799 | 2,065 | 1393 | 0.4392 | |
| 78 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | 18500 | 78300 | 0.7638 | 17,901 | 1470 | 0.1681 | |
| 79 | Eastern Michigan University | 18800 | 36100 | 0.479 | 10,470 | 1055 | 0.7964 | |
| 80 | University of Southern California | 19200 | 76000 | 0.7473 | 21,023 | 1485 | 0.1002 | |
| 81 | University at Albany | 19300 | 30900 | 0.3753 | 12,666 | 1245 | 0.6909 | |
| 82 | San Jose State University | 19500 | 29900 | 0.3476 | 28,008 | 0 | 0.8461 | |
| 83 | Wayne State University | 19900 | 32300 | 0.3844 | 16,173 | 1174 | 0.7786 | |
| 84 | University of Wyoming | 20000 | 26700 | 0.2497 | 8,130 | 1159 | 0.9688 | |
| 85 | Dickinson College | 20100 | 90100 | 0.7769 | 2,311 | 1399 | 0.4209 | |
| 86 | Western Michigan University | 20500 | 31200 | 0.3426 | 13,860 | 1104 | 0.846 | |
| 87 | University of Central Oklahoma | 21000 | 22700 | 0.0749 | 10,454 | 1095 | 0.8176 | |
| 87 | Wheaton College | 21000 | 82000 | 0.7438 | 2,119 | 1351 | 0.8998 | |
| 89 | Brown University | 21300 | 93900 | 0.7729 | 7,910 | 1535 | 0.0539 | |
| 90 | University of Miami | 21500 | 70800 | 0.6967 | 13,250 | 1406 | 0.189 | |
| 91 | Bentley University | 22000 | 84500 | 0.7394 | 4,526 | 1359 | 0.4505 | |
| 91 | Lycoming College | 22000 | 65800 | 0.6661 | 807 | 1189 | 0.7407 | |
| 93 | University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh | 22100 | 22200 | 0.0045 | 11,874 | 1082 | 0.8377 | |
| 94 | Hobart William Smith Colleges | 22200 | 81100 | 0.726 | 1,794 | 1313 | 0.6399 | |
| 95 | Ave Maria University | 22300 | 44800 | 0.502 | 1,250 | 1193 | 0.4481 | |
| 96 | Florida State University | 22600 | 25000 | 0.0962 | 32,711 | 1360 | 0.2422 | |
| 97 | Boise State University | 22700 | 41000 | 0.4461 | 24,030 | 1025 | 0.8721 | |
| 98 | CUNY Queens College | 22800 | 29300 | 0.2216 | 13,464 | 1146 | 0.6434 | |
| 99 | Murray State University | 23000 | 27600 | 0.166 | 8,281 | 1124 | 0.8568 | |
| 100 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 23400 | 33600 | 0.3037 | 65,450 | 1203 | 0.8989 | |
| 100 | Oberlin College | 23400 | 90000 | 0.7403 | 2,950 | 1430 | 0.3298 | |
| 102 | Lawrence University | 23500 | 71900 | 0.6728 | 1,417 | 1293 | 0.6394 | |
| 103 | Missouri State University-Springfield | 23600 | 25700 | 0.0817 | 20,584 | 1134 | 0.9053 | |
| 103 | Syracuse University | 23600 | 83100 | 0.716 | 15,958 | 1363 | 0.4611 | |
| 105 | Beloit College | 23800 | 75600 | 0.6855 | 1,004 | 1298 | 0.6304 | |
| 106 | University of Rochester | 24100 | 93100 | 0.7414 | 6,580 | 1469 | 0.4008 | |
| 107 | Calvin University | 24600 | 53000 | 0.536 | 3,356 | 1214 | 0.7091 | |
| 107 | Minnesota State University Moorhead | 24600 | 26600 | 0.0779 | 3,413 | 1085 | 0.5295 | |
| 109 | Miami University-Oxford | 25000 | 27200 | 0.0807 | 16,816 | 1299 | 0.754 | |
| 110 | Boston College | 25100 | 94600 | 0.7347 | 9,654 | 1490 | 0.1619 | |
| 110 | Scripps College | 25100 | 94800 | 0.735 | 1,117 | 1472 | 0.3829 | |
| 110 | Tennessee Technological University | 25100 | 33700 | 0.2548 | 8,838 | 1159 | 0.8316 | |
| 113 | Occidental College | 25200 | 87900 | 0.7132 | 1,881 | 1447 | 0.4417 | |
| 114 | Ball State University | 25400 | 25900 | 0.0193 | 15,189 | 1170 | 0.855 | |
| 115 | Lake Forest College | 25700 | 76700 | 0.6646 | 1,814 | 1323 | 0.5681 | |
| 116 | Michigan State University | 25800 | 28900 | 0.1089 | 41,234 | 1223 | 0.848 | |
