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 | 22200 | 0.6405 | 34,354 | 1374 | 0.6862 | |
| 2 | California State University-Northridge | 8100 | 36500 | 0.7796 | 32,846 | 1005 | 0.9176 | |
| 3 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 10200 | 41500 | 0.7543 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 4 | The University of Tennessee-Martin | 10700 | 24800 | 0.5691 | 7,393 | 1125 | 0.8968 | |
| 5 | Eastern Illinois University | 11800 | 24300 | 0.5134 | 6,731 | 1020 | 0.7073 | |
| 6 | University of Illinois Chicago | 12200 | 30200 | 0.5969 | 24,260 | 1174 | 0.7576 | |
| 7 | Fort Valley State University | 12300 | 54800 | 0.7754 | 2,699 | 1025 | 0.6587 | |
| 8 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 12400 | 31100 | 0.6022 | 39,193 | 1418 | 0.4081 | |
| 9 | Delta State University | 13000 | 23200 | 0.4403 | 1,876 | 1040 | 1 | |
| 10 | University of Maryland Eastern Shore | 14600 | 30100 | 0.5156 | 2,477 | 930 | 0.9641 | |
| 11 | Wayne State College | 14700 | 30200 | 0.5139 | 3,886 | 0 | 1 | |
| 12 | Chadron State College | 14900 | 21600 | 0.3106 | 1,691 | 0 | 0 | |
| 13 | Jacksonville State University | 15600 | 27000 | 0.423 | 8,663 | 1069 | 0.7769 | |
| 14 | Norfolk State University | 15800 | 26700 | 0.4081 | 5,411 | 935 | 0.8777 | |
| 15 | Kansas State University | 15900 | 26400 | 0.3957 | 16,555 | 1163 | 0.875 | |
| 16 | Stephen F Austin State University | 16500 | 27800 | 0.4058 | 9,905 | 1055 | 0.8339 | |
| 17 | California State University-Long Beach | 16600 | 25800 | 0.3567 | 36,056 | 1135 | 0.4543 | |
| 18 | Southeastern Louisiana University | 16800 | 52600 | 0.6801 | 14,294 | 1125 | 0.915 | |
| 19 | North Carolina Central University | 17100 | 37500 | 0.5444 | 7,232 | 865 | 0.8605 | |
| 20 | California State University-Sacramento | 17600 | 30700 | 0.4265 | 28,619 | 1015 | 0.9357 | |
| 21 | Carson-Newman University | 17700 | 51900 | 0.6592 | 1,912 | 1075 | 0.6381 | |
| 22 | Morgan State University | 17800 | 42200 | 0.5786 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 23 | The University of Texas at Austin | 18000 | 28100 | 0.359 | 44,314 | 1356 | 0.2222 | |
| 24 | Mississippi University for Women | 18400 | 23600 | 0.2205 | 1,962 | 1055 | 0.9031 | |
| 25 | Olivet Nazarene University | 18800 | 79300 | 0.7636 | 2,704 | 1104 | 0.5586 | |
| 26 | Alabama A & M University | 19500 | 51200 | 0.619 | 6,370 | 915 | 0.5795 | |
| 26 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania | 19500 | 30600 | 0.3626 | 7,425 | 1074 | 0.9147 | |
| 28 | University of Houston | 19900 | 28400 | 0.2996 | 40,366 | 1224 | 0.7577 | |
| 29 | University of Northern Iowa | 20500 | 24800 | 0.1731 | 7,800 | 1115 | 0.9313 | |
| 30 | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | 20700 | 48300 | 0.5715 | 1,817 | 905 | 0.4118 | |
| 31 | South Carolina State University | 21000 | 43100 | 0.5131 | 3,059 | 925 | 0.6797 | |
| 31 | University of Montevallo | 21000 | 61300 | 0.6569 | 2,643 | 1124 | 0.5385 | |
| 33 | Texas Southern University | 21300 | 38900 | 0.4524 | 6,844 | 915 | 0.9691 | |
