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 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 6600 | 94100 | 0.9301 | 9,157 | 1535 | 0.0386 | |
| 2 | Francis Marion University | 9800 | 25400 | 0.6139 | 3,635 | 1015 | 0.8639 | |
| 3 | Navajo Technical University | 11200 | 22400 | 0.4993 | 1,523 | 0 | 0.9252 | |
| 4 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 11300 | 34400 | 0.6706 | 37,140 | 1442 | 0.4237 | |
| 5 | Northern Illinois University | 12300 | 29000 | 0.5739 | 11,349 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 6 | Lehigh University | 12500 | 85700 | 0.8546 | 5,911 | 1436 | 0.2593 | |
| 7 | Northwestern University | 12600 | 87700 | 0.8563 | 8,846 | 1513 | 0.0722 | |
| 8 | Texas State University | 13200 | 23200 | 0.4313 | 36,268 | 1100 | 0.8908 | |
| 9 | Fort Hays State University | 13300 | 22000 | 0.3956 | 10,206 | 1120 | 0.9177 | |
| 10 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 13700 | 32200 | 0.5744 | 39,083 | 1412 | 0.4517 | |
| 11 | Louisiana Tech University | 13800 | 24900 | 0.4451 | 11,071 | 1164 | 0.9073 | |
| 12 | Texas Tech University | 14000 | 27000 | 0.4813 | 32,580 | 1200 | 0.7265 | |
| 13 | University of Wisconsin-Platteville | 14200 | 22900 | 0.381 | 6,270 | 1140 | 0.8726 | |
| 14 | Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville | 14500 | 41100 | 0.6478 | 8,975 | 1045 | 0.9721 | |
| 15 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 14700 | 25700 | 0.4275 | 46,815 | 1339 | 0.6057 | |
| 16 | Florida State University | 15600 | 23100 | 0.3246 | 32,711 | 1360 | 0.2422 | |
| 16 | University of South Carolina Aiken | 15600 | 23300 | 0.3306 | 3,289 | 1115 | 0.7857 | |
| 18 | Northeastern University | 16100 | 89900 | 0.8213 | 22,695 | 1490 | 0.0522 | |
| 18 | University of Arizona | 16100 | 30900 | 0.4797 | 45,025 | 1212 | 0.8614 | |
| 20 | University of Southern California | 16600 | 76000 | 0.7815 | 21,023 | 1485 | 0.1002 | |
| 21 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 17200 | 27200 | 0.3671 | 44,170 | 1327 | 0.4979 | |
| 22 | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | 17700 | 17700 | 0 | 18,428 | 1090 | 0.9529 | |
| 23 | California State University-East Bay | 17800 | 29700 | 0.4012 | 10,562 | 940 | 0.9681 | |
| 23 | University of Arkansas | 17800 | 27700 | 0.3567 | 28,859 | 1179 | 0.7431 | |
| 25 | University of Louisville | 18000 | 29100 | 0.3818 | 17,086 | 1148 | 0.7941 | |
| 26 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 18200 | 18200 | 0 | 34,242 | 1273 | 0.7333 | |
| 27 | Kansas State University | 19000 | 31400 | 0.395 | 15,650 | 1164 | 0.8199 | |
| 28 | Youngstown State University | 19300 | 29300 | 0.3409 | 8,436 | 1065 | 0.8066 | |
| 29 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 19400 | 36900 | 0.4748 | 24,457 | 1256 | 0.7847 | |
| 30 | Wayne State University | 19700 | 32300 | 0.3906 | 16,173 | 1174 | 0.7786 | |
| 31 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 20100 | 38800 | 0.4812 | 36,588 | 1367 | 0.6535 | |
| 32 | Western Michigan University | 20600 | 31200 | 0.3394 | 13,860 | 1104 | 0.846 | |
| 33 | West Virginia University | 20700 | 28800 | 0.2815 | 18,614 | 1125 | 0.778 | |
| 34 | Milwaukee School of Engineering | 20900 | 69400 | 0.6992 | 2,705 | 1292 | 0.6239 | |
| 34 | North Dakota State University | 20900 | 25700 | 0.1861 | 9,762 | 1110 | 0.9496 | |
| 36 | University of Miami | 21100 | 70800 | 0.7023 | 13,250 | 1406 | 0.189 | |
| 37 | Bradley University | 22200 | 48300 | 0.5396 | 3,596 | 1174 | 0.7675 | |
| 38 | Colorado Christian University | 22700 | 63300 | 0.6412 | 6,730 | 1110 | 0.8328 | |
