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 | North Carolina Central University | 7000 | 27000 | 0.7416 | 6,595 | 971 | 0.8697 | |
| 2 | Northern Illinois University | 12400 | 29000 | 0.5718 | 11,349 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 3 | Brigham Young University | 12500 | 29000 | 0.5686 | 32,221 | 1374 | 0.6919 | |
| 4 | Eastern Illinois University | 12800 | 24500 | 0.4787 | 6,785 | 1020 | 0.6535 | |
| 4 | Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus | 12800 | 24500 | 0.4782 | 4,250 | 970 | 0.9166 | |
| 6 | Texas Tech University | 14000 | 27000 | 0.4813 | 32,580 | 1200 | 0.7265 | |
| 7 | Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville | 14400 | 41100 | 0.6502 | 8,975 | 1045 | 0.9721 | |
| 8 | Pittsburg State University | 14600 | 25200 | 0.4228 | 4,491 | 1055 | 0.8727 | |
| 9 | Wayne State College | 15600 | 26400 | 0.4096 | 3,902 | 1075 | 1 | |
| 10 | Chadron State College | 15700 | 25600 | 0.3868 | 1,785 | 0 | 0 | |
| 10 | Stephen F Austin State University | 15700 | 22600 | 0.3049 | 9,129 | 1060 | 0.7445 | |
| 12 | Southeastern Louisiana University | 15800 | 28600 | 0.4481 | 13,206 | 1125 | 0.9387 | |
| 13 | Mississippi University for Women | 16000 | 21400 | 0.2527 | 1,995 | 1075 | 1 | |
| 14 | Delta State University | 16500 | 23400 | 0.2951 | 1,876 | 1040 | 1 | |
| 15 | Southeast Missouri State University | 16600 | 30300 | 0.4533 | 7,926 | 1080 | 0.6897 | |
| 16 | University of Maryland Eastern Shore | 16700 | 26600 | 0.3728 | 2,233 | 930 | 0.9036 | |
| 17 | Alabama A & M University | 17700 | 35300 | 0.4979 | 5,845 | 940 | 0.6622 | |
| 18 | Illinois State University | 17900 | 28000 | 0.3622 | 19,107 | 1115 | 0.8815 | |
| 19 | Kansas State University | 19000 | 31400 | 0.3953 | 15,650 | 1164 | 0.8199 | |
| 19 | Texas Southern University | 19000 | 42400 | 0.5514 | 6,619 | 920 | 0.9335 | |
| 21 | Carson-Newman University | 20000 | 51700 | 0.613 | 1,606 | 1110 | 0.9045 | |
| 21 | University of Wyoming | 20000 | 26700 | 0.2497 | 8,130 | 1159 | 0.9688 | |
| 23 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 20200 | 43700 | 0.5382 | 31,035 | 1366 | 0.5499 | |
| 24 | South Carolina State University | 20300 | 30000 | 0.3228 | 2,950 | 865 | 0.8262 | |
| 25 | The University of Texas at Austin | 20600 | 26900 | 0.2341 | 43,165 | 1335 | 0.2664 | |
| 26 | Western Illinois University | 20900 | 31000 | 0.3266 | 5,025 | 990 | 0.7496 | |
| 27 | Montana State University | 21000 | 27100 | 0.2248 | 15,053 | 1184 | 0.8214 | |
| 28 | Olivet Nazarene University | 21100 | 88800 | 0.7623 | 2,704 | 1104 | 0.5586 | |
| 29 | Freed-Hardeman University | 21600 | 35100 | 0.385 | 1,878 | 1180 | 0.9061 | |
| 30 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus | 22100 | 33900 | 0.3479 | 7,353 | 1085 | 0.9077 | |
| 31 | Henderson State University | 22900 | 35900 | 0.3625 | 1,493 | 990 | 0.8192 | |
| 32 | Fort Valley State University | 23500 | 38900 | 0.3956 | 2,558 | 940 | 0.628 | |
| 33 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 23800 | 24500 | 0.0285 | 19,888 | 1209 | 0.8517 | |
| 34 | University of Kentucky | 23900 | 36000 | 0.3361 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 35 | East Central University | 24400 | 33300 | 0.2675 | 2,644 | 1055 | 0.5815 | |
| 35 | University of Central Arkansas | 24400 | 29500 | 0.1719 | 8,268 | 1110 | 0.8949 | |
