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 | Northern Kentucky University | 7500 | 25900 | 0.7114 | 10,136 | 1110 | 0.9666 | |
| 2 | Brigham Young University | 8000 | 22200 | 0.6405 | 34,354 | 1374 | 0.6862 | |
| 3 | Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion | 9700 | 49000 | 0.8031 | 2,075 | 1090 | 0.8894 | |
| 3 | Rice University | 9700 | 92500 | 0.8954 | 4,807 | 1528 | 0.0801 | |
| 5 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 10200 | 41500 | 0.7543 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 6 | Eastern Washington University | 11500 | 30700 | 0.6262 | 7,640 | 1045 | 0.8526 | |
| 7 | Felician University | 11600 | 61000 | 0.8095 | 2,131 | 1015 | 0.9722 | |
| 8 | Midwestern State University | 11900 | 21600 | 0.4485 | 4,303 | 1055 | 0.9347 | |
| 9 | Fitchburg State University | 12000 | 33800 | 0.6445 | 3,000 | 1090 | 0.8885 | |
| 10 | University of Illinois Chicago | 12200 | 30200 | 0.5969 | 24,260 | 1174 | 0.7576 | |
| 11 | University of Colorado Colorado Springs | 12900 | 26600 | 0.5151 | 9,040 | 1119 | 0.9666 | |
| 12 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | 13000 | 40500 | 0.6789 | 29,727 | 990 | 0.9229 | |
| 13 | Northern Illinois University | 13300 | 32100 | 0.5856 | 12,118 | 1070 | 0.7164 | |
| 14 | Eastern Michigan University | 14200 | 33900 | 0.5802 | 10,034 | 1055 | 0.7772 | |
| 15 | Troy University | 14800 | 26700 | 0.4456 | 10,130 | 1075 | 0.9535 | |
| 16 | Murray State University | 14900 | 27000 | 0.4493 | 8,217 | 1124 | 0.8413 | |
| 17 | West Virginia University | 15000 | 73100 | 0.7945 | 18,206 | 1120 | 0.8514 | |
| 18 | University of California-Irvine | 15100 | 40400 | 0.6267 | 30,260 | 1333 | 0.2895 | |
| 19 | Kansas State University | 15900 | 26400 | 0.3957 | 16,555 | 1163 | 0.875 | |
| 20 | University of Florida | 16100 | 22500 | 0.2843 | 37,283 | 1406 | 0.2033 | |
| 21 | Northern State University | 16300 | 26400 | 0.3819 | 3,177 | 1085 | 0.96 | |
| 22 | North Carolina Central University | 17100 | 37500 | 0.5444 | 7,232 | 865 | 0.8605 | |
| 23 | College of Charleston | 17200 | 33900 | 0.4931 | 10,596 | 1234 | 0.73 | |
| 24 | Vermont State University | 17300 | 26900 | 0.3562 | 4,087 | 960 | 0.8323 | |
| 25 | University of Miami | 17400 | 96300 | 0.8194 | 13,241 | 1408 | 0.1761 | |
| 26 | Kennesaw State University | 18000 | 27400 | 0.3428 | 46,069 | 1119 | 0.7944 | |
| 27 | University of Lynchburg | 18600 | 58900 | 0.6852 | 1,424 | 1099 | 0.6108 | |
| 28 | The College of Idaho | 19400 | 81100 | 0.7611 | 1,042 | 1189 | 0.491 | |
| 29 | Illinois College | 19700 | 55200 | 0.6438 | 1,008 | 1059 | 0.7494 | |
| 30 | SUNY at Fredonia | 20100 | 53600 | 0.6248 | 2,771 | 1258 | 0.777 | |
| 31 | Hiram College | 20600 | 48700 | 0.5766 | 991 | 1075 | 0.9748 | |
| 32 | University of Houston-Clear Lake | 21400 | 41600 | 0.4856 | 6,029 | 1075 | 0.9173 | |
| 33 | Indiana Institute of Technology | 21600 | 48800 | 0.5575 | 1,650 | 1055 | 0.7039 | |
| 34 | Bethany Lutheran College | 21800 | 46400 | 0.5309 | 889 | 1120 | 0.6406 | |
| 35 | The College of Saint Scholastica | 22200 | 60400 | 0.6328 | 1,810 | 1110 | 0.9298 | |
