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 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 5600 | 40700 | 0.8615 | 35,358 | 1448 | 0.1642 | |
| 2 | Northwestern University | 6500 | 90200 | 0.9278 | 9,060 | 1533 | 0.0769 | |
| 3 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 7100 | 41500 | 0.8299 | 38,572 | 1455 | 0.3659 | |
| 4 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 8900 | 98000 | 0.9095 | 9,164 | 1535 | 0.0386 | |
| 5 | Lamar University | 9100 | 22900 | 0.6019 | 8,387 | 1040 | 0.8353 | |
| 6 | California State University-East Bay | 9400 | 30100 | 0.6887 | 9,909 | 940 | 0.9739 | |
| 7 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 10200 | 41500 | 0.7543 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 8 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | 10700 | 26000 | 0.5891 | 22,313 | 1341 | 0.2996 | |
| 9 | Brown University | 12100 | 94000 | 0.8712 | 7,951 | 1500 | 0.0634 | |
| 10 | Louisiana Tech University | 12300 | 42900 | 0.7132 | 11,071 | 1189 | 0.9073 | |
| 11 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 12600 | 12600 | 0 | 25,312 | 1134 | 0.7395 | |
| 12 | Texas A&M University-Commerce | 12700 | 30000 | 0.5767 | 9,666 | 1040 | 0.7498 | |
| 13 | Fort Hays State University | 12800 | 19900 | 0.3568 | 10,172 | 1075 | 0.9026 | |
| 14 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus | 12900 | 26500 | 0.5126 | 13,039 | 1020 | 0.894 | |
| 15 | University of Arizona | 13000 | 31000 | 0.5803 | 43,294 | 1186 | 0.8351 | |
| 15 | University of Southern Maine | 13000 | 23000 | 0.4343 | 5,549 | 1139 | 0.8241 | |
| 17 | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | 13100 | 56400 | 0.7676 | 18,667 | 1090 | 0.9711 | |
| 18 | Northern Illinois University | 13300 | 32100 | 0.5856 | 12,118 | 1070 | 0.7164 | |
| 19 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 13700 | 64500 | 0.788 | 39,193 | 1418 | 0.4081 | |
| 20 | Youngstown State University | 14100 | 28400 | 0.5033 | 9,687 | 1120 | 0.9145 | |
| 21 | University of Wisconsin-Platteville | 14600 | 23900 | 0.389 | 6,045 | 1193 | 0.8938 | |
| 22 | West Virginia University | 14700 | 73100 | 0.7986 | 18,206 | 1120 | 0.8514 | |
| 23 | Texas State University | 15000 | 26700 | 0.4375 | 39,353 | 1080 | 0.9118 | |
| 24 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville | 15500 | 25800 | 0.399 | 5,386 | 995 | 0.9092 | |
| 25 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | 15900 | 24200 | 0.3436 | 7,637 | 1115 | 0.1865 | |
| 26 | Francis Marion University | 16400 | 36100 | 0.5453 | 3,793 | 1015 | 0.9508 | |
| 26 | The University of Texas at El Paso | 16400 | 38700 | 0.5755 | 22,223 | 975 | 0.9994 | |
| 28 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | 16500 | 26500 | 0.3761 | 23,003 | 1164 | 0.7367 | |
| 29 | Morgan State University | 16600 | 30700 | 0.4588 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 30 | University of Louisville | 17000 | 29100 | 0.4162 | 17,916 | 1134 | 0.7921 | |
| 31 | Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi | 17200 | 20700 | 0.169 | 8,673 | 1095 | 0.9156 | |
| 32 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 17400 | 29900 | 0.4171 | 60,710 | 1278 | 0.5732 | |
| 32 | University of Miami | 17400 | 96300 | 0.8194 | 13,241 | 1408 | 0.1761 | |
| 34 | University of Arkansas | 17800 | 28500 | 0.3779 | 29,252 | 1179 | 0.7388 | |
| 35 | Northeastern University | 17900 | 90000 | 0.801 | 22,456 | 1481 | 0.0562 | |
| 36 | San Jose State University | 18200 | 41100 | 0.5567 | 29,890 | 1135 | 0.8039 | |
| 37 | University of Vermont | 18300 | 37800 | 0.5164 | 12,159 | 1372 | 0.7304 | |
