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 | The University of Tennessee-Martin | 11500 | 24800 | 0.5368 | 6,817 | 1110 | 0.882 | |
| 3 | Northern Illinois University | 12400 | 29000 | 0.5718 | 11,349 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 4 | Brigham Young University | 12500 | 29000 | 0.5686 | 32,221 | 1374 | 0.6919 | |
| 5 | California State University-Northridge | 12800 | 23200 | 0.4479 | 32,499 | 1005 | 0.9219 | |
| 5 | Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus | 12800 | 24500 | 0.4782 | 4,250 | 970 | 0.9166 | |
| 7 | Texas Tech University | 14000 | 27000 | 0.4813 | 32,580 | 1200 | 0.7265 | |
| 8 | Kansas State University | 14200 | 26100 | 0.4563 | 15,650 | 1164 | 0.8199 | |
| 9 | Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville | 14400 | 41100 | 0.6502 | 8,975 | 1045 | 0.9721 | |
| 10 | Norfolk State University | 14500 | 26700 | 0.4568 | 5,510 | 950 | 0.8746 | |
| 10 | Pittsburg State University | 14500 | 25200 | 0.4241 | 4,491 | 1055 | 0.8727 | |
| 12 | Wayne State College | 15600 | 26400 | 0.4096 | 3,902 | 1075 | 1 | |
| 13 | Chadron State College | 15700 | 25600 | 0.3868 | 1,785 | 0 | 0 | |
| 14 | California State University-Long Beach | 15900 | 25800 | 0.3838 | 35,843 | 1135 | 0.4628 | |
| 15 | Mississippi University for Women | 16000 | 21400 | 0.2527 | 1,995 | 1075 | 1 | |
| 16 | Delta State University | 16500 | 23400 | 0.2951 | 1,876 | 1040 | 1 | |
| 17 | Southeast Missouri State University | 16600 | 30300 | 0.4533 | 7,926 | 1080 | 0.6897 | |
| 18 | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | 16700 | 25200 | 0.3372 | 1,905 | 965 | 0.5754 | |
| 19 | Central Washington University | 17000 | 22700 | 0.2508 | 10,033 | 1060 | 0.9061 | |
| 20 | Jacksonville State University | 17100 | 26600 | 0.3574 | 8,663 | 1065 | 0.7769 | |
| 21 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 17200 | 27200 | 0.3671 | 44,170 | 1327 | 0.4979 | |
| 22 | Eastern Illinois University | 17400 | 27700 | 0.3713 | 6,785 | 1020 | 0.6535 | |
| 23 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus | 17600 | 28800 | 0.3891 | 7,353 | 1085 | 0.9077 | |
| 24 | Alabama A & M University | 17900 | 35300 | 0.4923 | 5,845 | 940 | 0.6622 | |
| 24 | Illinois State University | 17900 | 28000 | 0.3622 | 19,107 | 1115 | 0.8815 | |
| 26 | San Francisco State University | 18100 | 33300 | 0.4564 | 20,756 | 1035 | 0.9615 | |
| 27 | Texas Southern University | 19000 | 42400 | 0.5514 | 6,619 | 920 | 0.9335 | |
| 28 | The University of Texas at Austin | 19800 | 26900 | 0.2638 | 43,165 | 1335 | 0.2664 | |
| 29 | Carson-Newman University | 20000 | 51700 | 0.613 | 1,606 | 1110 | 0.9045 | |
| 30 | Iowa State University | 20100 | 24200 | 0.1701 | 25,628 | 1207 | 0.8866 | |
| 31 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 20200 | 24500 | 0.1752 | 19,888 | 1209 | 0.8517 | |
| 31 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 20200 | 43700 | 0.5382 | 31,035 | 1366 | 0.5499 | |
| 33 | Western Illinois University | 20900 | 31000 | 0.3266 | 5,025 | 990 | 0.7496 | |
| 34 | Montana State University | 21100 | 27100 | 0.2211 | 15,053 | 1184 | 0.8214 | |
| 34 | Olivet Nazarene University | 21100 | 88800 | 0.7623 | 2,704 | 1104 | 0.5586 | |
