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 | Stephen F Austin State University | 10100 | 27800 | 0.6356 | 9,129 | 1075 | 0.9399 | |
| 3 | East Central University | 10700 | 24700 | 0.5673 | 2,644 | 1055 | 0.5815 | |
| 4 | California State University-Fresno | 11300 | 19600 | 0.4226 | 21,954 | 995 | 0.9526 | |
| 5 | California State University-Sacramento | 11700 | 30700 | 0.6186 | 28,820 | 1035 | 0.9399 | |
| 6 | University of Houston | 12000 | 28400 | 0.5781 | 39,257 | 1249 | 0.7392 | |
| 7 | Texas Woman's University | 12100 | 28200 | 0.571 | 10,039 | 1035 | 0.9612 | |
| 8 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 12500 | 28100 | 0.5551 | 8,553 | 1045 | 0.8688 | |
| 9 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 10 | Delta State University | 14000 | 23200 | 0.3971 | 1,876 | 1040 | 1 | |
| 11 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5048 | 11,348 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 12 | Wayne State College | 15100 | 20300 | 0.2561 | 3,902 | 0 | 0 | |
| 13 | Chadron State College | 15200 | 25000 | 0.3926 | 1,690 | 0 | 0 | |
| 14 | Jacksonville State University | 16000 | 27000 | 0.4081 | 8,663 | 1069 | 0.7769 | |
| 14 | Mississippi University for Women | 16000 | 21400 | 0.2527 | 1,962 | 1055 | 0.9031 | |
| 14 | Southeastern Louisiana University | 16000 | 40000 | 0.6004 | 13,192 | 1075 | 0.9931 | |
| 17 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus | 16400 | 28200 | 0.4179 | 7,353 | 1085 | 0.9077 | |
| 18 | Central Washington University | 18400 | 22700 | 0.1892 | 10,317 | 1045 | 0.9062 | |
| 19 | Carson-Newman University | 19500 | 51900 | 0.6245 | 1,596 | 1110 | 0.9045 | |
| 19 | Southeast Missouri State University | 19500 | 30600 | 0.3622 | 7,926 | 945 | 0.7352 | |
| 21 | Iowa State University | 20100 | 24200 | 0.1724 | 25,628 | 1207 | 0.8866 | |
| 22 | Eastern Illinois University | 20400 | 28100 | 0.2736 | 6,785 | 985 | 0.6535 | |
| 23 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 20600 | 23200 | 0.1121 | 20,444 | 1209 | 0.8499 | |
| 24 | South Carolina State University | 20700 | 30000 | 0.3095 | 2,950 | 930 | 0.8262 | |
| 25 | Western Illinois University | 20800 | 31000 | 0.3284 | 4,525 | 1015 | 0.7118 | |
| 26 | University of Northern Iowa | 20900 | 24000 | 0.1303 | 7,711 | 1129 | 0.9274 | |
| 27 | Henderson State University | 21100 | 30600 | 0.31 | 1,461 | 990 | 0.8192 | |
| 28 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 21800 | 37300 | 0.4156 | 26,221 | 1204 | 0.8854 | |
| 29 | Texas Southern University | 22100 | 25500 | 0.1335 | 6,844 | 915 | 0.9691 | |
| 30 | Montana State University | 22300 | 27100 | 0.1769 | 15,046 | 1184 | 0.8214 | |
| 31 | Southern University and A & M College | 22400 | 25100 | 0.1074 | 6,713 | 930 | 0.3512 | |
| 32 | University of Kentucky | 23800 | 36400 | 0.345 | 25,534 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 33 | The University of Tennessee-Martin | 25200 | 31500 | 0.2001 | 6,809 | 1110 | 0.882 | |
| 34 | University of Maryland Eastern Shore | 25700 | 39700 | 0.3527 | 2,476 | 930 | 0.9641 | |
