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 | Brigham Young University | 8000 | 22000 | 0.6362 | 32,952 | 1374 | 0.6778 | |
| 2 | Rice University | 9800 | 89100 | 0.8903 | 4,789 | 1535 | 0.08 | |
| 3 | Eastern Washington University | 11800 | 28600 | 0.5879 | 6,952 | 995 | 0.9075 | |
| 3 | Felician University | 11800 | 58700 | 0.7991 | 1,870 | 1020 | 0.9401 | |
| 5 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 6 | University of Idaho | 14100 | 25800 | 0.4543 | 9,574 | 1119 | 0.7553 | |
| 7 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5047 | 11,348 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 8 | Florida State University | 15600 | 22900 | 0.3184 | 32,720 | 1360 | 0.2422 | |
| 8 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 15600 | 31000 | 0.4964 | 8,553 | 1045 | 0.8688 | |
| 10 | Appalachian State University | 15800 | 19500 | 0.1899 | 19,560 | 1190 | 0.9014 | |
| 10 | University of South Carolina-Upstate | 15800 | 26800 | 0.4108 | 4,487 | 1115 | 0.6726 | |
| 12 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | 16000 | 22300 | 0.2822 | 24,868 | 1214 | 0.796 | |
| 13 | University of Colorado Colorado Springs | 16100 | 25400 | 0.3667 | 9,302 | 1125 | 0.9735 | |
| 14 | Eastern Michigan University | 16500 | 36100 | 0.542 | 10,470 | 1055 | 0.7964 | |
| 14 | West Virginia University | 16500 | 40900 | 0.5963 | 18,206 | 1125 | 0.89 | |
| 16 | Northern State University | 16800 | 23300 | 0.2784 | 3,169 | 1075 | 0.93 | |
| 17 | SUNY at Fredonia | 17100 | 27800 | 0.3854 | 2,771 | 1258 | 0.777 | |
| 18 | University of Lynchburg | 17600 | 54900 | 0.6791 | 1,595 | 1104 | 0.4301 | |
| 19 | University of Miami | 17700 | 95700 | 0.8149 | 13,250 | 1406 | 0.189 | |
| 20 | North Carolina Central University | 18400 | 27600 | 0.3331 | 6,595 | 1060 | 0.8696 | |
| 21 | The University of Montana | 18900 | 25200 | 0.2497 | 7,891 | 1225 | 0.9586 | |
| 22 | University of Nevada-Reno | 19200 | 28200 | 0.3189 | 19,117 | 1134 | 0.7371 | |
| 23 | Illinois College | 19700 | 55200 | 0.6423 | 937 | 1059 | 0.7819 | |
| 24 | Wichita State University | 19800 | 29800 | 0.3372 | 13,313 | 1073 | 0.9395 | |
| 25 | Alma College | 19900 | 64800 | 0.6931 | 1,159 | 1135 | 0.5703 | |
| 26 | Bethany Lutheran College | 20000 | 46400 | 0.5684 | 856 | 1160 | 0.3897 | |
| 26 | The College of Idaho | 20000 | 59900 | 0.6661 | 1,041 | 1189 | 0.491 | |
| 28 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 20500 | 23200 | 0.1164 | 20,444 | 1209 | 0.8499 | |
| 29 | Midwestern State University | 21100 | 28600 | 0.2618 | 4,303 | 1010 | 0.9352 | |
| 30 | Marian University | 21900 | 59800 | 0.6333 | 2,378 | 1085 | 0.9546 | |
| 31 | Murray State University | 22900 | 27600 | 0.1687 | 7,851 | 1115 | 0.8568 | |
| 32 | Indiana Institute of Technology | 23000 | 48800 | 0.5288 | 1,650 | 1055 | 0.7039 | |
| 33 | Concordia University-Chicago | 23200 | 54900 | 0.5769 | 1,368 | 1100 | 0.9279 | |