| 36 | Freed-Hardeman University | 21600 | 35100 | 0.385 | 1,878 | 1180 | 0.9061 | |
| 37 | Minnesota State University, Mankato | 21800 | 27100 | 0.1981 | 12,897 | 1110 | 0.9133 | |
| 38 | Southern University and A & M College | 21900 | 27100 | 0.1921 | 6,571 | 960 | 0.4987 | |
| 39 | Henderson State University | 22900 | 35900 | 0.3625 | 1,493 | 990 | 0.8192 | |
| 40 | Fort Valley State University | 23500 | 38900 | 0.3956 | 2,558 | 940 | 0.628 | |
| 41 | East Central University | 24400 | 33300 | 0.2675 | 2,644 | 1055 | 0.5815 | |
| 42 | Oklahoma Baptist University | 24900 | 51700 | 0.5179 | 1,409 | 1110 | 0.6327 | |
| 43 | California State University-Fresno | 25300 | 35900 | 0.2951 | 21,430 | 995 | 0.9638 | |
| 44 | University of Maryland Eastern Shore | 26300 | 39000 | 0.3255 | 2,233 | 930 | 0.9036 | |
| 45 | Texas Woman's University | 26400 | 41300 | 0.3608 | 10,034 | 1055 | 0.9613 | |
| 46 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 27500 | 43800 | 0.3725 | 17,771 | 1044 | 0.7933 | |
| 47 | Seattle Pacific University | 27700 | 62600 | 0.5576 | 1,776 | 1188 | 0.8339 | |
| 48 | South Carolina State University | 30300 | 41600 | 0.2716 | 2,950 | 865 | 0.8262 | |
| 49 | University of Houston | 30900 | 35200 | 0.1223 | 39,257 | 1249 | 0.7392 | |
| 50 | Southeastern Louisiana University | 31100 | 43700 | 0.2884 | 13,206 | 1125 | 0.9387 | |
| 51 | North Carolina A & T State University | 31700 | 36400 | 0.129 | 12,216 | 1020 | 0.4617 | |
| 52 | Bridgewater College | 32100 | 40200 | 0.2009 | 1,407 | 1174 | 0.9172 | |
| 52 | Sam Houston State University | 32100 | 39900 | 0.1955 | 17,787 | 1030 | 0.9026 | |
| 54 | Liberty University | 32800 | 43900 | 0.2528 | 52,823 | 1181 | 0.9932 | |
| 55 | Stephen F Austin State University | 33700 | 42800 | 0.2126 | 9,129 | 1060 | 0.7445 | |
| 56 | California State University-Sacramento | 34300 | 44900 | 0.2362 | 28,226 | 1015 | 0.9343 | |
| 57 | Morgan State University | 34400 | 37200 | 0.0753 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 58 | Baylor University | 34600 | 70800 | 0.511 | 14,915 | 1277 | 0.5128 | |
| 59 | University of Montevallo | 35800 | 46700 | 0.2333 | 2,545 | 1124 | 0.5579 | |
| 60 | University of Central Arkansas | 36300 | 38400 | 0.0541 | 8,268 | 1110 | 0.8949 | |
| 61 | Tennessee Technological University | 36400 | 38500 | 0.0539 | 8,838 | 1159 | 0.8316 | |
| 62 | CUNY Queens College | 38300 | 38300 | 0 | 13,464 | 1146 | 0.6434 | |
| 63 | University of Wyoming | 38800 | 43800 | 0.1158 | 8,130 | 1159 | 0.9688 | |
| 64 | SUNY Oneonta | 40500 | 45300 | 0.1059 | 4,681 | 1190 | 0.6959 | |
| 65 | Union University | 42000 | 64100 | 0.3445 | 1,934 | 1242 | 0.6016 | |
| 66 | The University of Alabama | 48800 | 48800 | 0 | 34,389 | 1233 | 0.7665 | |
| 67 | University of Kentucky | 51000 | 56000 | 0.0893 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 68 | University of Utah | 51600 | 53700 | 0.0386 | 28,064 | 1237 | 0.8598 | |
| 69 | Auburn University | 55400 | 55400 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 70 | Miami University-Oxford | 56100 | 56100 | 0 | 16,816 | 1299 | 0.754 | |
| 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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