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 | The University of Tennessee-Martin | 11200 | 24800 | 0.5489 | 6,809 | 1110 | 0.882 | |
| 5 | California State University-Sacramento | 11700 | 30700 | 0.6186 | 28,820 | 1035 | 0.9399 | |
| 6 | Fort Valley State University | 12400 | 29700 | 0.5823 | 2,699 | 1025 | 0.6587 | |
| 7 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 12500 | 28100 | 0.5551 | 8,553 | 1045 | 0.8688 | |
| 8 | Eastern Illinois University | 12600 | 24300 | 0.4831 | 6,785 | 985 | 0.6535 | |
| 9 | North Carolina A & T State University | 12800 | 17900 | 0.2857 | 12,497 | 1075 | 0.499 | |
| 10 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 11 | University of Houston | 13700 | 22000 | 0.3766 | 39,257 | 1249 | 0.7392 | |
| 12 | Delta State University | 14000 | 23200 | 0.3971 | 1,876 | 1040 | 1 | |
| 13 | Texas Woman's University | 14100 | 23200 | 0.3916 | 10,039 | 1035 | 0.9612 | |
| 14 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5048 | 11,348 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 15 | Wayne State College | 15100 | 20300 | 0.2561 | 3,902 | 0 | 0 | |
| 16 | Chadron State College | 15200 | 25000 | 0.3926 | 1,690 | 0 | 0 | |
| 17 | University of Maryland Eastern Shore | 15300 | 26900 | 0.4309 | 2,476 | 930 | 0.9641 | |
| 18 | Mississippi University for Women | 16000 | 21400 | 0.2527 | 1,962 | 1055 | 0.9031 | |
| 18 | Southeastern Louisiana University | 16000 | 40000 | 0.6004 | 13,192 | 1075 | 0.9931 | |
| 20 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus | 16400 | 28200 | 0.4179 | 7,353 | 1085 | 0.9077 | |
| 21 | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | 18100 | 25300 | 0.285 | 1,817 | 905 | 0.4118 | |
| 22 | Carson-Newman University | 19500 | 51900 | 0.6245 | 1,596 | 1110 | 0.9045 | |
| 23 | Southeast Missouri State University | 19600 | 30600 | 0.3606 | 7,926 | 945 | 0.7352 | |
| 24 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 20500 | 23200 | 0.1164 | 20,444 | 1209 | 0.8499 | |
| 25 | University of Montevallo | 20600 | 30300 | 0.3202 | 2,642 | 1124 | 0.5385 | |
| 26 | South Carolina State University | 20700 | 30000 | 0.3095 | 2,950 | 930 | 0.8262 | |
| 27 | Western Illinois University | 20800 | 31000 | 0.329 | 4,525 | 1015 | 0.7118 | |
| 28 | University of Northern Iowa | 20900 | 24000 | 0.1312 | 7,711 | 1129 | 0.9274 | |
| 29 | Henderson State University | 21100 | 30600 | 0.31 | 1,461 | 990 | 0.8192 | |
| 30 | Central Washington University | 23400 | 27900 | 0.1615 | 10,317 | 1045 | 0.9062 | |
| 31 | University of Kentucky | 23900 | 36400 | 0.3448 | 25,534 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 32 | Tennessee Technological University | 25000 | 33700 | 0.257 | 9,187 | 1163 | 0.7613 | |
| 33 | Illinois State University | 25200 | 36400 | 0.3079 | 19,107 | 1120 | 0.8815 | |
| 34 | Seattle Pacific University | 25800 | 70000 | 0.6314 | 1,776 | 1180 | 0.834 | |
| 35 | Iowa State University | 26200 | 42800 | 0.3881 | 25,628 | 1207 | 0.8866 | |
| 36 | Kansas State University | 27000 | 31400 | 0.1414 | 15,650 | 1164 | 0.8169 | |
| 37 | California State University-Northridge | 27100 | 36500 | 0.2586 | 32,756 | 1005 | 0.9345 | |
| 37 | University of Central Arkansas | 27100 | 31200 | 0.1329 | 8,268 | 1110 | 0.8949 | |
| 39 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 27500 | 43800 | 0.3725 | 17,450 | 1044 | 0.9518 | |
| 40 | Freed-Hardeman University | 27700 | 35900 | 0.2284 | 1,873 | 1120 | 0.5968 | |
| 40 | Norfolk State University | 27700 | 40100 | 0.309 | 5,410 | 935 | 0.8777 | |
| 42 | Alabama A & M University | 28200 | 37700 | 0.2518 | 6,370 | 915 | 0.5795 | |
| 43 | Southern University and A & M College | 28600 | 32900 | 0.1309 | 6,713 | 930 | 0.3512 | |
| 44 | University of Utah | 28900 | 32000 | 0.0984 | 28,064 | 1237 | 0.8598 | |
| 45 | Jacksonville State University | 29100 | 38200 | 0.2381 | 8,663 | 1069 | 0.7769 | |
| 45 | Pittsburg State University | 29100 | 36200 | 0.1959 | 4,472 | 1055 | 0.8942 | |
| 47 | Montana State University | 29600 | 31900 | 0.072 | 15,046 | 1184 | 0.8214 | |
| 48 | Morgan State University | 29700 | 41900 | 0.2914 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 49 | Oklahoma Baptist University | 30500 | 54700 | 0.4419 | 1,427 | 1025 | 0.4941 | |
| 50 | San Francisco State University | 30800 | 47700 | 0.3544 | 19,444 | 1035 | 0.9644 | |
| 51 | California State University-Long Beach | 31000 | 38900 | 0.2032 | 36,082 | 1135 | 0.4627 | |
| 52 | Baylor University | 31900 | 70300 | 0.546 | 14,915 | 1321 | 0.5128 | |
| 53 | Bridgewater College | 32000 | 40200 | 0.2028 | 1,407 | 1174 | 0.9172 | |
| 54 | Liberty University | 33200 | 44600 | 0.2556 | 52,961 | 1174 | 0.9898 | |
| 55 | Meredith College | 34000 | 64200 | 0.4706 | 1,206 | 1237 | 0.7418 | |
| 56 | Minnesota State University, Mankato | 34100 | 37200 | 0.0846 | 13,433 | 1145 | 0.8844 | |
| 57 | Texas Southern University | 34500 | 42500 | 0.1883 | 6,844 | 915 | 0.9691 | |
| 58 | Texas Tech University | 35600 | 38900 | 0.0848 | 32,580 | 1200 | 0.7265 | |
| 59 | California State University-Fresno | 36900 | 43800 | 0.1577 | 21,954 | 995 | 0.9526 | |
| 60 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 66300 | 0.436 | 31,035 | 1366 | 0.5478 | |
| 61 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48600 | 51200 | 0.0517 | 44,819 | 1327 | 0.4987 | |
| 62 | The University of Texas at Austin | 49800 | 59400 | 0.1617 | 43,165 | 1356 | 0.2664 | |
| 63 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 53000 | 61200 | 0.1332 | 26,221 | 1204 | 0.8854 | |
| 64 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 53300 | 61000 | 0.127 | 41,303 | 1338 | 0.7975 | |
| 65 | The University of Alabama | 55800 | 55800 | 0 | 34,389 | 1284 | 0.7665 | |
| 66 | Miami University-Oxford | 57400 | 57400 | 0 | 16,816 | 1299 | 0.754 | |
| 67 | Auburn University | 58500 | 58500 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4592 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
Join thousands of students and parents learning about finding the right college, admissions secrets, scholarships, financial aid, and more.