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 | 8300 | 97100 | 0.915 | 9,164 | 1535 | 0.0386 | |
| 2 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 11500 | 29100 | 0.6053 | 40,996 | 1399 | 0.4175 | |
| 3 | The University of Texas at El Paso | 11700 | 26900 | 0.5645 | 22,223 | 975 | 0.9994 | |
| 4 | University of Central Florida | 12000 | 25300 | 0.525 | 60,083 | 1289 | 0.428 | |
| 5 | Fort Hays State University | 12800 | 22600 | 0.4368 | 10,172 | 1075 | 0.9026 | |
| 5 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus | 12800 | 26500 | 0.5164 | 13,039 | 1020 | 0.894 | |
| 7 | University of South Florida | 12900 | 17100 | 0.2454 | 39,093 | 1255 | 0.4071 | |
| 8 | Texas A&M University-Commerce | 13200 | 30000 | 0.5601 | 9,666 | 1040 | 0.7498 | |
| 9 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 10 | University of Houston | 13700 | 22000 | 0.3766 | 40,366 | 1224 | 0.7577 | |
| 10 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 13700 | 57800 | 0.7626 | 39,193 | 1418 | 0.4081 | |
| 12 | Brown University | 13900 | 94000 | 0.8521 | 7,951 | 1500 | 0.0634 | |
| 13 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5048 | 12,118 | 1070 | 0.7164 | |
| 14 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | 14500 | 26500 | 0.4515 | 23,003 | 1164 | 0.7367 | |
| 15 | Northwestern University | 14600 | 88300 | 0.8348 | 9,060 | 1533 | 0.0769 | |
| 15 | University of Wisconsin-Platteville | 14600 | 23900 | 0.389 | 6,045 | 1193 | 0.8938 | |
| 17 | Northeastern University | 15000 | 89900 | 0.8331 | 22,456 | 1481 | 0.0562 | |
| 18 | Western Michigan University | 15400 | 31200 | 0.5059 | 13,714 | 1089 | 0.9121 | |
| 19 | Lehigh University | 15500 | 89600 | 0.8275 | 5,986 | 1436 | 0.2896 | |
| 20 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | 15800 | 24200 | 0.3478 | 7,637 | 1115 | 0.1865 | |
| 20 | Kansas State University | 15800 | 26100 | 0.3962 | 16,555 | 1163 | 0.875 | |
| 22 | Oakland University | 16000 | 28200 | 0.4329 | 12,770 | 1039 | 0.8897 | |
| 23 | University of Southern Maine | 16300 | 23000 | 0.291 | 5,549 | 1139 | 0.8241 | |
| 24 | North Carolina State University | 16400 | 28500 | 0.4252 | 29,340 | 1374 | 0.3954 | |
| 25 | Wayne State University | 16500 | 32900 | 0.4982 | 16,390 | 1183 | 0.8359 | |
| 26 | West Virginia University | 16800 | 40900 | 0.589 | 18,206 | 1120 | 0.8514 | |
| 27 | Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi | 17200 | 20700 | 0.169 | 8,673 | 1095 | 0.9156 | |
| 28 | Morgan State University | 17600 | 28500 | 0.3823 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 29 | University of Miami | 17700 | 95700 | 0.8149 | 13,241 | 1408 | 0.1761 | |
| 29 | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | 17700 | 17700 | 0 | 18,667 | 1090 | 0.9711 | |
| 31 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 17900 | 44300 | 0.5956 | 21,028 | 1450 | 0.1334 | |
| 32 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 18000 | 39000 | 0.5381 | 37,985 | 1390 | 0.5815 | |
| 33 | Youngstown State University | 18400 | 34000 | 0.4589 | 9,687 | 1120 | 0.9145 | |
| 34 | University of Rhode Island | 19200 | 33900 | 0.4337 | 14,466 | 1197 | 0.7456 | |
| 35 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 19300 | 29900 | 0.3538 | 60,710 | 1278 | 0.5732 | |
| 36 | University of Alabama in Huntsville | 19800 | 30500 | 0.3506 | 6,743 | 1266 | 0.6292 | |
| 37 | University of Southern California | 20000 | 75900 | 0.7369 | 20,768 | 1499 | 0.1119 | |
| 38 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 20100 | 45200 | 0.5559 | 31,536 | 1366 | 0.5457 | |