| 38 | University of Alabama in Huntsville | 18500 | 30500 | 0.3932 | 6,743 | 1266 | 0.6292 | |
| 38 | University of Rhode Island | 18500 | 33900 | 0.4544 | 14,466 | 1197 | 0.7456 | |
| 40 | Lehigh University | 19400 | 89800 | 0.7841 | 5,986 | 1436 | 0.2896 | |
| 41 | University of Houston | 19900 | 28400 | 0.2996 | 40,366 | 1224 | 0.7577 | |
| 42 | University of Southern California | 20000 | 76400 | 0.7387 | 20,768 | 1499 | 0.1119 | |
| 43 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 20300 | 35200 | 0.4229 | 8,513 | 1160 | 0.9261 | |
| 44 | Bradley University | 20400 | 59500 | 0.6564 | 3,258 | 1174 | 0.7459 | |
| 45 | South Carolina State University | 21000 | 43100 | 0.5131 | 3,059 | 925 | 0.6797 | |
| 46 | St. Mary's University | 21400 | 82100 | 0.7396 | 2,330 | 1060 | 0.9508 | |
| 47 | Indiana Institute of Technology | 21600 | 48800 | 0.5575 | 1,650 | 1055 | 0.7039 | |
| 48 | Florida State University | 22400 | 32100 | 0.302 | 34,271 | 1369 | 0.2383 | |
| 49 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 22500 | 22500 | 0 | 20,786 | 1225 | 0.8689 | |
| 50 | SUNY Maritime College | 22800 | 59200 | 0.6152 | 1,401 | 1164 | 0.785 | |
| 51 | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | 23100 | 28400 | 0.1861 | 2,216 | 1268 | 0.7987 | |
| 52 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 24000 | 38500 | 0.3764 | 24,019 | 1404 | 0.5989 | |
| 53 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 24200 | 40500 | 0.4025 | 21,388 | 1369 | 0.5945 | |
| 54 | Montana State University | 24400 | 24400 | 0 | 15,142 | 1184 | 0.9938 | |
| 55 | University of South Florida | 24700 | 36500 | 0.3229 | 39,093 | 1255 | 0.4071 | |
| 56 | University at Buffalo | 24900 | 34000 | 0.2677 | 21,192 | 1309 | 0.8059 | |
| 57 | Binghamton University | 25700 | 32700 | 0.2159 | 14,559 | 1404 | 0.3731 | |
| 58 | Iowa State University | 26000 | 42800 | 0.3913 | 26,346 | 1212 | 0.8793 | |
| 59 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 26400 | 40600 | 0.3497 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 60 | Oakland University | 26700 | 39600 | 0.3258 | 12,770 | 1039 | 0.8897 | |
| 61 | Saint Ambrose University | 27400 | 57700 | 0.5254 | 1,884 | 1065 | 0.8006 | |
| 62 | North Dakota State University | 27700 | 30400 | 0.0884 | 9,762 | 1110 | 0.9496 | |
| 63 | Methodist University | 28000 | 87900 | 0.6812 | 1,467 | 1185 | 0.7516 | |
| 64 | Wayne State University | 28100 | 46800 | 0.3998 | 16,390 | 1183 | 0.8359 | |
| 65 | University of Minnesota Duluth | 29000 | 32000 | 0.0949 | 8,706 | 1230 | 0.8906 | |
| 66 | Lawrence Technological University | 30000 | 99100 | 0.6976 | 2,661 | 1149 | 0.8101 | |
| 67 | Gannon University | 30400 | 52900 | 0.4257 | 2,768 | 1174 | 0.7416 | |
| 67 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 30400 | 78300 | 0.6118 | 14,267 | 1363 | 0.6693 | |
| 67 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | 30400 | 33200 | 0.0842 | 7,088 | 1100 | 0.7448 | |
| 70 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 31100 | 50300 | 0.3816 | 21,028 | 1450 | 0.1334 | |
| 71 | Kent State University at Kent | 31200 | 37500 | 0.1676 | 21,144 | 1104 | 0.7603 | |
| 71 | Western Michigan University | 31200 | 31200 | 0 | 13,714 | 1089 | 0.9121 | |
| 73 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 32000 | 54400 | 0.4117 | 35,248 | 1289 | 0.6939 | |
| 74 | Liberty University | 32500 | 44700 | 0.2729 | 52,961 | 1174 | 0.9898 | |
| 75 | North Carolina State University | 32700 | 54800 | 0.4032 | 29,340 | 1374 | 0.3954 | |
| 75 | University of Illinois Chicago | 32700 | 51300 | 0.3625 | 24,260 | 1174 | 0.7576 | |