| 36 | Florida State University | 22400 | 32100 | 0.302 | 34,271 | 1369 | 0.2383 | |
| 37 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 22500 | 22500 | 0 | 20,786 | 1225 | 0.8689 | |
| 38 | Seattle Pacific University | 22900 | 98900 | 0.7688 | 1,657 | 1174 | 0.9301 | |
| 39 | Marian University | 23500 | 59800 | 0.6066 | 2,378 | 1085 | 0.9546 | |
| 40 | Augustana College | 24700 | 72800 | 0.6602 | 2,536 | 1157 | 0.6628 | |
| 41 | University at Buffalo | 24900 | 34000 | 0.2677 | 21,192 | 1309 | 0.8059 | |
| 42 | Ave Maria University | 25000 | 46600 | 0.4637 | 1,320 | 1164 | 0.4139 | |
| 43 | Briar Cliff University | 25900 | 83800 | 0.6909 | 766 | 1075 | 0.5834 | |
| 44 | University of Arkansas | 26700 | 44700 | 0.4024 | 29,252 | 1179 | 0.7388 | |
| 45 | Drury University | 26800 | 54500 | 0.5082 | 1,453 | 1209 | 0.6575 | |
| 46 | Chestnut Hill College | 27500 | 87000 | 0.6841 | 868 | 995 | 0.7446 | |
| 47 | College of Saint Benedict | 27600 | 68900 | 0.6 | 1,356 | 1199 | 0.919 | |
| 48 | Creighton University | 27700 | 67900 | 0.5918 | 4,833 | 1328 | 0.9216 | |
| 48 | Florida Southern College | 27700 | 63200 | 0.5615 | 2,682 | 1264 | 0.6442 | |
| 50 | Winston-Salem State University | 27900 | 40300 | 0.308 | 4,192 | 945 | 0.7826 | |
| 51 | Augustana University | 28100 | 63100 | 0.5546 | 2,140 | 1189 | 0.7289 | |
| 52 | Northwest University | 29200 | 52000 | 0.4384 | 659 | 1189 | 0.8865 | |
| 53 | University of Toledo | 29300 | 32600 | 0.1007 | 10,726 | 1134 | 0.8889 | |
| 54 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 29400 | 34200 | 0.1402 | 31,845 | 1298 | 0.5651 | |
| 55 | Southern Methodist University | 29600 | 96900 | 0.6943 | 7,545 | 1427 | 0.4764 | |
| 56 | Life University | 30000 | 46300 | 0.352 | 832 | 980 | 0.5918 | |
| 57 | Taylor University | 30200 | 60700 | 0.5035 | 2,769 | 1229 | 0.9881 | |
| 58 | Ithaca College | 30300 | 72600 | 0.5823 | 4,205 | 1328 | 0.7015 | |
| 59 | Marquette University | 31400 | 75900 | 0.5862 | 8,206 | 1304 | 0.7802 | |
| 60 | Cleveland State University | 31700 | 32100 | 0.0125 | 9,418 | 1069 | 0.913 | |
| 61 | Gettysburg College | 32200 | 86500 | 0.6277 | 2,104 | 1369 | 0.389 | |
| 61 | Gordon College | 32200 | 54200 | 0.4059 | 1,221 | 1226 | 0.9001 | |
| 63 | Central College | 32300 | 38700 | 0.1654 | 1,050 | 1159 | 0.8698 | |
| 64 | Wichita State University | 32800 | 42200 | 0.2226 | 14,906 | 1065 | 0.7224 | |
| 65 | Ursinus College | 33200 | 83700 | 0.6038 | 1,378 | 1303 | 0.9285 | |
| 66 | George Washington University | 34300 | 81800 | 0.5808 | 11,495 | 1436 | 0.4713 | |
| 67 | California Baptist University | 34500 | 69800 | 0.5055 | 8,707 | 1024 | 0.8139 | |
| 68 | Averett University | 34800 | 57600 | 0.3959 | 1,244 | 1054 | 0.5659 | |
| 68 | University of Idaho | 34800 | 48700 | 0.2854 | 9,656 | 1104 | 0.7476 | |
| 70 | Valparaiso University | 34900 | 62700 | 0.4428 | 2,056 | 1183 | 0.8994 | |
| 71 | Auburn University | 35000 | 35000 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 71 | Southern Connecticut State University | 35000 | 42000 | 0.1667 | 7,252 | 965 | 0.9482 | |
| 71 | University of Nevada-Reno | 35000 | 45800 | 0.2359 | 20,204 | 1109 | 0.8313 | |