| 38 | University of Illinois Chicago | 22700 | 30300 | 0.2506 | 22,495 | 1252 | 0.7735 | |
| 40 | Saint Ambrose University | 23200 | 54500 | 0.5744 | 1,939 | 1085 | 0.7733 | |
| 41 | Indiana Institute of Technology | 23400 | 48800 | 0.5206 | 1,642 | 1055 | 0.5713 | |
| 42 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 23800 | 24500 | 0.0285 | 19,888 | 1209 | 0.8517 | |
| 43 | University at Buffalo | 24100 | 34000 | 0.2912 | 20,360 | 1303 | 0.7418 | |
| 44 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | 24600 | 32200 | 0.2359 | 10,200 | 1346 | 0.6507 | |
| 45 | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | 24700 | 26900 | 0.0812 | 2,170 | 1264 | 0.8525 | |
| 46 | Montana State University | 24900 | 31400 | 0.207 | 15,053 | 1184 | 0.8214 | |
| 47 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 25000 | 36600 | 0.3173 | 65,450 | 1203 | 0.8989 | |
| 48 | St. Mary's University | 25300 | 55900 | 0.5476 | 2,150 | 1084 | 0.9776 | |
| 49 | Texas A&M University-Commerce | 25500 | 37400 | 0.3186 | 9,666 | 1040 | 0.7498 | |
| 50 | Iowa State University | 26100 | 42800 | 0.3889 | 25,628 | 1207 | 0.8866 | |
| 51 | Lamar University | 26700 | 37700 | 0.2915 | 8,206 | 1045 | 0.857 | |
| 52 | Oakland University | 26800 | 39800 | 0.3268 | 12,587 | 1050 | 0.8784 | |
| 53 | University of Minnesota Duluth | 27000 | 30400 | 0.1128 | 8,426 | 1235 | 0.8876 | |
| 54 | Methodist University | 27200 | 51900 | 0.4763 | 1,436 | 1175 | 0.752 | |
| 55 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 28700 | 78100 | 0.6326 | 14,267 | 1363 | 0.6693 | |
| 56 | University of Iowa | 28900 | 31100 | 0.0703 | 22,738 | 1208 | 0.8362 | |
| 57 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 29900 | 31100 | 0.0385 | 20,592 | 1435 | 0.1407 | |
| 58 | Kent State University at Kent | 30000 | 37500 | 0.2 | 20,841 | 1105 | 0.8634 | |
| 59 | San Jose State University | 30300 | 41000 | 0.2608 | 28,008 | 0 | 0.8461 | |
| 59 | South Carolina State University | 30300 | 41600 | 0.2716 | 2,950 | 865 | 0.8262 | |
| 61 | Gannon University | 30400 | 45300 | 0.329 | 2,768 | 1174 | 0.7416 | |
| 62 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | 30900 | 42400 | 0.2713 | 21,947 | 1335 | 0.3122 | |
| 62 | University of Houston | 30900 | 35200 | 0.1223 | 39,257 | 1249 | 0.7392 | |
| 64 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 31300 | 41100 | 0.2387 | 25,255 | 1134 | 0.737 | |
| 64 | University of Rhode Island | 31300 | 46700 | 0.3298 | 14,376 | 1148 | 0.7216 | |
| 66 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | 31400 | 31400 | 0 | 6,853 | 1090 | 0.7147 | |
| 67 | North Carolina A & T State University | 31800 | 36400 | 0.1262 | 12,216 | 1020 | 0.4617 | |
| 68 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus | 32200 | 39200 | 0.1788 | 12,498 | 1010 | 0.8896 | |
| 69 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | 32600 | 38500 | 0.1533 | 7,890 | 1105 | 0.2056 | |
| 70 | Liberty University | 32800 | 43900 | 0.2528 | 52,823 | 1181 | 0.9932 | |
| 70 | North Carolina State University | 32800 | 54800 | 0.4013 | 28,422 | 1335 | 0.4167 | |
| 72 | University of Indianapolis | 33300 | 59900 | 0.4438 | 3,603 | 1080 | 0.6648 | |
| 73 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 33600 | 46200 | 0.2729 | 8,553 | 1054 | 0.8688 | |
| 74 | Morgan State University | 34400 | 37200 | 0.0753 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 75 | University of Vermont | 34500 | 66300 | 0.4791 | 12,276 | 1379 | 0.653 | |
| 76 | Colorado State University Pueblo | 34600 | 37800 | 0.0842 | 5,086 | 1000 | 0.9821 | |