| 34 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 21800 | 37300 | 0.4156 | 26,490 | 1183 | 0.8863 | |
| 35 | Freed-Hardeman University | 22000 | 35900 | 0.3872 | 1,873 | 1120 | 0.5968 | |
| 36 | Southern University and A & M College | 22100 | 41600 | 0.4684 | 6,713 | 930 | 0.3512 | |
| 37 | Meredith College | 22500 | 67400 | 0.666 | 1,212 | 1239 | 0.7506 | |
| 37 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 22500 | 22500 | 0 | 20,786 | 1225 | 0.8689 | |
| 39 | The University of Alabama | 22600 | 33400 | 0.3232 | 35,621 | 1238 | 0.7117 | |
| 40 | Central Washington University | 23400 | 27900 | 0.1615 | 10,033 | 1060 | 0.9061 | |
| 41 | Miami University-Oxford | 24400 | 28300 | 0.1378 | 16,405 | 1284 | 0.74 | |
| 41 | Montana State University | 24400 | 24400 | 0 | 15,142 | 1184 | 0.9938 | |
| 43 | Illinois State University | 25100 | 36400 | 0.3116 | 19,513 | 1115 | 0.8555 | |
| 44 | Minnesota State University, Mankato | 25700 | 28000 | 0.0815 | 13,433 | 1145 | 0.8844 | |
| 45 | Southeast Missouri State University | 25900 | 28600 | 0.0973 | 7,926 | 1070 | 0.6897 | |
| 46 | Henderson State University | 26500 | 27200 | 0.0258 | 1,461 | 1075 | 0.8192 | |
| 47 | University of Central Arkansas | 27000 | 31200 | 0.1372 | 8,238 | 1110 | 0.9157 | |
| 48 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 27500 | 43800 | 0.3725 | 18,028 | 1059 | 0.7996 | |
| 49 | University of Utah | 28700 | 32000 | 0.1027 | 29,335 | 1222 | 0.9015 | |
| 50 | Iowa State University | 28900 | 45200 | 0.3601 | 26,346 | 1212 | 0.8793 | |
| 51 | Oklahoma Baptist University | 30400 | 54700 | 0.4444 | 1,427 | 1025 | 0.4941 | |
| 52 | Pittsburg State University | 31500 | 37100 | 0.151 | 4,561 | 1055 | 0.5487 | |
| 53 | Liberty University | 32500 | 44700 | 0.2729 | 52,961 | 1174 | 0.9898 | |
| 54 | Baylor University | 33500 | 70400 | 0.5244 | 14,183 | 1302 | 0.5222 | |
| 54 | Harding University | 33500 | 47800 | 0.2988 | 3,536 | 1184 | 0.7052 | |
| 56 | Bridgewater College | 34200 | 42500 | 0.1952 | 1,412 | 1115 | 0.903 | |
| 57 | California Baptist University | 34500 | 69800 | 0.5055 | 8,707 | 1024 | 0.8139 | |
| 58 | Texas Tech University | 35600 | 41000 | 0.1318 | 34,021 | 1195 | 0.6906 | |
| 59 | Tennessee Technological University | 36200 | 38500 | 0.0593 | 9,187 | 1163 | 0.7613 | |
| 60 | North Carolina A & T State University | 36500 | 36700 | 0.0054 | 12,497 | 1075 | 0.5125 | |
| 61 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 66700 | 0.4394 | 31,536 | 1366 | 0.5457 | |
| 62 | University of Wyoming | 40000 | 45300 | 0.1167 | 8,138 | 1163 | 0.9695 | |
| 63 | Union University | 43800 | 66000 | 0.3374 | 1,856 | 1242 | 0.5857 | |
| 64 | University of Kentucky | 48400 | 59900 | 0.1916 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 65 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48500 | 51200 | 0.0544 | 43,633 | 1342 | 0.4343 | |
| 66 | Auburn University | 59400 | 59400 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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