| 39 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 20400 | 23200 | 0.1207 | 20,786 | 1225 | 0.8689 | |
| 40 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 20700 | 30600 | 0.326 | 43,633 | 1342 | 0.4343 | |
| 41 | North Dakota State University | 20800 | 25700 | 0.1902 | 9,762 | 1110 | 0.9496 | |
| 42 | Louisiana Tech University | 21300 | 26100 | 0.1841 | 11,071 | 1189 | 0.9073 | |
| 43 | Bradley University | 21700 | 49900 | 0.5642 | 3,258 | 1174 | 0.7459 | |
| 44 | Montana State University | 22300 | 27100 | 0.1769 | 15,142 | 1184 | 0.9938 | |
| 45 | Florida State University | 22400 | 32400 | 0.3091 | 34,271 | 1369 | 0.2383 | |
| 46 | San Jose State University | 22900 | 41100 | 0.4429 | 29,890 | 1135 | 0.8039 | |
| 47 | Indiana Institute of Technology | 23000 | 48800 | 0.5288 | 1,650 | 1055 | 0.7039 | |
| 48 | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | 23100 | 28400 | 0.1863 | 2,216 | 1268 | 0.7987 | |
| 49 | Saint Ambrose University | 24100 | 55400 | 0.5646 | 1,884 | 1065 | 0.8006 | |
| 50 | University of Arizona | 24400 | 38100 | 0.3597 | 43,294 | 1186 | 0.8351 | |
| 51 | Temple University | 24800 | 36100 | 0.3132 | 21,031 | 1172 | 0.8622 | |
| 52 | Binghamton University | 25700 | 32700 | 0.2159 | 14,559 | 1404 | 0.3731 | |
| 53 | Iowa State University | 26000 | 42800 | 0.3914 | 26,346 | 1212 | 0.8793 | |
| 54 | St. Mary's University | 26300 | 59800 | 0.5604 | 2,330 | 1060 | 0.9508 | |
| 55 | University of Arkansas | 26600 | 28900 | 0.0793 | 29,252 | 1179 | 0.7388 | |
| 56 | Texas State University | 27900 | 28000 | 0.0036 | 39,353 | 1080 | 0.9118 | |
| 56 | Wichita State University | 27900 | 39800 | 0.3009 | 14,906 | 1065 | 0.7224 | |
| 58 | Colorado Christian University | 28000 | 64000 | 0.5624 | 8,200 | 1110 | 1 | |
| 59 | Francis Marion University | 28500 | 40200 | 0.2914 | 3,793 | 1015 | 0.9508 | |
| 60 | Oregon State University | 28800 | 36700 | 0.2153 | 31,253 | 1272 | 0.773 | |
| 61 | University of Minnesota Duluth | 29000 | 32000 | 0.095 | 8,706 | 1230 | 0.8906 | |
| 62 | California State University-East Bay | 29400 | 45100 | 0.3483 | 9,909 | 940 | 0.9739 | |
| 63 | Methodist University | 29700 | 65800 | 0.5484 | 1,467 | 1185 | 0.7516 | |
| 63 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | 29700 | 31600 | 0.0601 | 7,088 | 1100 | 0.7448 | |
| 65 | University of Iowa | 29800 | 32100 | 0.0714 | 23,407 | 1203 | 0.799 | |
| 66 | Gannon University | 30500 | 52900 | 0.4238 | 2,768 | 1174 | 0.7416 | |
| 67 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 30600 | 78100 | 0.608 | 14,267 | 1363 | 0.6693 | |
| 68 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | 30900 | 43100 | 0.2833 | 22,313 | 1341 | 0.2996 | |
| 69 | Kent State University at Kent | 31200 | 37500 | 0.1678 | 21,144 | 1104 | 0.7603 | |
| 69 | Lamar University | 31200 | 38300 | 0.1855 | 8,387 | 1040 | 0.8353 | |
| 69 | University of Louisville | 31200 | 42000 | 0.257 | 17,916 | 1134 | 0.7921 | |
| 72 | South Carolina State University | 31400 | 41600 | 0.2452 | 3,059 | 925 | 0.6797 | |
| 73 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 31500 | 41200 | 0.2357 | 25,312 | 1134 | 0.7395 | |
| 73 | North Carolina A & T State University | 31500 | 36700 | 0.1416 | 12,497 | 1075 | 0.5125 | |
| 75 | SUNY Maritime College | 31700 | 41600 | 0.2378 | 1,401 | 1164 | 0.785 | |
| 76 | Lawrence Technological University | 32200 | 71900 | 0.552 | 2,661 | 1149 | 0.8101 | |
| 77 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 32300 | 35100 | 0.0799 | 32,041 | 1324 | 0.4358 | |