| 37 | Miami University-Oxford | 24700 | 27200 | 0.0917 | 16,816 | 1299 | 0.754 | |
| 37 | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | 24700 | 42300 | 0.4158 | 1,905 | 965 | 0.5754 | |
| 39 | Iowa State University | 24900 | 41400 | 0.3993 | 25,628 | 1207 | 0.8866 | |
| 39 | Oklahoma Baptist University | 24900 | 51700 | 0.5179 | 1,409 | 1110 | 0.6327 | |
| 41 | California State University-Fresno | 25300 | 35900 | 0.2951 | 21,430 | 995 | 0.9638 | |
| 42 | California State University-Northridge | 25900 | 36600 | 0.2916 | 32,499 | 1005 | 0.9219 | |
| 43 | The University of Tennessee-Martin | 26000 | 31500 | 0.1747 | 6,817 | 1110 | 0.882 | |
| 44 | Southern University and A & M College | 26100 | 32900 | 0.207 | 6,571 | 960 | 0.4987 | |
| 45 | Norfolk State University | 26200 | 40300 | 0.3501 | 5,510 | 950 | 0.8746 | |
| 46 | Texas Woman's University | 26400 | 41300 | 0.3608 | 10,034 | 1055 | 0.9613 | |
| 47 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 27500 | 43800 | 0.3725 | 17,771 | 1044 | 0.7933 | |
| 48 | Central Washington University | 27600 | 27800 | 0.0072 | 10,033 | 1060 | 0.9061 | |
| 49 | Seattle Pacific University | 27700 | 62600 | 0.5576 | 1,776 | 1188 | 0.8339 | |
| 50 | California State University-Long Beach | 28000 | 38400 | 0.2712 | 35,843 | 1135 | 0.4628 | |
| 51 | Jacksonville State University | 28500 | 38200 | 0.2537 | 8,663 | 1065 | 0.7769 | |
| 52 | University of Houston | 30900 | 35200 | 0.1223 | 39,257 | 1249 | 0.7392 | |
| 53 | San Francisco State University | 31200 | 45200 | 0.3099 | 20,756 | 1035 | 0.9615 | |
| 54 | North Carolina A & T State University | 31700 | 36400 | 0.129 | 12,216 | 1020 | 0.4617 | |
| 55 | Bridgewater College | 32100 | 40200 | 0.2009 | 1,407 | 1174 | 0.9172 | |
| 55 | Sam Houston State University | 32100 | 39900 | 0.1955 | 17,787 | 1030 | 0.9026 | |
| 57 | Liberty University | 32800 | 43900 | 0.2528 | 52,823 | 1181 | 0.9932 | |
| 58 | Minnesota State University, Mankato | 34200 | 37200 | 0.0826 | 12,897 | 1110 | 0.9133 | |
| 59 | California State University-Sacramento | 34300 | 44900 | 0.2362 | 28,226 | 1015 | 0.9343 | |
| 60 | Auburn University | 34400 | 34400 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 60 | Morgan State University | 34400 | 37200 | 0.0753 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 62 | Baylor University | 34600 | 70800 | 0.511 | 14,915 | 1277 | 0.5128 | |
| 63 | University of Montevallo | 35800 | 46700 | 0.2333 | 2,545 | 1124 | 0.5579 | |
| 64 | Tennessee Technological University | 36400 | 38500 | 0.0539 | 8,838 | 1159 | 0.8316 | |
| 65 | CUNY Queens College | 38300 | 38300 | 0 | 13,464 | 1146 | 0.6434 | |
| 66 | SUNY Oneonta | 40500 | 45300 | 0.1059 | 4,681 | 1190 | 0.6959 | |
| 67 | Union University | 42000 | 64100 | 0.3445 | 1,934 | 1242 | 0.6016 | |
| 68 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 43200 | 46200 | 0.0665 | 44,170 | 1327 | 0.4979 | |
| 69 | The University of Alabama | 48800 | 48800 | 0 | 34,389 | 1233 | 0.7665 | |
| 70 | University of Utah | 51600 | 53700 | 0.0386 | 28,064 | 1237 | 0.8598 | |
| 71 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 56900 | 58900 | 0.0352 | 26,500 | 1183 | 0.8857 |
School data is from 2022–2023 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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