| 33 | The College of Saint Scholastica | 23200 | 60400 | 0.6162 | 1,810 | 1110 | 0.9296 | |
| 35 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 23600 | 24900 | 0.0522 | 30,187 | 1292 | 0.6015 | |
| 36 | Skidmore College | 24300 | 89100 | 0.7269 | 2,704 | 1418 | 0.2105 | |
| 37 | Boise State University | 24600 | 31200 | 0.2116 | 23,983 | 1135 | 0.8721 | |
| 38 | Augustana College | 24800 | 72800 | 0.6588 | 2,522 | 1163 | 0.6268 | |
| 39 | Drury University | 25300 | 52900 | 0.5216 | 1,391 | 1228 | 0.5758 | |
| 40 | Ave Maria University | 25500 | 46600 | 0.453 | 1,301 | 1164 | 0.4139 | |
| 41 | Seattle Pacific University | 25800 | 70000 | 0.6314 | 1,776 | 1180 | 0.834 | |
| 42 | Northwest University | 25900 | 52300 | 0.5044 | 675 | 1184 | 0.832 | |
| 43 | Briar Cliff University | 26000 | 74200 | 0.6494 | 766 | 1050 | 0.5834 | |
| 44 | Hiram College | 26700 | 48700 | 0.4516 | 1,026 | 1030 | 0.9353 | |
| 44 | University of Arkansas | 26700 | 28900 | 0.0745 | 28,859 | 1179 | 0.743 | |
| 46 | Kansas State University | 27000 | 31400 | 0.1414 | 15,650 | 1164 | 0.8169 | |
| 47 | College of Saint Benedict | 27600 | 68900 | 0.5999 | 1,391 | 1164 | 0.9152 | |
| 48 | Winston-Salem State University | 27800 | 34300 | 0.1895 | 4,192 | 945 | 0.7826 | |
| 49 | Florida Southern College | 27900 | 63200 | 0.5593 | 2,682 | 1264 | 0.6442 | |
| 50 | Chestnut Hill College | 28100 | 60100 | 0.5323 | 868 | 995 | 0.7446 | |
| 51 | Marquette University | 29100 | 63800 | 0.544 | 8,045 | 1309 | 0.8134 | |
| 52 | Creighton University | 29200 | 68000 | 0.5709 | 4,377 | 1328 | 0.7975 | |
| 53 | University of Toledo | 29800 | 42000 | 0.2895 | 11,013 | 1229 | 0.9202 | |
| 54 | Northern Kentucky University | 30100 | 32100 | 0.0623 | 10,163 | 1090 | 0.6765 | |
| 55 | Central College | 30400 | 36800 | 0.174 | 1,084 | 1145 | 0.8617 | |
| 56 | Oklahoma Baptist University | 30500 | 54700 | 0.4419 | 1,427 | 1025 | 0.4941 | |
| 57 | Life University | 31100 | 45500 | 0.3164 | 899 | 1020 | 0.9303 | |
| 57 | Taylor University | 31100 | 59100 | 0.4733 | 2,503 | 1229 | 0.7353 | |
| 59 | Ithaca College | 32100 | 72500 | 0.5571 | 4,268 | 1314 | 0.6901 | |
| 60 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 32200 | 36700 | 0.1214 | 41,303 | 1338 | 0.7975 | |
| 61 | Gettysburg College | 32300 | 86500 | 0.6261 | 2,104 | 1369 | 0.389 | |
| 62 | Ursinus College | 33300 | 83700 | 0.6027 | 1,502 | 1303 | 0.9177 | |
| 63 | Cleveland State University | 33500 | 37300 | 0.1019 | 9,482 | 1069 | 0.913 | |
| 64 | California Baptist University | 33600 | 65600 | 0.4878 | 8,417 | 1070 | 0.8488 | |
| 65 | George Washington University | 33700 | 81800 | 0.5881 | 11,677 | 1430 | 0.4709 | |
| 65 | Gordon College | 33700 | 51300 | 0.3431 | 1,314 | 1256 | 0.6923 | |
| 67 | Gardner-Webb University | 34100 | 50400 | 0.3235 | 1,861 | 1110 | 0.7721 | |
| 68 | Sacred Heart University | 34600 | 67500 | 0.4877 | 7,204 | 950 | 0.6536 | |
