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 | University of Houston | 12000 | 28400 | 0.5781 | 39,257 | 1249 | 0.7392 | |
| 6 | California State University-Northridge | 12100 | 22000 | 0.4508 | 32,756 | 1005 | 0.9345 | |
| 6 | 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 | Eastern Illinois University | 12600 | 24300 | 0.4813 | 6,785 | 985 | 0.6535 | |
| 10 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 11 | Delta State University | 14000 | 23200 | 0.3971 | 1,876 | 1040 | 1 | |
| 12 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5048 | 11,348 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 13 | Wayne State College | 15100 | 20300 | 0.2561 | 3,902 | 0 | 0 | |
| 14 | Chadron State College | 15200 | 25000 | 0.3926 | 1,690 | 0 | 0 | |
| 15 | Mississippi University for Women | 16000 | 21400 | 0.2527 | 1,962 | 1055 | 0.9031 | |
| 15 | Southeastern Louisiana University | 16000 | 40000 | 0.6004 | 13,192 | 1075 | 0.9931 | |
| 17 | California State University-Long Beach | 16100 | 25800 | 0.3761 | 36,082 | 1135 | 0.4627 | |
| 18 | California State University-Sacramento | 16200 | 27600 | 0.4134 | 28,820 | 1035 | 0.9399 | |
| 19 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus | 16400 | 28200 | 0.4179 | 7,353 | 1085 | 0.9077 | |
| 20 | Norfolk State University | 16600 | 26700 | 0.3781 | 5,410 | 935 | 0.8777 | |
| 20 | The University of Texas at Austin | 16600 | 28000 | 0.4076 | 43,165 | 1356 | 0.2664 | |
| 22 | Carson-Newman University | 19500 | 51900 | 0.6245 | 1,596 | 1110 | 0.9045 | |
| 23 | University of Northern Iowa | 19900 | 24000 | 0.1709 | 7,711 | 1129 | 0.9274 | |
| 24 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 20600 | 23200 | 0.1121 | 20,444 | 1209 | 0.8499 | |
| 25 | Western Illinois University | 20900 | 31000 | 0.3276 | 4,525 | 1015 | 0.7118 | |
| 26 | Henderson State University | 21100 | 30600 | 0.31 | 1,461 | 990 | 0.8192 | |
| 27 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 21800 | 37300 | 0.4156 | 26,221 | 1204 | 0.8854 | |
| 28 | Montana State University | 22300 | 27100 | 0.1769 | 15,046 | 1184 | 0.8214 | |
| 29 | Southern University and A & M College | 22400 | 25100 | 0.1074 | 6,713 | 930 | 0.3512 | |
| 30 | The University of Alabama | 22600 | 31000 | 0.2708 | 34,389 | 1284 | 0.7665 | |
| 31 | Central Washington University | 23400 | 27900 | 0.1615 | 10,317 | 1045 | 0.9062 | |
| 32 | Illinois State University | 25200 | 36400 | 0.3067 | 19,107 | 1120 | 0.8815 | |
| 33 | University of Maryland Eastern Shore | 25700 | 39700 | 0.3527 | 2,476 | 930 | 0.9641 | |
| 34 | Seattle Pacific University | 25800 | 70000 | 0.6314 | 1,776 | 1180 | 0.834 | |
| 35 | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | 26000 | 34900 | 0.2549 | 1,817 | 905 | 0.4118 | |
| 36 | Iowa State University | 26200 | 42800 | 0.3871 | 25,628 | 1207 | 0.8866 | |
| 37 | Southeast Missouri State University | 26500 | 28600 | 0.0735 | 7,926 | 945 | 0.7352 | |
| 38 | Kansas State University | 27000 | 31400 | 0.1414 | 15,650 | 1164 | 0.8169 | |
| 39 | Fort Valley State University | 27300 | 45200 | 0.3959 | 2,699 | 1025 | 0.6587 | |
| 40 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 27500 | 43800 | 0.3725 | 17,450 | 1044 | 0.9518 | |
| 41 | Freed-Hardeman University | 27700 | 35900 | 0.2284 | 1,873 | 1120 | 0.5968 | |
| 42 | Alabama A & M University | 28200 | 37700 | 0.2518 | 6,370 | 915 | 0.5795 | |
| 43 | Jacksonville State University | 29100 | 38200 | 0.2381 | 8,663 | 1069 | 0.7769 | |
| 43 | Pittsburg State University | 29100 | 36200 | 0.1959 | 4,472 | 1055 | 0.8942 | |
| 45 | Morgan State University | 29700 | 41900 | 0.2914 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 46 | Oklahoma Baptist University | 30500 | 54700 | 0.4411 | 1,427 | 1025 | 0.4941 | |
| 47 | San Francisco State University | 30800 | 47700 | 0.3544 | 19,444 | 1035 | 0.9644 | |
| 47 | South Carolina State University | 30800 | 41600 | 0.2596 | 2,950 | 930 | 0.8262 | |
| 49 | North Carolina A & T State University | 31500 | 36700 | 0.1416 | 12,497 | 1075 | 0.499 | |
| 50 | Baylor University | 31900 | 70300 | 0.546 | 14,915 | 1321 | 0.5128 | |
| 51 | Bridgewater College | 32100 | 40200 | 0.2017 | 1,407 | 1174 | 0.9172 | |
| 52 | Liberty University | 33200 | 44600 | 0.2556 | 52,961 | 1174 | 0.9898 | |
| 53 | Meredith College | 34000 | 64200 | 0.4706 | 1,206 | 1237 | 0.7418 | |
| 54 | Texas Southern University | 34500 | 42500 | 0.1883 | 6,844 | 915 | 0.9691 | |
| 55 | University of Montevallo | 35400 | 44900 | 0.2118 | 2,642 | 1124 | 0.5385 | |
| 56 | Minnesota State University, Mankato | 35500 | 37600 | 0.056 | 13,433 | 1145 | 0.8844 | |
| 57 | Texas Tech University | 35600 | 38900 | 0.0848 | 32,580 | 1200 | 0.7265 | |
| 58 | Tennessee Technological University | 36400 | 38500 | 0.0546 | 9,187 | 1163 | 0.7613 | |
| 59 | California State University-Fresno | 36900 | 43800 | 0.1578 | 21,954 | 995 | 0.9526 | |
| 60 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 66300 | 0.436 | 31,035 | 1366 | 0.5478 | |
| 61 | University of Central Arkansas | 38100 | 40200 | 0.0523 | 8,268 | 1110 | 0.8949 | |
| 62 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48600 | 51200 | 0.0508 | 44,819 | 1327 | 0.4987 | |
| 63 | University of Kentucky | 49200 | 58000 | 0.1524 | 25,534 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 64 | University of Utah | 51600 | 53700 | 0.0392 | 28,064 | 1237 | 0.8598 | |
| 65 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 53300 | 61000 | 0.1262 | 41,303 | 1338 | 0.7975 | |
| 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.
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