| 77 | Wichita State University | 32800 | 42200 | 0.2226 | 14,906 | 1065 | 0.7224 | |
| 78 | Milwaukee School of Engineering | 33000 | 72600 | 0.5451 | 2,836 | 1283 | 0.6711 | |
| 79 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 33600 | 38200 | 0.1199 | 42,565 | 1339 | 0.7887 | |
| 80 | University of Indianapolis | 34000 | 60700 | 0.4396 | 3,394 | 1080 | 0.728 | |
| 81 | Texas Tech University | 35600 | 41000 | 0.1318 | 34,021 | 1195 | 0.6906 | |
| 82 | Western New England University | 35700 | 70600 | 0.4941 | 2,616 | 1199 | 0.8348 | |
| 83 | Temple University | 35800 | 57200 | 0.3739 | 21,031 | 1172 | 0.8622 | |
| 84 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 36400 | 54000 | 0.326 | 32,041 | 1324 | 0.4358 | |
| 85 | North Carolina A & T State University | 36500 | 36700 | 0.0054 | 12,497 | 1075 | 0.5125 | |
| 86 | Colorado State University Pueblo | 36600 | 39900 | 0.0824 | 3,893 | 1015 | 0.9839 | |
| 87 | University of Connecticut | 37200 | 66200 | 0.4384 | 20,056 | 1329 | 0.5239 | |
| 88 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 66700 | 0.4394 | 31,536 | 1366 | 0.5457 | |
| 89 | Kettering University | 37700 | 98700 | 0.6183 | 1,212 | 1204 | 0.7867 | |
| 90 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell | 38300 | 55500 | 0.3102 | 12,122 | 1283 | 0.8296 | |
| 91 | Mississippi State University | 39100 | 53400 | 0.2674 | 19,093 | 1205 | 0.8363 | |
| 92 | Kansas State University | 40900 | 41900 | 0.0239 | 16,555 | 1163 | 0.875 | |
| 93 | University of San Diego | 41500 | 85900 | 0.517 | 6,049 | 1298 | 0.5358 | |
| 94 | University of Central Florida | 42100 | 42800 | 0.0164 | 60,083 | 1289 | 0.428 | |
| 95 | Oregon State University | 44900 | 61900 | 0.2752 | 31,253 | 1272 | 0.773 | |
| 96 | Colorado Christian University | 45600 | 63600 | 0.2832 | 8,200 | 1110 | 1 | |
| 97 | The University of Texas at Arlington | 47200 | 57100 | 0.1733 | 32,545 | 1129 | 0.799 | |
| 98 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 47400 | 61500 | 0.229 | 37,985 | 1390 | 0.5815 | |
| 99 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48500 | 51200 | 0.0544 | 43,633 | 1342 | 0.4343 | |
| 100 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 49100 | 76400 | 0.3574 | 40,996 | 1399 | 0.4175 | |
| 101 | Quinnipiac University | 49300 | 79700 | 0.3816 | 6,610 | 1250 | 0.7031 | |
| 102 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 50200 | 64400 | 0.2205 | 46,627 | 1366 | 0.492 | |
| 103 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 50400 | 85400 | 0.41 | 5,461 | 1292 | 0.6189 | |
| 104 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 50500 | 58800 | 0.141 | 25,054 | 1225 | 0.7762 | |
| 105 | University of Iowa | 52100 | 54400 | 0.042 | 23,407 | 1203 | 0.799 | |
| 106 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 53000 | 86300 | 0.3858 | 5,833 | 1440 | 0.6725 | |
| 107 | Hofstra University | 59100 | 83300 | 0.2906 | 6,599 | 1369 | 0.7267 | |
| 108 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 59300 | 61600 | 0.0371 | 25,141 | 1256 | 0.7613 | |
| 109 | Auburn University | 59400 | 59400 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 110 | Clemson University | 61400 | 63700 | 0.0359 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 | |
| 111 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | 61600 | 66900 | 0.0793 | 9,827 | 1329 | 0.6737 | |
| 112 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College | 64000 | 64000 | 0 | 3,211 | 1243 | 0.9594 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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