| 69 | Barry University | 34800 | 56400 | 0.3828 | 3,232 | 1005 | 0.7724 | |
| 70 | Valparaiso University | 34900 | 62700 | 0.4428 | 2,123 | 1189 | 0.8943 | |
| 71 | Averett University | 35400 | 57200 | 0.3813 | 1,244 | 1054 | 0.5659 | |
| 72 | New York Institute of Technology | 35500 | 83600 | 0.5755 | 3,646 | 1298 | 0.8102 | |
| 73 | Baldwin Wallace University | 35600 | 66100 | 0.4616 | 2,862 | 1203 | 0.757 | |
| 73 | Texas Tech University | 35600 | 38900 | 0.0848 | 32,580 | 1200 | 0.7265 | |
| 73 | The University of Tampa | 35600 | 56900 | 0.374 | 10,598 | 1185 | 0.4034 | |
| 76 | Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion | 36100 | 48500 | 0.2567 | 2,075 | 1090 | 0.8894 | |
| 77 | East Carolina University | 37100 | 40100 | 0.0748 | 21,445 | 1160 | 0.8921 | |
| 78 | Vermont State University | 37400 | 38700 | 0.0336 | 4,108 | 960 | 0.8167 | |
| 79 | Queens University of Charlotte | 38100 | 68200 | 0.4411 | 1,225 | 1208 | 0.6208 | |
| 80 | Washington State University | 38200 | 53900 | 0.2906 | 21,455 | 1125 | 0.8664 | |
| 81 | Saint Francis University | 38500 | 63100 | 0.3899 | 2,567 | 1150 | 0.7682 | |
| 82 | University of South Alabama | 39700 | 39700 | 0 | 9,241 | 1140 | 0.7096 | |
| 83 | Fresno Pacific University | 40100 | 52200 | 0.2327 | 1,545 | 1099 | 0.6407 | |
| 84 | Concordia University-Wisconsin | 41400 | 57000 | 0.2738 | 2,401 | 1209 | 0.782 | |
| 85 | Montreat College | 41900 | 58100 | 0.278 | 781 | 1164 | 0.692 | |
| 86 | Seattle University | 42000 | 75000 | 0.4397 | 4,078 | 1305 | 0.7692 | |
| 87 | Shenandoah University | 43100 | 56600 | 0.2385 | 2,641 | 1124 | 0.7695 | |
| 88 | University of Florida | 43200 | 45700 | 0.0548 | 36,573 | 1399 | 0.242 | |
| 89 | University at Buffalo | 43900 | 46700 | 0.06 | 20,359 | 1303 | 0.7418 | |
| 90 | Ashland University | 44900 | 56400 | 0.204 | 2,977 | 1125 | 0.764 | |
| 91 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48600 | 51200 | 0.0517 | 44,819 | 1327 | 0.4987 | |
| 92 | University of Utah | 51600 | 53700 | 0.04 | 28,064 | 1237 | 0.8598 | |
| 93 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 53700 | 62800 | 0.1449 | 23,920 | 1397 | 0.5973 | |
| 94 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 54000 | 59200 | 0.087 | 24,449 | 1256 | 0.7847 | |
| 95 | Auburn University | 58500 | 58500 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4592 | |
| 96 | Mercyhurst University | 60900 | 68000 | 0.1044 | 2,274 | 1090 | 0.8102 | |
| 97 | College of Charleston | 61200 | 61200 | 0 | 10,880 | 1255 | 0.6003 | |
| 98 | University of California-Davis | 69800 | 69800 | 0 | 32,273 | 1290 | 0.4183 | |
| 99 | Gonzaga University | 70700 | 76600 | 0.077 | 5,281 | 1329 | 0.8169 | |
| 100 | University of California-Irvine | 72000 | 75600 | 0.0476 | 30,204 | 1333 | 0.2857 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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