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 | California State University-Sacramento | 11700 | 30700 | 0.6186 | 28,820 | 1035 | 0.9399 | |
| 3 | Texas Woman's University | 12100 | 28200 | 0.571 | 10,039 | 1035 | 0.9612 | |
| 4 | Eastern Illinois University | 12600 | 24300 | 0.4831 | 6,785 | 985 | 0.6535 | |
| 5 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 6 | University of Houston | 13700 | 22000 | 0.3766 | 39,257 | 1249 | 0.7392 | |
| 7 | Delta State University | 14000 | 23200 | 0.3971 | 1,876 | 1040 | 1 | |
| 8 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5047 | 11,348 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 9 | Stephen F Austin State University | 14700 | 23400 | 0.3714 | 9,129 | 1075 | 0.9399 | |
| 10 | Wayne State College | 15100 | 20300 | 0.2561 | 3,902 | 0 | 0 | |
| 11 | Chadron State College | 15200 | 25000 | 0.3926 | 1,690 | 0 | 0 | |
| 12 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 15600 | 31000 | 0.4964 | 8,553 | 1045 | 0.8688 | |
| 13 | Kansas State University | 15800 | 26100 | 0.3949 | 15,650 | 1164 | 0.8169 | |
| 14 | Jacksonville State University | 16000 | 27000 | 0.4081 | 8,663 | 1069 | 0.7769 | |
| 14 | Mississippi University for Women | 16000 | 21400 | 0.2527 | 1,962 | 1055 | 0.9031 | |
| 14 | Southeastern Louisiana University | 16000 | 40000 | 0.6004 | 13,192 | 1075 | 0.9931 | |
| 17 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus | 16400 | 28200 | 0.4179 | 7,353 | 1085 | 0.9077 | |
| 18 | The University of Texas at Austin | 16600 | 28000 | 0.4076 | 43,165 | 1356 | 0.2664 | |
| 19 | Texas Tech University | 18300 | 27100 | 0.3253 | 32,580 | 1200 | 0.7265 | |
| 20 | Carson-Newman University | 19500 | 51900 | 0.6245 | 1,596 | 1110 | 0.9045 | |
| 20 | Southeast Missouri State University | 19500 | 30600 | 0.3614 | 7,926 | 945 | 0.7352 | |
| 22 | University of Northern Iowa | 19900 | 24000 | 0.1728 | 7,711 | 1129 | 0.9274 | |
| 23 | Iowa State University | 20000 | 24200 | 0.1732 | 25,628 | 1207 | 0.8866 | |
| 24 | Alabama A & M University | 20300 | 28200 | 0.2798 | 6,370 | 915 | 0.5795 | |
| 25 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 20500 | 23200 | 0.1164 | 20,444 | 1209 | 0.8499 | |
| 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 | Henderson State University | 21100 | 30600 | 0.31 | 1,461 | 990 | 0.8192 | |
| 29 | East Central University | 21700 | 36200 | 0.4004 | 2,644 | 1055 | 0.5815 | |
| 30 | Montana State University | 22300 | 27100 | 0.1769 | 15,046 | 1184 | 0.8214 | |
| 31 | Central Washington University | 23400 | 27900 | 0.1615 | 10,317 | 1045 | 0.9062 | |
| 32 | Miami University-Oxford | 24300 | 27500 | 0.1165 | 16,816 | 1299 | 0.754 | |
| 33 | Tennessee Technological University | 25000 | 33700 | 0.257 | 9,187 | 1163 | 0.7613 | |
| 34 | The University of Tennessee-Martin | 25200 | 31500 | 0.2001 | 6,809 | 1110 | 0.882 | |
| 35 | University of Maryland Eastern Shore | 25700 | 39700 | 0.3527 | 2,476 | 930 | 0.9641 | |
| 36 | Seattle Pacific University | 25800 | 70000 | 0.6314 | 1,776 | 1180 | 0.834 | |
| 37 | Minnesota State University, Mankato | 25900 | 28000 | 0.0767 | 13,433 | 1145 | 0.8844 | |
| 38 | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | 26000 | 34900 | 0.2549 | 1,817 | 905 | 0.4118 | |
| 39 | California State University-Northridge | 27100 | 36500 | 0.2586 | 32,756 | 1005 | 0.9345 | |
| 40 | Fort Valley State University | 27300 | 45200 | 0.3959 | 2,699 | 1025 | 0.6587 | |
| 41 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 27500 | 43800 | 0.3725 | 17,450 | 1044 | 0.9518 | |
| 42 | Freed-Hardeman University | 27700 | 35900 | 0.2284 | 1,873 | 1120 | 0.5968 | |
| 42 | Norfolk State University | 27700 | 40100 | 0.309 | 5,410 | 935 | 0.8777 | |
| 44 | Southern University and A & M College | 28600 | 32900 | 0.1309 | 6,713 | 930 | 0.3512 | |
| 45 | Pittsburg State University | 29100 | 36200 | 0.1959 | 4,472 | 1055 | 0.8942 | |
| 46 | Morgan State University | 29700 | 41900 | 0.2914 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 47 | Oklahoma Baptist University | 30500 | 54700 | 0.4419 | 1,427 | 1025 | 0.4941 | |
| 48 | San Francisco State University | 30800 | 47700 | 0.3544 | 19,444 | 1035 | 0.9644 | |
| 49 | California State University-Long Beach | 31000 | 38900 | 0.2032 | 36,082 | 1135 | 0.4627 | |
| 50 | North Carolina A & T State University | 31500 | 36700 | 0.1416 | 12,497 | 1075 | 0.499 | |
| 51 | Baylor University | 31900 | 70300 | 0.546 | 14,915 | 1321 | 0.5128 | |
| 52 | Bridgewater College | 32000 | 40200 | 0.2028 | 1,407 | 1174 | 0.9172 | |
| 53 | Liberty University | 33200 | 44600 | 0.2556 | 52,961 | 1174 | 0.9898 | |
| 54 | Auburn University | 33700 | 34100 | 0.0117 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4592 | |
| 55 | Meredith College | 34000 | 64200 | 0.4706 | 1,206 | 1237 | 0.7418 | |
| 56 | Texas Southern University | 34500 | 42500 | 0.1883 | 6,844 | 915 | 0.9691 | |
| 57 | University of Montevallo | 35400 | 44900 | 0.2118 | 2,642 | 1124 | 0.5385 | |
| 58 | California State University-Fresno | 36800 | 43800 | 0.1588 | 21,954 | 995 | 0.9526 | |
| 59 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 66300 | 0.436 | 31,035 | 1366 | 0.5478 | |
| 60 | University of Central Arkansas | 38100 | 40200 | 0.0534 | 8,268 | 1110 | 0.8949 | |
| 61 | Illinois State University | 43900 | 49100 | 0.1049 | 19,107 | 1120 | 0.8815 | |
| 62 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48600 | 51200 | 0.0517 | 44,819 | 1327 | 0.4987 | |
| 63 | University of Kentucky | 49100 | 58000 | 0.1535 | 25,534 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 64 | University of Utah | 51600 | 53700 | 0.04 | 28,064 | 1237 | 0.8598 | |
| 65 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 53000 | 61200 | 0.1332 | 26,221 | 1204 | 0.8854 | |
| 66 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 53300 | 61000 | 0.127 | 41,303 | 1338 | 0.7975 | |
| 67 | The University of Alabama | 55800 | 55800 | 0 | 34,389 | 1284 | 0.7665 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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