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 | 4900 | 40700 | 0.8787 | 34,454 | 1435 | 0.1564 | |
| 2 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 8300 | 97100 | 0.915 | 9,164 | 1535 | 0.0399 | |
| 3 | The University of Texas at El Paso | 11700 | 26900 | 0.5645 | 21,118 | 980 | 0.9992 | |
| 4 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 11900 | 25700 | 0.5363 | 46,815 | 1378 | 0.6057 | |
| 5 | University of Houston | 12000 | 28400 | 0.5781 | 39,257 | 1249 | 0.7392 | |
| 6 | Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi | 12100 | 28900 | 0.5822 | 8,320 | 1090 | 0.8858 | |
| 7 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 12500 | 28100 | 0.5551 | 8,553 | 1045 | 0.8688 | |
| 8 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 12600 | 12600 | 0 | 25,255 | 1134 | 0.7517 | |
| 9 | University of South Florida | 12900 | 17100 | 0.2454 | 38,525 | 1239 | 0.4319 | |
| 10 | Navajo Technical University | 13000 | 24900 | 0.4771 | 1,678 | 0 | 0 | |
| 11 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 12 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 13700 | 50700 | 0.7294 | 38,040 | 1418 | 0.452 | |
| 13 | Brown University | 13900 | 94000 | 0.8521 | 7,910 | 1535 | 0.0539 | |
| 14 | Francis Marion University | 14000 | 24100 | 0.4198 | 3,692 | 1015 | 0.8639 | |
| 15 | University of Wisconsin-Platteville | 14200 | 22900 | 0.381 | 6,045 | 1193 | 0.8938 | |
| 16 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5048 | 11,348 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 17 | Northwestern University | 14600 | 88300 | 0.8348 | 9,399 | 1527 | 0.0769 | |
| 17 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | 14600 | 26500 | 0.4478 | 22,364 | 1159 | 0.7504 | |
| 19 | Northeastern University | 15000 | 89900 | 0.8331 | 17,432 | 1490 | 0.0522 | |
| 20 | Texas State University | 15200 | 25500 | 0.4042 | 36,236 | 1100 | 0.8932 | |
| 21 | Western Michigan University | 15300 | 26500 | 0.423 | 13,027 | 1115 | 0.846 | |
| 22 | Lehigh University | 15600 | 89600 | 0.8263 | 5,911 | 1436 | 0.2593 | |
| 22 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville | 15600 | 25800 | 0.3938 | 5,386 | 1050 | 0.9092 | |
| 24 | Kansas State University | 15800 | 26100 | 0.3949 | 15,650 | 1164 | 0.8169 | |
| 25 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 15900 | 38500 | 0.5862 | 37,140 | 1406 | 0.4237 | |
| 26 | The University of Texas at Arlington | 16000 | 27700 | 0.4218 | 32,545 | 1129 | 0.799 | |
| 27 | North Carolina State University | 16500 | 28500 | 0.4204 | 28,422 | 1378 | 0.4174 | |
| 28 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell | 16700 | 35700 | 0.5323 | 12,122 | 1283 | 0.8304 | |
| 29 | West Virginia University | 16900 | 40900 | 0.5865 | 18,206 | 1125 | 0.89 | |
| 30 | Morgan State University | 17600 | 28500 | 0.3823 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 31 | University of Miami | 17700 | 95700 | 0.8149 | 13,250 | 1406 | 0.189 | |
| 31 | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | 17700 | 17700 | 0 | 18,288 | 1090 | 0.9068 | |
| 33 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 18000 | 39000 | 0.5397 | 37,985 | 1390 | 0.5815 | |
| 34 | Texas Tech University | 18300 | 27100 | 0.3253 | 32,580 | 1200 | 0.7265 | |
| 35 | Youngstown State University | 18400 | 34000 | 0.4589 | 9,400 | 1115 | 0.8445 | |
| 36 | University of Rhode Island | 19200 | 33900 | 0.4337 | 14,376 | 1148 | 0.7216 | |
| 37 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 19300 | 29900 | 0.3558 | 60,710 | 1278 | 0.5743 | |
| 38 | University of Arizona | 19600 | 30900 | 0.3663 | 44,848 | 1233 | 0.8614 | |
