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 | College of Staten Island CUNY | 7700 | 36100 | 0.7877 | 10,368 | 1064 | 0.999 | |
| 2 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 8300 | 97100 | 0.915 | 9,164 | 1535 | 0.0386 | |
| 3 | Valdosta State University | 10500 | 24800 | 0.5775 | 7,199 | 1005 | 0.7769 | |
| 4 | Savannah State University | 10600 | 26700 | 0.6037 | 2,966 | 950 | 1 | |
| 5 | Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi | 12200 | 28900 | 0.5787 | 8,673 | 1095 | 0.9156 | |
| 6 | Fort Hays State University | 12800 | 22600 | 0.4368 | 10,172 | 1075 | 0.9026 | |
| 7 | University of Michigan-Flint | 12900 | 34900 | 0.6311 | 5,534 | 1079 | 0.6734 | |
| 7 | University of South Florida | 12900 | 17100 | 0.2454 | 39,093 | 1255 | 0.4071 | |
| 9 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | 13200 | 49100 | 0.7312 | 29,727 | 990 | 0.9229 | |
| 9 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | 13200 | 19400 | 0.3197 | 14,865 | 1175 | 0.9113 | |
| 11 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 12 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 13700 | 61700 | 0.7784 | 39,193 | 1418 | 0.4081 | |
| 13 | Alabama State University | 14200 | 31300 | 0.5476 | 3,521 | 945 | 0.9755 | |
| 14 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5048 | 12,118 | 1070 | 0.7164 | |
| 15 | Northwestern State University of Louisiana | 14400 | 37400 | 0.6144 | 7,501 | 1055 | 0.9467 | |
| 16 | Northern Kentucky University | 14600 | 25900 | 0.4369 | 10,136 | 1110 | 0.9666 | |
| 16 | Northwestern University | 14600 | 88300 | 0.8348 | 9,060 | 1533 | 0.0769 | |
| 18 | Wayne State College | 15100 | 20300 | 0.2561 | 3,886 | 0 | 1 | |
| 19 | Coppin State University | 15200 | 27100 | 0.439 | 1,908 | 950 | 0.4583 | |
| 20 | Radford University | 15400 | 32000 | 0.5196 | 6,206 | 1050 | 0.8939 | |
| 21 | James Madison University | 15600 | 28900 | 0.4608 | 21,358 | 1259 | 0.6879 | |
| 22 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 15800 | 38500 | 0.5888 | 38,572 | 1455 | 0.3659 | |
| 22 | University of South Carolina-Upstate | 15800 | 26800 | 0.4108 | 4,789 | 1040 | 0.6671 | |
| 24 | Jacksonville State University | 16000 | 27000 | 0.4081 | 8,663 | 1069 | 0.7769 | |
| 24 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Greater Allegheny | 16000 | 44500 | 0.64 | 308 | 1144 | 0.9053 | |
| 26 | Emporia State University | 16100 | 22900 | 0.2971 | 2,396 | 1075 | 0.9771 | |
| 26 | University of Nebraska at Omaha | 16100 | 23400 | 0.3124 | 11,756 | 1124 | 0.8727 | |
| 28 | Frostburg State University | 16200 | 26600 | 0.3907 | 3,436 | 1095 | 0.907 | |
| 29 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 16600 | 64800 | 0.7439 | 22,007 | 1427 | 0.1672 | |
| 30 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell | 16700 | 35700 | 0.5323 | 12,122 | 1283 | 0.8296 | |
| 31 | SUNY at Fredonia | 17100 | 27800 | 0.3854 | 2,771 | 1258 | 0.777 | |
| 32 | Central Connecticut State University | 17400 | 34000 | 0.4877 | 9,463 | 1020 | 0.793 | |
| 33 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Mont Alto | 17700 | 43500 | 0.5926 | 586 | 1140 | 0.9577 | |
| 33 | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | 17700 | 17700 | 0 | 18,667 | 1090 | 0.9711 | |
| 35 | Boston College | 17800 | 97600 | 0.8174 | 9,677 | 1484 | 0.1422 | |
| 36 | College of Charleston | 18000 | 33900 | 0.4696 | 10,596 | 1234 | 0.73 | |
| 36 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 18000 | 39000 | 0.5381 | 37,985 | 1390 | 0.5815 | |
| 38 | The University of Texas Permian Basin | 18100 | 28600 | 0.3669 | 3,991 | 1010 | 0.9654 | |