| 78 | Liberty University | 33200 | 44600 | 0.2556 | 52,961 | 1174 | 0.9898 | |
| 79 | Auburn University | 33700 | 34100 | 0.0117 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 80 | Milwaukee School of Engineering | 34000 | 70200 | 0.516 | 2,836 | 1283 | 0.6711 | |
| 80 | University of Indianapolis | 34000 | 60700 | 0.4397 | 3,394 | 1080 | 0.728 | |
| 82 | University of Vermont | 34500 | 66300 | 0.4799 | 12,159 | 1372 | 0.7304 | |
| 83 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell | 35300 | 56700 | 0.3775 | 12,122 | 1283 | 0.8296 | |
| 84 | Texas Tech University | 35600 | 38900 | 0.0848 | 34,021 | 1195 | 0.6906 | |
| 85 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 35900 | 47500 | 0.2444 | 8,513 | 1160 | 0.9261 | |
| 86 | Hofstra University | 36400 | 76900 | 0.5266 | 6,599 | 1369 | 0.7267 | |
| 87 | Colorado State University Pueblo | 36600 | 39900 | 0.0825 | 3,893 | 1015 | 0.9839 | |
| 88 | University of Connecticut | 37100 | 53600 | 0.3081 | 20,056 | 1329 | 0.5239 | |
| 89 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville | 37300 | 41600 | 0.1031 | 5,386 | 995 | 0.9092 | |
| 90 | Kettering University | 37600 | 71800 | 0.4763 | 1,212 | 1204 | 0.7867 | |
| 91 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 37800 | 40100 | 0.0571 | 25,054 | 1225 | 0.7762 | |
| 92 | University of Illinois Chicago | 38200 | 50600 | 0.2451 | 24,260 | 1174 | 0.7576 | |
| 93 | Western New England University | 38700 | 69200 | 0.4409 | 2,616 | 1199 | 0.8348 | |
| 94 | Mississippi State University | 39100 | 53400 | 0.2675 | 19,093 | 1205 | 0.8363 | |
| 95 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 39700 | 50000 | 0.2062 | 35,248 | 1289 | 0.6939 | |
| 96 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 40800 | 53600 | 0.2389 | 46,627 | 1366 | 0.492 | |
| 97 | University of San Diego | 41500 | 85900 | 0.517 | 6,049 | 1298 | 0.5358 | |
| 98 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 41600 | 55200 | 0.2463 | 21,388 | 1369 | 0.5945 | |
| 99 | University at Buffalo | 43300 | 46700 | 0.0728 | 21,192 | 1309 | 0.8059 | |
| 100 | Quinnipiac University | 44800 | 79200 | 0.4343 | 6,610 | 1250 | 0.7031 | |
| 101 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 46200 | 86300 | 0.4644 | 5,833 | 1440 | 0.6725 | |
| 102 | The University of Texas at Arlington | 48000 | 55800 | 0.1398 | 32,545 | 1129 | 0.799 | |
| 103 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 49800 | 62200 | 0.1995 | 38,572 | 1455 | 0.3659 | |
| 104 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 50300 | 83600 | 0.3982 | 5,461 | 1292 | 0.6189 | |
| 105 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 50800 | 84700 | 0.4003 | 35,358 | 1448 | 0.1642 | |
| 106 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 53200 | 61000 | 0.1293 | 42,565 | 1339 | 0.7887 | |
| 107 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 53600 | 62800 | 0.1465 | 24,019 | 1404 | 0.5989 | |
| 108 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 58200 | 64100 | 0.092 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 109 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 59300 | 61600 | 0.0372 | 25,141 | 1256 | 0.7613 | |
| 110 | Clemson University | 61400 | 63700 | 0.036 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 | |
| 111 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | 63700 | 63700 | 0 | 9,827 | 1329 | 0.6737 | |
| 112 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College | 63900 | 63900 | 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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