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 | 8100 | 22300 | 0.6382 | 34,354 | 1374 | 0.6862 | |
| 2 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 10200 | 41300 | 0.7533 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 3 | The University of Tennessee-Martin | 10600 | 25300 | 0.5815 | 7,393 | 1125 | 0.8968 | |
| 4 | Eastern Illinois University | 11800 | 24300 | 0.5138 | 6,731 | 1020 | 0.7073 | |
| 5 | University of Illinois Chicago | 12200 | 30200 | 0.5964 | 24,260 | 1174 | 0.7576 | |
| 6 | Fort Valley State University | 12300 | 54800 | 0.7754 | 2,699 | 1025 | 0.6587 | |
| 7 | Delta State University | 13000 | 23200 | 0.4403 | 1,876 | 1040 | 1 | |
| 8 | University of Houston | 13300 | 21800 | 0.3898 | 40,366 | 1224 | 0.7577 | |
| 9 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 13700 | 61700 | 0.7781 | 39,193 | 1418 | 0.4081 | |
| 10 | University of Maryland Eastern Shore | 14700 | 30100 | 0.5123 | 2,477 | 930 | 0.9641 | |
| 11 | Chadron State College | 14900 | 21600 | 0.3106 | 1,691 | 0 | 0 | |
| 12 | Wayne State College | 15000 | 30500 | 0.509 | 3,886 | 0 | 1 | |
| 13 | Jacksonville State University | 15500 | 38200 | 0.5938 | 8,663 | 1069 | 0.7769 | |
| 14 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania | 15800 | 28500 | 0.4463 | 7,425 | 1074 | 0.9147 | |
| 14 | Norfolk State University | 15800 | 51900 | 0.6961 | 5,411 | 935 | 0.8777 | |
| 16 | Texas Tech University | 16400 | 27900 | 0.4116 | 34,021 | 1195 | 0.6906 | |
| 17 | Southeastern Louisiana University | 16500 | 52300 | 0.6845 | 14,294 | 1125 | 0.915 | |
| 18 | California State University-Long Beach | 16600 | 25800 | 0.3567 | 36,056 | 1135 | 0.4543 | |
| 18 | Morgan State University | 16600 | 30700 | 0.4588 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 20 | North Carolina Central University | 17100 | 37900 | 0.5488 | 7,232 | 865 | 0.8605 | |
| 21 | University of Kentucky | 17500 | 37300 | 0.5317 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 22 | Carson-Newman University | 17800 | 51900 | 0.6573 | 1,912 | 1075 | 0.6381 | |
| 23 | The University of Texas at Austin | 18100 | 28200 | 0.3585 | 44,314 | 1356 | 0.2222 | |
| 24 | Central Washington University | 18400 | 27900 | 0.341 | 10,033 | 1060 | 0.9061 | |
| 24 | Mississippi University for Women | 18400 | 23600 | 0.2205 | 1,962 | 1055 | 0.9031 | |
| 24 | Stephen F Austin State University | 18400 | 29500 | 0.3768 | 9,905 | 1055 | 0.8339 | |
| 27 | Olivet Nazarene University | 18700 | 79300 | 0.7637 | 2,704 | 1104 | 0.5586 | |
| 28 | Alabama A & M University | 19500 | 51200 | 0.6189 | 6,370 | 915 | 0.5795 | |
| 29 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 20000 | 45100 | 0.5568 | 31,536 | 1366 | 0.5457 | |
| 30 | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | 20700 | 48300 | 0.5715 | 1,817 | 905 | 0.4118 | |
| 30 | University of Montevallo | 20700 | 31500 | 0.3434 | 2,643 | 1124 | 0.5385 | |
| 32 | South Carolina State University | 21000 | 53600 | 0.6084 | 3,059 | 925 | 0.6797 | |
| 33 | Iowa State University | 21300 | 25700 | 0.1728 | 26,346 | 1212 | 0.8793 | |