| 39 | Angelo State University | 18300 | 23100 | 0.2072 | 10,103 | 1045 | 0.7981 | |
| 40 | SUNY Brockport | 18400 | 26200 | 0.2972 | 5,816 | 1195 | 0.7068 | |
| 41 | Texas A&M University-Victoria | 18900 | 25000 | 0.2442 | 2,627 | 1000 | 0.5253 | |
| 42 | Notre Dame of Maryland University | 19100 | 68100 | 0.7197 | 711 | 1030 | 0.8214 | |
| 43 | University of South Alabama | 19200 | 22400 | 0.1431 | 9,530 | 1140 | 0.9455 | |
| 44 | Saint Xavier University | 19500 | 53300 | 0.6329 | 3,100 | 1050 | 0.843 | |
| 45 | Norwich University | 19600 | 73800 | 0.7342 | 2,626 | 1186 | 0.7444 | |
| 46 | Southeastern Oklahoma State University | 19700 | 30400 | 0.3516 | 3,224 | 1085 | 0.7643 | |
| 47 | SUNY Buffalo State University | 20100 | 39900 | 0.4965 | 5,196 | 1050 | 0.8422 | |
| 47 | University of Wisconsin-Green Bay | 20100 | 22800 | 0.1184 | 10,995 | 1090 | 0.7476 | |
| 49 | Grove City College | 20500 | 39700 | 0.4842 | 2,247 | 1248 | 0.667 | |
| 50 | Saint Mary's University of Minnesota | 20600 | 57800 | 0.6433 | 1,109 | 1175 | 0.9088 | |
| 51 | University of Maryland-College Park | 20900 | 27300 | 0.2346 | 31,875 | 1456 | 0.4503 | |
| 52 | Luther College | 21500 | 75400 | 0.7153 | 1,384 | 1226 | 0.8398 | |
| 52 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Abington | 21500 | 36400 | 0.4088 | 2,710 | 1218 | 0.9374 | |
| 54 | Bradley University | 21700 | 49900 | 0.5642 | 3,258 | 1174 | 0.7459 | |
| 55 | Grand Valley State University | 22100 | 35900 | 0.3849 | 19,154 | 1074 | 0.9271 | |
| 56 | Virginia Commonwealth University | 22200 | 33600 | 0.339 | 21,469 | 1167 | 0.9061 | |
| 57 | Lenoir-Rhyne University | 22400 | 53000 | 0.5768 | 1,495 | 1075 | 0.8761 | |
| 58 | Brigham Young University-Hawaii | 22600 | 25400 | 0.1104 | 2,907 | 1125 | 0.4696 | |
| 59 | San Jose State University | 22900 | 41100 | 0.4429 | 29,890 | 1135 | 0.8039 | |
| 60 | Dakota State University | 23100 | 25600 | 0.0977 | 3,085 | 1174 | 0.9241 | |
| 60 | Florida Memorial University | 23100 | 42000 | 0.4495 | 1,206 | 0 | 0.8526 | |
| 60 | Robert Morris University | 23100 | 58000 | 0.6012 | 4,325 | 1145 | 0.8989 | |
| 63 | Houghton University | 23200 | 44300 | 0.4763 | 958 | 1277 | 0.89 | |
| 64 | Concord University | 23300 | 40800 | 0.4293 | 1,638 | 1015 | 0.9728 | |
| 65 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 23600 | 24900 | 0.0522 | 31,845 | 1298 | 0.5651 | |
| 66 | Bowling Green State University-Main Campus | 23700 | 34400 | 0.311 | 15,273 | 1115 | 0.8089 | |
| 67 | Dominican University | 24000 | 56000 | 0.5723 | 2,642 | 1005 | 0.8879 | |
| 68 | Stockton University | 24100 | 32100 | 0.2491 | 7,583 | 1134 | 0.901 | |
| 69 | Westfield State University | 24600 | 39000 | 0.3688 | 3,868 | 1105 | 0.8671 | |
| 70 | Pennsylvania Western University | 24900 | 34400 | 0.2759 | 7,586 | 1045 | 0.9433 | |
| 71 | Columbia College | 25000 | 46900 | 0.467 | 876 | 1025 | 0.8878 | |
| 71 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Hazleton | 25000 | 45900 | 0.4557 | 504 | 1200 | 0.9095 | |
| 73 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine | 25800 | 37500 | 0.3124 | 1,078 | 1217 | 0.9646 | |
| 74 | Minnesota State University Moorhead | 26000 | 28300 | 0.0809 | 3,375 | 1090 | 0.5885 | |
| 74 | West Virginia Wesleyan College | 26000 | 53800 | 0.5169 | 971 | 1030 | 0.9334 | |
| 76 | Stony Brook University | 26100 | 33200 | 0.2129 | 18,616 | 1410 | 0.4818 | |
| 77 | Bemidji State University | 26400 | 26400 | 0 | 3,751 | 1075 | 0.5598 | |
| 78 | Benedictine University | 26500 | 48900 | 0.4581 | 2,082 | 1124 | 0.9576 | |