| 117 | St Lawrence University | 26000 | 87600 | 0.7033 | 1,949 | 1359 | 0.5434 | |
| 118 | Earlham College | 26500 | 75800 | 0.6509 | 696 | 1233 | 0.7311 | |
| 119 | Tulane University of Louisiana | 26900 | 83600 | 0.6785 | 7,283 | 1451 | 0.1398 | |
| 120 | Northern Kentucky University | 27000 | 31600 | 0.1454 | 10,163 | 1090 | 0.8307 | |
| 120 | The University of the South | 27000 | 74700 | 0.6383 | 1,644 | 1313 | 0.569 | |
| 122 | Villanova University | 28000 | 88800 | 0.6845 | 7,006 | 1457 | 0.2698 | |
| 123 | Goucher College | 28300 | 77000 | 0.633 | 981 | 1228 | 0.777 | |
| 124 | American University | 28400 | 82000 | 0.6538 | 7,476 | 1372 | 0.6187 | |
| 125 | Connecticut College | 28600 | 83300 | 0.657 | 1,990 | 1287 | 0.3704 | |
| 125 | University of Akron Main Campus | 28600 | 31500 | 0.0921 | 11,160 | 1069 | 0.5967 | |
| 125 | University of Hartford | 28600 | 70100 | 0.5914 | 4,223 | 1224 | 0.9579 | |
| 128 | University of California-Santa Barbara | 28700 | 55800 | 0.4858 | 23,181 | 1354 | 0.3296 | |
| 129 | Dartmouth College | 28800 | 91100 | 0.6835 | 4,570 | 1528 | 0.054 | |
| 130 | Clarkson University | 28900 | 78000 | 0.6296 | 2,296 | 1302 | 0.7736 | |
| 130 | Knox College | 28900 | 61000 | 0.5269 | 1,136 | 1287 | 0.7079 | |
| 130 | University of Utah | 28900 | 32000 | 0.0961 | 28,064 | 1237 | 0.8598 | |
| 133 | University of Toledo | 29500 | 32600 | 0.0943 | 11,013 | 1159 | 0.9202 | |
| 134 | University of Missouri-St Louis | 29700 | 37200 | 0.1998 | 12,151 | 1154 | 0.5716 | |
| 135 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 29900 | 31100 | 0.0385 | 20,592 | 1435 | 0.1407 | |
| 136 | Kent State University at Kent | 30000 | 37500 | 0.2 | 20,841 | 1105 | 0.8634 | |
| 137 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 30500 | 78100 | 0.6096 | 14,267 | 1363 | 0.6693 | |
| 138 | Drew University | 30800 | 64400 | 0.522 | 1,611 | 1226 | 0.6783 | |
| 139 | The College of Wooster | 30900 | 82400 | 0.6257 | 1,738 | 1344 | 0.5953 | |
| 140 | Portland State University | 31300 | 43000 | 0.2715 | 15,960 | 1176 | 0.9091 | |
| 141 | University of Missouri-Kansas City | 32000 | 39200 | 0.1845 | 10,206 | 1190 | 0.7218 | |
| 142 | SUNY College at Plattsburgh | 32100 | 44800 | 0.2835 | 3,856 | 1169 | 0.7518 | |
| 143 | Gettysburg College | 32400 | 86500 | 0.6253 | 2,104 | 1337 | 0.389 | |
| 144 | University of Dayton | 32800 | 64100 | 0.4883 | 7,737 | 1284 | 0.6566 | |
| 145 | Ohio Wesleyan University | 33000 | 73700 | 0.552 | 1,525 | 1241 | 0.556 | |
| 146 | University of Oregon | 33200 | 38600 | 0.1391 | 20,622 | 1250 | 0.883 | |
| 147 | Ithaca College | 33600 | 72500 | 0.5365 | 4,268 | 1314 | 0.6901 | |
| 148 | George Washington University | 33700 | 81800 | 0.5882 | 11,677 | 1421 | 0.4709 | |
| 149 | Western Kentucky University | 34200 | 41900 | 0.1839 | 14,151 | 960 | 0.9387 | |
| 150 | Gordon College | 34300 | 51300 | 0.3314 | 1,314 | 1256 | 0.8562 | |
| 151 | DePaul University | 34900 | 56200 | 0.3791 | 14,188 | 1218 | 0.7589 | |
| 152 | Baldwin Wallace University | 35700 | 47300 | 0.2452 | 2,862 | 1194 | 0.757 | |
| 152 | The University of Texas at Arlington | 35700 | 42400 | 0.158 | 31,112 | 1130 | 0.8129 | |
| 154 | Rhodes College | 35800 | 68500 | 0.478 | 1,793 | 1359 | 0.4968 | |
| 155 | University of the Pacific | 36500 | 72100 | 0.4939 | 3,249 | 1298 | 0.7132 | |