| 34 | University of Northern Iowa | 21400 | 24800 | 0.1371 | 7,800 | 1115 | 0.9313 | |
| 35 | Southern University and A & M College | 21900 | 41300 | 0.4696 | 6,713 | 930 | 0.3512 | |
| 36 | Freed-Hardeman University | 22000 | 35900 | 0.3872 | 1,873 | 1120 | 0.5968 | |
| 37 | Texas Southern University | 22200 | 25500 | 0.1296 | 6,844 | 915 | 0.9691 | |
| 38 | California State University-Northridge | 22400 | 36500 | 0.3858 | 32,846 | 1005 | 0.9176 | |
| 39 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 22500 | 22500 | 0 | 20,786 | 1225 | 0.8689 | |
| 40 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 23000 | 27500 | 0.1618 | 18,028 | 1059 | 0.7996 | |
| 41 | Montana State University | 24400 | 24400 | 0 | 15,142 | 1184 | 0.9938 | |
| 42 | California State University-Sacramento | 24900 | 29700 | 0.1615 | 28,619 | 1015 | 0.9357 | |
| 43 | Illinois State University | 25000 | 36400 | 0.3147 | 19,513 | 1115 | 0.8555 | |
| 44 | Southeast Missouri State University | 25700 | 28600 | 0.1011 | 7,926 | 1070 | 0.6897 | |
| 45 | Henderson State University | 26100 | 30600 | 0.1469 | 1,461 | 1075 | 0.8192 | |
| 46 | University of Central Arkansas | 26800 | 31200 | 0.1407 | 8,238 | 1110 | 0.9157 | |
| 47 | Meredith College | 27300 | 67400 | 0.5948 | 1,212 | 1239 | 0.7506 | |
| 48 | Oklahoma Baptist University | 30300 | 54700 | 0.4464 | 1,427 | 1025 | 0.4941 | |
| 49 | Pittsburg State University | 31000 | 37100 | 0.1645 | 4,561 | 1055 | 0.5487 | |
| 50 | Liberty University | 32400 | 44700 | 0.275 | 52,961 | 1174 | 0.9898 | |
| 51 | Harding University | 33400 | 47800 | 0.3012 | 3,536 | 1184 | 0.7052 | |
| 52 | Baylor University | 33500 | 70400 | 0.5244 | 14,183 | 1302 | 0.5222 | |
| 53 | Bridgewater College | 34100 | 42500 | 0.1978 | 1,412 | 1115 | 0.903 | |
| 54 | California Baptist University | 34700 | 69800 | 0.5026 | 8,707 | 1024 | 0.8139 | |
| 55 | Minnesota State University, Mankato | 35200 | 37600 | 0.0637 | 13,433 | 1145 | 0.8844 | |
| 56 | Tennessee Technological University | 36100 | 38500 | 0.0622 | 9,187 | 1163 | 0.7613 | |
| 57 | North Carolina A & T State University | 36500 | 36700 | 0.0054 | 12,497 | 1075 | 0.5125 | |
| 58 | University of Wyoming | 39900 | 45300 | 0.1191 | 8,138 | 1163 | 0.9695 | |
| 59 | Kansas State University | 40900 | 41900 | 0.0238 | 16,555 | 1163 | 0.875 | |
| 60 | Union University | 43600 | 66000 | 0.3391 | 1,856 | 1242 | 0.5857 | |
| 61 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48300 | 51200 | 0.0565 | 43,633 | 1342 | 0.4343 | |
| 62 | University of Utah | 51300 | 53700 | 0.0446 | 29,335 | 1222 | 0.9015 | |
| 63 | Miami University-Oxford | 57500 | 57500 | 0 | 16,405 | 1284 | 0.74 | |
| 63 | The University of Alabama | 57500 | 58500 | 0.0171 | 35,621 | 1238 | 0.7117 | |
| 65 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 58800 | 61200 | 0.0391 | 26,490 | 1183 | 0.8863 | |
| 66 | Auburn University | 59200 | 59200 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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