| 78 | Southern University at New Orleans | 26500 | 42300 | 0.3733 | 2,179 | 950 | 0.789 | |
| 80 | Northwood University | 26800 | 54500 | 0.5087 | 2,045 | 1055 | 0.6451 | |
| 81 | Bethune-Cookman University | 27200 | 32700 | 0.1682 | 2,739 | 910 | 0.8824 | |
| 82 | Wright State University-Main Campus | 27300 | 36500 | 0.2522 | 7,747 | 1073 | 0.9617 | |
| 83 | Kennesaw State University | 27400 | 27400 | 0 | 46,069 | 1119 | 0.7944 | |
| 83 | University of North Georgia | 27400 | 38600 | 0.2905 | 19,321 | 1100 | 0.9618 | |
| 85 | University of Maryland-Baltimore County | 27600 | 27600 | 0 | 11,087 | 1326 | 0.7397 | |
| 86 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Berks | 27800 | 36700 | 0.2427 | 1,709 | 1218 | 0.9653 | |
| 87 | Syracuse University | 27900 | 83100 | 0.6641 | 16,149 | 1374 | 0.4879 | |
| 88 | Elmhurst University | 28200 | 67000 | 0.5793 | 3,170 | 1133 | 0.7501 | |
| 89 | University of North Texas | 28400 | 37400 | 0.2405 | 34,414 | 1094 | 0.7089 | |
| 90 | University of Akron Main Campus | 28600 | 32300 | 0.1145 | 11,691 | 1074 | 0.7722 | |
| 91 | University of Utah | 28700 | 32000 | 0.1028 | 29,335 | 1222 | 0.9015 | |
| 92 | University of Louisiana at Monroe | 28900 | 42400 | 0.3187 | 6,761 | 1105 | 0.8475 | |
| 93 | Lincoln University | 29200 | 34500 | 0.1535 | 1,926 | 920 | 0 | |
| 94 | Texas A&M University-Commerce | 29400 | 36500 | 0.1945 | 9,666 | 1040 | 0.7498 | |
| 95 | Fairmont State University | 29600 | 32200 | 0.0808 | 3,090 | 970 | 0.9862 | |
| 95 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona | 29600 | 48100 | 0.3849 | 2,280 | 1224 | 0.9675 | |
| 97 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | 29700 | 31600 | 0.0601 | 7,088 | 1100 | 0.7448 | |
| 98 | Mercy University | 30100 | 44500 | 0.3237 | 6,692 | 1135 | 0.8724 | |
| 99 | Grambling State University | 30200 | 35300 | 0.1446 | 4,313 | 950 | 0.4486 | |
| 100 | University of North Florida | 30400 | 33000 | 0.0788 | 14,837 | 1124 | 0.6815 | |
| 101 | University of Northwestern-St Paul | 30500 | 54600 | 0.4413 | 3,120 | 1193 | 0.3992 | |
| 102 | University of Toledo | 30700 | 42000 | 0.269 | 10,726 | 1134 | 0.8889 | |
| 103 | Missouri University of Science and Technology | 30800 | 36900 | 0.1662 | 5,687 | 1305 | 0.7863 | |
| 104 | Indiana University-Indianapolis | 30900 | 33200 | 0.069 | 14,834 | 1149 | 0.7803 | |
| 105 | Central College | 31100 | 36800 | 0.155 | 1,050 | 1159 | 0.8698 | |
| 106 | Lamar University | 31200 | 38300 | 0.1855 | 8,387 | 1040 | 0.8353 | |
| 106 | Saint Michael's College | 31200 | 68500 | 0.5448 | 1,051 | 1280 | 0.8976 | |
| 108 | Hampton University | 31600 | 54800 | 0.4233 | 4,046 | 1005 | 0.6358 | |
| 109 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg | 32200 | 40900 | 0.2127 | 4,047 | 1219 | 0.976 | |
| 110 | Portland State University | 32300 | 43100 | 0.2502 | 14,932 | 1174 | 0.8586 | |
| 110 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 32300 | 35100 | 0.0799 | 32,041 | 1324 | 0.4358 | |
| 112 | University of Scranton | 32400 | 78700 | 0.5879 | 3,689 | 1245 | 0.8006 | |
| 113 | McKendree University | 32500 | 52900 | 0.3848 | 1,757 | 1098 | 0.7172 | |
| 113 | Morgan State University | 32500 | 41900 | 0.2245 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 115 | State University of New York at Oswego | 32700 | 40200 | 0.1866 | 5,293 | 1179 | 0.7989 | |
| 116 | University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown | 32800 | 49500 | 0.3377 | 1,829 | 1149 | 0.945 | |
| 117 | Suffolk University | 32900 | 70300 | 0.5319 | 4,247 | 1209 | 0.8228 | |