| 35 | Seattle Pacific University | 25800 | 70000 | 0.6314 | 1,776 | 1180 | 0.834 | |
| 36 | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | 26000 | 34900 | 0.2549 | 1,817 | 905 | 0.4118 | |
| 37 | Kansas State University | 27000 | 31400 | 0.1405 | 15,650 | 1164 | 0.8169 | |
| 38 | California State University-Northridge | 27100 | 36500 | 0.2581 | 32,756 | 1005 | 0.9345 | |
| 38 | University of Central Arkansas | 27100 | 31200 | 0.1322 | 8,268 | 1110 | 0.8949 | |
| 40 | Fort Valley State University | 27300 | 45200 | 0.3959 | 2,699 | 1025 | 0.6587 | |
| 41 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 27500 | 43800 | 0.3725 | 17,450 | 1044 | 0.9518 | |
| 42 | Freed-Hardeman University | 27700 | 35900 | 0.2284 | 1,873 | 1120 | 0.5968 | |
| 42 | Norfolk State University | 27700 | 40100 | 0.309 | 5,410 | 935 | 0.8777 | |
| 44 | Alabama A & M University | 28200 | 37700 | 0.2518 | 6,370 | 915 | 0.5795 | |
| 45 | Pittsburg State University | 29100 | 36200 | 0.1959 | 4,472 | 1055 | 0.8942 | |
| 46 | Morgan State University | 29700 | 41900 | 0.2914 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 47 | Oklahoma Baptist University | 30500 | 54700 | 0.4415 | 1,427 | 1025 | 0.4941 | |
| 48 | San Francisco State University | 30800 | 47700 | 0.3544 | 19,444 | 1035 | 0.9644 | |
| 49 | California State University-Long Beach | 31000 | 38900 | 0.2032 | 36,082 | 1135 | 0.4627 | |
| 50 | North Carolina A & T State University | 31500 | 36700 | 0.1416 | 12,497 | 1075 | 0.499 | |
| 51 | Baylor University | 31900 | 70300 | 0.546 | 14,915 | 1321 | 0.5128 | |
| 52 | Bridgewater College | 32100 | 40200 | 0.2023 | 1,407 | 1174 | 0.9172 | |
| 53 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 32200 | 36700 | 0.1209 | 41,303 | 1338 | 0.7975 | |
| 54 | Liberty University | 33200 | 44600 | 0.2556 | 52,961 | 1174 | 0.9898 | |
| 55 | Auburn University | 33700 | 34100 | 0.0117 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4592 | |
| 56 | Meredith College | 34000 | 64200 | 0.4706 | 1,206 | 1237 | 0.7418 | |
| 57 | Minnesota State University, Mankato | 34100 | 37200 | 0.084 | 13,433 | 1145 | 0.8844 | |
| 58 | University of Montevallo | 35300 | 44900 | 0.214 | 2,642 | 1124 | 0.5385 | |
| 59 | Texas Tech University | 35600 | 38900 | 0.0848 | 32,580 | 1200 | 0.7265 | |
| 60 | Tennessee Technological University | 36400 | 38500 | 0.0553 | 9,187 | 1163 | 0.7613 | |
| 61 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 66300 | 0.436 | 31,035 | 1366 | 0.5478 | |
| 62 | Illinois State University | 44000 | 49100 | 0.1045 | 19,107 | 1120 | 0.8815 | |
| 63 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48600 | 51200 | 0.0513 | 44,819 | 1327 | 0.4987 | |
| 64 | The University of Texas at Austin | 49800 | 59400 | 0.1617 | 43,165 | 1356 | 0.2664 | |
| 65 | University of Utah | 51600 | 53700 | 0.0397 | 28,064 | 1237 | 0.8598 | |
| 66 | The University of Alabama | 55800 | 55800 | 0 | 34,389 | 1284 | 0.7665 | |
| 67 | Miami University-Oxford | 57400 | 57400 | 0 | 16,816 | 1299 | 0.754 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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