| 74 | Barry University | 35200 | 58800 | 0.4014 | 4,654 | 1005 | 0.9663 | |
| 75 | New York Institute of Technology | 35400 | 83600 | 0.5769 | 3,646 | 1298 | 0.8102 | |
| 76 | Texas Tech University | 35600 | 41000 | 0.1318 | 34,021 | 1195 | 0.6906 | |
| 77 | Gardner-Webb University | 36000 | 54900 | 0.3443 | 1,861 | 1110 | 0.7721 | |
| 77 | University of South Carolina-Upstate | 36000 | 39700 | 0.0932 | 4,789 | 1040 | 0.6671 | |
| 79 | University of South Alabama | 36100 | 40200 | 0.1021 | 9,530 | 1140 | 0.9455 | |
| 80 | Shenandoah University | 36400 | 56100 | 0.3512 | 2,723 | 1154 | 0.7785 | |
| 81 | East Carolina University | 36900 | 42700 | 0.1355 | 21,693 | 1065 | 0.9003 | |
| 82 | Washington State University | 37800 | 53600 | 0.2946 | 21,400 | 1131 | 0.861 | |
| 83 | Baldwin Wallace University | 39000 | 69800 | 0.4415 | 2,532 | 1210 | 0.7739 | |
| 84 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | 39300 | 40300 | 0.0248 | 26,213 | 1209 | 0.7778 | |
| 85 | William Paterson University of New Jersey | 39600 | 43200 | 0.0833 | 6,647 | 1153 | 0.9008 | |
| 86 | Fresno Pacific University | 39900 | 52200 | 0.2353 | 1,615 | 1075 | 0.6396 | |
| 86 | Saint Francis University | 39900 | 67300 | 0.407 | 2,567 | 1150 | 0.7682 | |
| 88 | Boise State University | 40000 | 50100 | 0.2014 | 25,308 | 1025 | 0.8389 | |
| 89 | The University of Montana | 40200 | 57400 | 0.2997 | 8,014 | 1184 | 0.9586 | |
| 90 | Concordia University-Wisconsin | 41200 | 58700 | 0.2983 | 2,401 | 1209 | 0.7819 | |
| 91 | Montreat College | 41800 | 58100 | 0.2804 | 781 | 1164 | 0.692 | |
| 92 | Seattle University | 42500 | 85300 | 0.5016 | 4,370 | 1299 | 0.7313 | |
| 93 | The University of Tampa | 45600 | 58500 | 0.2204 | 10,710 | 1250 | 0.4363 | |
| 94 | Appalachian State University | 46500 | 46500 | 0 | 19,732 | 1174 | 0.9388 | |
| 95 | Ashland University | 47900 | 57000 | 0.1595 | 2,977 | 1125 | 0.764 | |
| 96 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48500 | 51200 | 0.0544 | 43,633 | 1342 | 0.4343 | |
| 97 | Sacred Heart University | 49700 | 67500 | 0.2637 | 7,291 | 1265 | 0.6363 | |
| 98 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 50900 | 63800 | 0.2021 | 42,565 | 1339 | 0.7887 | |
| 99 | University of Utah | 51400 | 53700 | 0.0425 | 29,335 | 1222 | 0.9015 | |
| 100 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 53600 | 63400 | 0.1546 | 24,019 | 1404 | 0.5989 | |
| 101 | Queens University of Charlotte | 58600 | 72400 | 0.1907 | 1,210 | 1244 | 0.805 | |
| 102 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 58700 | 62100 | 0.0548 | 8,513 | 1160 | 0.9261 | |
| 103 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 59300 | 61600 | 0.0371 | 25,141 | 1256 | 0.7613 | |
| 104 | University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis | 60600 | 65600 | 0.0762 | 344 | 1125 | 0.8984 | |
| 105 | Mercyhurst University | 61200 | 68000 | 0.1 | 2,214 | 1203 | 0.775 | |
| 106 | Gonzaga University | 70900 | 77700 | 0.0875 | 4,976 | 1328 | 0.7962 | |
| 107 | Skidmore College | 93400 | 95400 | 0.021 | 2,715 | 1418 | 0.2377 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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