| 77 | University of South Florida | 34700 | 34700 | 0 | 38,525 | 1239 | 0.4319 | |
| 78 | The University of Texas at El Paso | 34900 | 48400 | 0.2791 | 20,609 | 990 | 0.999 | |
| 79 | The University of Texas at Arlington | 35700 | 42400 | 0.158 | 31,112 | 1130 | 0.8129 | |
| 80 | Mississippi State University | 36300 | 50500 | 0.2811 | 18,567 | 1214 | 0.7764 | |
| 81 | University of Central Florida | 36700 | 39600 | 0.0733 | 59,649 | 1280 | 0.4471 | |
| 82 | Lawrence Technological University | 36800 | 67800 | 0.457 | 2,579 | 1155 | 0.7403 | |
| 83 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville | 37400 | 41600 | 0.1005 | 5,187 | 1005 | 0.9229 | |
| 83 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 62000 | 0.3968 | 31,035 | 1366 | 0.5499 | |
| 85 | Wichita State University | 37600 | 39600 | 0.0504 | 14,280 | 1094 | 0.7211 | |
| 86 | University of Connecticut | 37700 | 41800 | 0.0981 | 19,388 | 1324 | 0.5395 | |
| 87 | Kettering University | 38400 | 66900 | 0.426 | 1,212 | 1204 | 0.7867 | |
| 88 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | 38600 | 44600 | 0.1345 | 22,351 | 1159 | 0.7504 | |
| 89 | Hofstra University | 38900 | 74600 | 0.4784 | 6,581 | 1323 | 0.6808 | |
| 89 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 38900 | 52900 | 0.2645 | 30,564 | 1298 | 0.416 | |
| 91 | University of Alabama in Huntsville | 39000 | 39000 | 0 | 6,800 | 1245 | 0.6857 | |
| 92 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 39600 | 53700 | 0.2626 | 23,920 | 1390 | 0.5973 | |
| 93 | SUNY Maritime College | 40000 | 40900 | 0.022 | 1,286 | 1215 | 0.7242 | |
| 94 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 40300 | 56700 | 0.2893 | 40,754 | 1391 | 0.3915 | |
| 95 | Temple University | 40500 | 56100 | 0.278 | 21,428 | 1245 | 0.8045 | |
| 95 | Western New England University | 40500 | 67000 | 0.3957 | 2,616 | 1199 | 0.8348 | |
| 97 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College | 41300 | 41300 | 0 | 3,244 | 1224 | 0.9683 | |
| 98 | Quinnipiac University | 42200 | 79200 | 0.4671 | 6,248 | 1209 | 0.77 | |
| 99 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 42500 | 54900 | 0.2261 | 20,418 | 1375 | 0.5808 | |
| 100 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 42600 | 55100 | 0.227 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 101 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 43900 | 57100 | 0.2311 | 23,351 | 1239 | 0.766 | |
| 102 | Oregon State University | 44900 | 61900 | 0.2747 | 31,253 | 1272 | 0.773 | |
| 103 | University of San Diego | 46000 | 85500 | 0.4619 | 5,851 | 1298 | 0.5238 | |
| 104 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 47200 | 85700 | 0.449 | 5,743 | 1438 | 0.6343 | |
| 105 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 50400 | 81000 | 0.3776 | 5,558 | 1292 | 0.6016 | |
| 106 | Binghamton University | 50600 | 52800 | 0.0414 | 14,669 | 1417 | 0.3861 | |
| 107 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 50900 | 84200 | 0.3956 | 34,454 | 1435 | 0.1564 | |
| 108 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 52400 | 56100 | 0.0657 | 60,710 | 1278 | 0.5732 | |
| 109 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 53300 | 61000 | 0.1275 | 41,303 | 1338 | 0.7975 | |
| 110 | Auburn University | 55400 | 55400 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 111 | Clemson University | 61500 | 63700 | 0.0343 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 |
School data is from 2022–2023 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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