| 39 | Wichita State University | 19800 | 29800 | 0.3372 | 13,313 | 1073 | 0.9395 | |
| 40 | University of Southern California | 20000 | 75900 | 0.7369 | 20,630 | 1492 | 0.0981 | |
| 41 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 20500 | 23200 | 0.1164 | 20,444 | 1209 | 0.8499 | |
| 42 | SUNY Maritime College | 21100 | 32000 | 0.3408 | 1,285 | 1215 | 0.7241 | |
| 43 | Louisiana Tech University | 21400 | 26100 | 0.1802 | 10,881 | 1189 | 0.864 | |
| 44 | University of Illinois Chicago | 22200 | 30100 | 0.2629 | 22,495 | 1252 | 0.7735 | |
| 45 | Montana State University | 22300 | 27100 | 0.1769 | 15,046 | 1184 | 0.8214 | |
| 46 | Florida State University | 22600 | 32400 | 0.3029 | 32,720 | 1360 | 0.2422 | |
| 47 | Indiana Institute of Technology | 23000 | 48800 | 0.5288 | 1,650 | 1055 | 0.7039 | |
| 47 | San Jose State University | 23000 | 41100 | 0.4405 | 28,008 | 1124 | 0.8461 | |
| 49 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 23400 | 34500 | 0.3221 | 65,450 | 1203 | 0.8989 | |
| 50 | Bradley University | 24100 | 49900 | 0.5161 | 3,596 | 1223 | 0.7676 | |
| 51 | Saint Ambrose University | 24200 | 55400 | 0.5628 | 1,939 | 1085 | 0.7733 | |
| 52 | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | 24300 | 28400 | 0.1461 | 2,216 | 1268 | 0.7987 | |
| 53 | Temple University | 24800 | 36100 | 0.3132 | 21,457 | 1135 | 0.8041 | |
| 54 | Fort Hays State University | 25900 | 36100 | 0.2836 | 10,172 | 1075 | 0.9026 | |
| 55 | Iowa State University | 26200 | 42800 | 0.3881 | 25,628 | 1207 | 0.8866 | |
| 56 | St. Mary's University | 26400 | 59800 | 0.5587 | 2,149 | 1084 | 0.9776 | |
| 57 | University of Arkansas | 26700 | 28900 | 0.0745 | 28,859 | 1179 | 0.743 | |
| 58 | Colorado State University Pueblo | 26900 | 30100 | 0.1047 | 5,086 | 1124 | 0.949 | |
| 59 | University of Minnesota Duluth | 27100 | 31800 | 0.1464 | 8,426 | 1235 | 0.8875 | |
| 60 | North Dakota State University | 27800 | 30400 | 0.084 | 9,762 | 1110 | 0.9496 | |
| 61 | Oakland University | 27900 | 39300 | 0.2899 | 12,587 | 1130 | 0.8784 | |
| 62 | Colorado Christian University | 28000 | 64000 | 0.5624 | 8,200 | 1110 | 0.9764 | |
| 63 | Mississippi State University | 28200 | 32300 | 0.1283 | 18,567 | 1214 | 0.7764 | |
| 64 | California State University-East Bay | 29400 | 45100 | 0.3483 | 9,909 | 940 | 0.9739 | |
| 65 | East Texas A&M University | 29500 | 36500 | 0.1917 | 9,992 | 1045 | 0.9224 | |
| 65 | Gannon University | 29500 | 52900 | 0.4427 | 2,768 | 1133 | 0.7416 | |
| 67 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | 29600 | 31600 | 0.0633 | 6,835 | 1090 | 0.7147 | |
| 68 | Methodist University | 29700 | 65800 | 0.5484 | 1,467 | 1185 | 0.7514 | |
| 69 | Kent State University at Kent | 30000 | 37500 | 0.2 | 20,841 | 1105 | 0.8634 | |
| 70 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus | 30500 | 39200 | 0.2222 | 12,507 | 1010 | 0.8897 | |
| 70 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 30500 | 78100 | 0.6093 | 14,267 | 1381 | 0.6693 | |
| 72 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | 30600 | 38500 | 0.2052 | 7,890 | 1110 | 0.2056 | |
| 73 | South Carolina State University | 30800 | 41600 | 0.2596 | 2,950 | 930 | 0.8262 | |
| 74 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 31200 | 48800 | 0.361 | 20,591 | 1435 | 0.1407 | |
| 74 | Lamar University | 31200 | 38300 | 0.1855 | 8,184 | 1050 | 0.8641 | |
| 76 | North Carolina A & T State University | 31500 | 36700 | 0.1416 | 12,497 | 1075 | 0.499 | |
| 76 | University of Louisville | 31500 | 42000 | 0.2498 | 17,086 | 1148 | 0.7941 | |