| 156 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 36900 | 38900 | 0.0533 | 23,351 | 1239 | 0.766 | |
| 157 | DePauw University | 37400 | 70300 | 0.4675 | 1,917 | 1260 | 0.5719 | |
| 158 | Saint Vincent College | 38600 | 60700 | 0.3636 | 1,284 | 0 | 0.6173 | |
| 158 | Washington State University | 38600 | 53900 | 0.2835 | 14,346 | 1139 | 0.8797 | |
| 160 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 39600 | 53800 | 0.264 | 23,920 | 1390 | 0.5973 | |
| 161 | Pace University | 39700 | 74100 | 0.464 | 8,038 | 1274 | 0.7592 | |
| 161 | Seton Hall University | 39700 | 67400 | 0.4108 | 6,146 | 1313 | 0.7326 | |
| 163 | University of California-San Diego | 40300 | 61100 | 0.3405 | 34,955 | 1375 | 0.2677 | |
| 163 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 40300 | 56700 | 0.2893 | 40,754 | 1391 | 0.3915 | |
| 165 | University of California-Los Angeles | 40400 | 68600 | 0.4116 | 33,471 | 1399 | 0.0897 | |
| 166 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg | 40500 | 40500 | 0 | 4,047 | 1219 | 0.976 | |
| 167 | Manhattan University | 41200 | 71700 | 0.4252 | 2,928 | 1248 | 0.785 | |
| 168 | Hofstra University | 41700 | 74600 | 0.4409 | 6,581 | 1323 | 0.6808 | |
| 169 | University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus | 42400 | 42400 | 0 | 14,019 | 1159 | 0.7781 | |
| 170 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 42500 | 54900 | 0.2261 | 20,418 | 1375 | 0.5808 | |
| 171 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 42600 | 55100 | 0.227 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 172 | University of Maryland-College Park | 42700 | 52900 | 0.1928 | 31,133 | 1456 | 0.448 | |
| 173 | Duquesne University | 45400 | 70500 | 0.3557 | 5,371 | 1269 | 0.8356 | |
| 174 | High Point University | 45800 | 70500 | 0.3504 | 5,006 | 1209 | 0.7683 | |
| 175 | University of San Diego | 46100 | 85500 | 0.4608 | 5,851 | 1298 | 0.5238 | |
| 176 | Bryant University | 46300 | 73800 | 0.3727 | 3,200 | 1265 | 0.6546 | |
| 177 | University of Delaware | 47200 | 53200 | 0.1127 | 19,119 | 1303 | 0.6356 | |
| 178 | Spelman College | 47500 | 49600 | 0.0418 | 2,712 | 1218 | 0.2487 | |
| 179 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 48400 | 85700 | 0.435 | 5,743 | 1438 | 0.6343 | |
| 180 | University of St Thomas | 50100 | 70300 | 0.2875 | 6,044 | 1270 | 0.9125 | |
| 181 | Providence College | 51000 | 85000 | 0.4001 | 4,556 | 1222 | 0.5089 | |
| 182 | Drexel University | 51200 | 82600 | 0.38 | 13,169 | 1339 | 0.7944 | |
| 183 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 53400 | 61000 | 0.1257 | 41,303 | 1338 | 0.7975 | |
| 184 | University of San Francisco | 53500 | 83200 | 0.3568 | 5,321 | 1292 | 0.6171 | |
| 185 | University of California-Irvine | 55000 | 64800 | 0.1512 | 30,204 | 1333 | 0.2878 | |
| 186 | Fordham University | 56000 | 94600 | 0.4082 | 10,307 | 1415 | 0.5628 | |
| 187 | University of California-Santa Cruz | 56200 | 66500 | 0.1549 | 17,940 | 1281 | 0.6557 | |
| 188 | Loyola Marymount University | 64000 | 94300 | 0.3212 | 7,273 | 1383 | 0.4508 | |
| 189 | Gonzaga University | 73200 | 73200 | 0 | 5,281 | 1303 | 0.8169 | |
| 190 | University of California-Berkeley | 74600 | 75500 | 0.0119 | 33,469 | 1407 | 0.1104 | |
| 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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