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 | 34,354 | 1374 | 0.6862 | |
| 2 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 12400 | 29200 | 0.5745 | 39,193 | 1418 | 0.4081 | |
| 3 | North Carolina A & T State University | 12800 | 17900 | 0.2857 | 12,497 | 1075 | 0.5125 | |
| 4 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 5 | University of Houston | 13700 | 22000 | 0.3766 | 40,366 | 1224 | 0.7577 | |
| 6 | Delta State University | 14000 | 23200 | 0.3971 | 1,876 | 1040 | 1 | |
| 7 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5048 | 12,118 | 1070 | 0.7164 | |
| 8 | Stephen F Austin State University | 14700 | 23400 | 0.3714 | 9,905 | 1055 | 0.8339 | |
| 9 | Pittsburg State University | 14900 | 23900 | 0.376 | 4,561 | 1055 | 0.5487 | |
| 10 | Wayne State College | 15100 | 20300 | 0.2561 | 3,886 | 0 | 1 | |
| 11 | Chadron State College | 15200 | 25000 | 0.3926 | 1,691 | 0 | 0 | |
| 12 | University of Maryland Eastern Shore | 15300 | 26900 | 0.4309 | 2,477 | 930 | 0.9641 | |
| 13 | Jacksonville State University | 16000 | 27000 | 0.4081 | 8,663 | 1069 | 0.7769 | |
| 13 | Mississippi University for Women | 16000 | 21400 | 0.2527 | 1,962 | 1055 | 0.9031 | |
| 15 | California State University-Sacramento | 16200 | 27600 | 0.4134 | 28,619 | 1015 | 0.9357 | |
| 16 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania | 16300 | 28200 | 0.4215 | 7,425 | 1074 | 0.9147 | |
| 17 | Southeastern Louisiana University | 16500 | 40000 | 0.5879 | 14,294 | 1125 | 0.915 | |
| 17 | The University of Texas at Austin | 16500 | 28000 | 0.4111 | 44,314 | 1356 | 0.2222 | |
| 19 | Norfolk State University | 16600 | 26700 | 0.3781 | 5,411 | 935 | 0.8777 | |
| 20 | Central Washington University | 18400 | 22700 | 0.1892 | 10,033 | 1060 | 0.9061 | |
| 21 | Carson-Newman University | 19300 | 51900 | 0.6283 | 1,912 | 1075 | 0.6381 | |
| 22 | Olivet Nazarene University | 19700 | 79300 | 0.7523 | 2,704 | 1104 | 0.5586 | |
| 23 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 20100 | 45200 | 0.5559 | 31,536 | 1366 | 0.5457 | |
| 24 | Eastern Illinois University | 20400 | 28100 | 0.2735 | 6,731 | 1020 | 0.7073 | |
| 24 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 20400 | 23200 | 0.1207 | 20,786 | 1225 | 0.8689 | |
| 26 | South Carolina State University | 20700 | 30000 | 0.3095 | 3,059 | 925 | 0.6797 | |
| 27 | Henderson State University | 21400 | 30600 | 0.3002 | 1,461 | 1075 | 0.8192 | |
| 28 | University of Northern Iowa | 21500 | 24800 | 0.1329 | 7,800 | 1115 | 0.9313 | |
| 29 | Texas Southern University | 22100 | 25500 | 0.1335 | 6,844 | 915 | 0.9691 | |
| 30 | Montana State University | 22300 | 27100 | 0.1769 | 15,142 | 1184 | 0.9938 | |
| 31 | Southern University and A & M College | 22400 | 25100 | 0.1074 | 6,713 | 930 | 0.3512 | |
| 32 | The University of Alabama | 22600 | 31000 | 0.2708 | 35,621 | 1238 | 0.7117 | |
| 33 | University of Kentucky | 23700 | 36400 | 0.3479 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 34 | Tennessee Technological University | 24900 | 33700 | 0.2612 | 9,187 | 1163 | 0.7613 | |