| 78 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | 32200 | 43100 | 0.2531 | 22,033 | 1321 | 0.3132 | |
| 79 | Lawrence Technological University | 32300 | 71900 | 0.5507 | 2,579 | 1159 | 0.559 | |
| 80 | Liberty University | 33200 | 44600 | 0.2556 | 52,961 | 1174 | 0.9898 | |
| 81 | Milwaukee School of Engineering | 34400 | 70200 | 0.5103 | 2,704 | 1277 | 0.5893 | |
| 82 | University of Vermont | 34500 | 66300 | 0.4788 | 12,276 | 1379 | 0.653 | |
| 83 | University of New Haven | 36800 | 67300 | 0.453 | 4,903 | 1164 | 0.6038 | |
| 84 | University of Connecticut | 37300 | 53600 | 0.3043 | 20,056 | 1329 | 0.5239 | |
| 85 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 66300 | 0.436 | 31,035 | 1366 | 0.5478 | |
| 86 | Kettering University | 37500 | 71800 | 0.4776 | 1,212 | 1260 | 0.7867 | |
| 87 | Hofstra University | 38200 | 76900 | 0.5032 | 6,581 | 1328 | 0.6808 | |
| 88 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 38600 | 53100 | 0.2729 | 30,564 | 1302 | 0.416 | |
| 89 | Western New England University | 38700 | 69200 | 0.4409 | 2,616 | 1199 | 0.8348 | |
| 90 | University of Central Florida | 39700 | 39700 | 0 | 59,552 | 1280 | 0.4011 | |
| 91 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 40400 | 50000 | 0.1922 | 34,242 | 1273 | 0.7333 | |
| 91 | Wayne State University | 40400 | 46200 | 0.1256 | 16,012 | 1174 | 0.8116 | |
| 93 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 41500 | 55200 | 0.2481 | 25,900 | 1375 | 0.5808 | |
| 93 | University of San Diego | 41500 | 85900 | 0.517 | 5,851 | 1298 | 0.5238 | |
| 95 | University at Buffalo | 43900 | 46700 | 0.06 | 20,359 | 1303 | 0.7418 | |
| 95 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 43900 | 57100 | 0.2305 | 23,329 | 1239 | 0.766 | |
| 97 | Quinnipiac University | 44800 | 79200 | 0.4343 | 6,557 | 1245 | 0.7215 | |
| 98 | Oregon State University | 44900 | 61900 | 0.2746 | 31,253 | 1272 | 0.773 | |
| 99 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 46100 | 86300 | 0.4656 | 5,741 | 1438 | 0.6347 | |
| 100 | University of Alabama in Huntsville | 48100 | 48600 | 0.0103 | 6,800 | 1293 | 0.6857 | |
| 101 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48600 | 51200 | 0.0517 | 44,819 | 1327 | 0.4987 | |
| 102 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 50500 | 83600 | 0.3958 | 5,558 | 1292 | 0.6016 | |
| 103 | Binghamton University | 50700 | 52800 | 0.0407 | 14,669 | 1415 | 0.3861 | |
| 104 | University of Iowa | 51000 | 53200 | 0.0404 | 22,738 | 1208 | 0.8362 | |
| 105 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 53300 | 61000 | 0.127 | 41,303 | 1338 | 0.7975 | |
| 106 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 53700 | 62800 | 0.1449 | 23,920 | 1397 | 0.5973 | |
| 107 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 54000 | 59200 | 0.087 | 24,449 | 1256 | 0.7847 | |
| 108 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 58200 | 64100 | 0.092 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 109 | Auburn University | 58500 | 58500 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4592 | |
| 110 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 61000 | 63200 | 0.0348 | 40,684 | 1331 | 0.3915 | |
| 111 | Clemson University | 61500 | 63700 | 0.0338 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 | |
| 112 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | 63700 | 63700 | 0 | 10,200 | 1325 | 0.6507 | |
| 113 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College | 63900 | 63900 | 0 | 3,244 | 1224 | 0.9683 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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