| 35 | Illinois State University | 25100 | 36400 | 0.3118 | 19,513 | 1115 | 0.8555 | |
| 36 | Southeast Missouri State University | 25800 | 28600 | 0.0974 | 7,926 | 1070 | 0.6897 | |
| 37 | Iowa State University | 26000 | 42800 | 0.3914 | 26,346 | 1212 | 0.8793 | |
| 37 | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | 26000 | 48300 | 0.4618 | 1,817 | 905 | 0.4118 | |
| 39 | California State University-Northridge | 27000 | 36500 | 0.2597 | 32,846 | 1005 | 0.9176 | |
| 39 | Kansas State University | 27000 | 31400 | 0.1412 | 16,555 | 1163 | 0.875 | |
| 41 | Fort Valley State University | 27400 | 54200 | 0.4949 | 2,699 | 1025 | 0.6587 | |
| 42 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 27500 | 43800 | 0.3725 | 18,028 | 1059 | 0.7996 | |
| 43 | The University of Tennessee-Martin | 27600 | 31500 | 0.1239 | 7,393 | 1125 | 0.8968 | |
| 44 | Alabama A & M University | 28300 | 37700 | 0.251 | 6,370 | 915 | 0.5795 | |
| 45 | Freed-Hardeman University | 28500 | 35900 | 0.2061 | 1,873 | 1120 | 0.5968 | |
| 46 | North Carolina Central University | 28600 | 40000 | 0.2849 | 7,232 | 865 | 0.8605 | |
| 47 | Oklahoma Baptist University | 30400 | 54700 | 0.4445 | 1,427 | 1025 | 0.4941 | |
| 48 | California State University-Long Beach | 30900 | 38900 | 0.2058 | 36,056 | 1135 | 0.4543 | |
| 49 | Morgan State University | 32500 | 41900 | 0.2245 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 50 | Liberty University | 33200 | 44600 | 0.2556 | 52,961 | 1174 | 0.9898 | |
| 51 | Baylor University | 33400 | 70300 | 0.5247 | 14,183 | 1302 | 0.5222 | |
| 52 | Harding University | 33500 | 47800 | 0.299 | 3,536 | 1184 | 0.7052 | |
| 53 | Auburn University | 33700 | 34100 | 0.0117 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 54 | Meredith College | 33900 | 64200 | 0.4721 | 1,212 | 1239 | 0.7506 | |
| 55 | Bridgewater College | 34200 | 42500 | 0.1953 | 1,412 | 1115 | 0.903 | |
| 56 | Minnesota State University, Mankato | 35300 | 37600 | 0.0609 | 13,433 | 1145 | 0.8844 | |
| 57 | University of Montevallo | 35400 | 44900 | 0.2118 | 2,643 | 1124 | 0.5385 | |
| 58 | Texas Tech University | 35600 | 38900 | 0.0848 | 34,021 | 1195 | 0.6906 | |
| 59 | University of Central Arkansas | 38000 | 40200 | 0.0569 | 8,238 | 1110 | 0.9157 | |
| 60 | California Baptist University | 39900 | 65600 | 0.3917 | 8,707 | 1024 | 0.8139 | |
| 61 | University of Wyoming | 40000 | 45300 | 0.1168 | 8,138 | 1163 | 0.9695 | |
| 62 | Union University | 43800 | 66000 | 0.3375 | 1,856 | 1242 | 0.5857 | |
| 63 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48500 | 51200 | 0.0544 | 43,633 | 1342 | 0.4343 | |
| 64 | University of Utah | 51400 | 53700 | 0.0426 | 29,335 | 1222 | 0.9015 | |
| 65 | Miami University-Oxford | 57400 | 57400 | 0 | 16,405 | 1284 | 0.74 | |
| 66 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 58900 | 61200 | 0.0374 | 26,490 | 1183 | 0.8863 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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