| 118 | Tarleton State University | 33300 | 33300 | 0 | 17,556 | 1090 | 0.5386 | |
| 119 | Cleveland State University | 33500 | 37300 | 0.1019 | 9,418 | 1069 | 0.913 | |
| 119 | Harding University | 33500 | 47800 | 0.299 | 3,536 | 1184 | 0.7052 | |
| 121 | Elizabethtown College | 33700 | 55300 | 0.3907 | 1,935 | 1214 | 0.8892 | |
| 121 | George Washington University | 33700 | 81800 | 0.5881 | 11,495 | 1436 | 0.4713 | |
| 123 | Salisbury University | 34000 | 41700 | 0.1845 | 6,477 | 1245 | 0.8826 | |
| 123 | Thomas Jefferson University | 34000 | 68100 | 0.5008 | 3,772 | 1255 | 0.8098 | |
| 125 | Charleston Southern University | 34200 | 48400 | 0.295 | 3,126 | 1060 | 0.9646 | |
| 126 | Loyola University Maryland | 34400 | 78800 | 0.5635 | 4,013 | 1329 | 0.6986 | |
| 127 | Texas Southern University | 34500 | 42500 | 0.1883 | 6,844 | 915 | 0.9691 | |
| 128 | Coastal Carolina University | 34900 | 45100 | 0.2259 | 11,471 | 1160 | 0.7003 | |
| 129 | Adelphi University | 35000 | 63300 | 0.4467 | 5,097 | 1241 | 0.7215 | |
| 130 | California Lutheran University | 35200 | 70000 | 0.4973 | 2,160 | 1218 | 0.7631 | |
| 131 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Schuylkill | 35300 | 61100 | 0.4223 | 653 | 1145 | 0.7972 | |
| 132 | Averett University | 35400 | 57200 | 0.3813 | 1,244 | 1054 | 0.5659 | |
| 133 | Immaculata University | 35700 | 47500 | 0.2482 | 1,889 | 1264 | 0.8656 | |
| 134 | Furman University | 36500 | 82900 | 0.5595 | 2,304 | 1372 | 0.4869 | |
| 135 | Colorado State University Pueblo | 36600 | 39900 | 0.0825 | 3,893 | 1015 | 0.9839 | |
| 136 | East Carolina University | 36900 | 42700 | 0.1356 | 21,693 | 1065 | 0.9003 | |
| 136 | University of Arkansas at Little Rock | 36900 | 37100 | 0.0054 | 5,939 | 1065 | 0.5878 | |
| 138 | DePaul University | 37800 | 66000 | 0.4275 | 14,338 | 1258 | 0.878 | |
| 139 | Christopher Newport University | 38000 | 51000 | 0.2551 | 4,369 | 1189 | 0.8604 | |
| 140 | University of Illinois Chicago | 38200 | 50600 | 0.2451 | 24,260 | 1174 | 0.7576 | |
| 141 | SUNY Polytechnic Institute | 38900 | 38900 | 0 | 1,973 | 1189 | 0.8142 | |
| 142 | Rutgers University-Newark | 39600 | 57900 | 0.316 | 7,989 | 1159 | 0.7136 | |
| 143 | Pace University | 40500 | 74800 | 0.4585 | 5,520 | 1273 | 0.7827 | |
| 143 | Wayne State University | 40500 | 46200 | 0.1234 | 16,390 | 1183 | 0.8359 | |
| 145 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 41600 | 55200 | 0.2463 | 21,388 | 1369 | 0.5945 | |
| 146 | University of Mount Olive | 42100 | 50400 | 0.1645 | 1,944 | 1075 | 0.7575 | |
| 147 | Western Oregon University | 43400 | 43400 | 0 | 3,034 | 1120 | 0.8345 | |
| 148 | Merrimack College | 43500 | 78800 | 0.4479 | 4,123 | 1124 | 0.6927 | |
| 149 | Wentworth Institute of Technology | 43900 | 67900 | 0.3534 | 4,182 | 1317 | 0.8783 | |
| 150 | Towson University | 45300 | 46400 | 0.0237 | 16,361 | 1082 | 0.8057 | |
| 151 | Mercer University | 45700 | 65400 | 0.3015 | 4,719 | 1263 | 0.643 | |
| 152 | University of Houston-Clear Lake | 46400 | 46600 | 0.0043 | 6,029 | 1075 | 0.9173 | |
| 153 | University of Colorado Boulder | 47000 | 57700 | 0.1843 | 32,244 | 1351 | 0.7809 | |
| 154 | Drexel University | 47700 | 83900 | 0.4315 | 12,318 | 1354 | 0.699 | |
| 155 | The University of Texas at Arlington | 48000 | 55800 | 0.1398 | 32,545 | 1129 | 0.799 | |
| 156 | University of Kentucky | 49000 | 58000 | 0.1552 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 157 | University of California-Riverside | 49200 | 66000 | 0.2547 | 24,034 | 1199 | 0.8609 | |
| 158 | Ramapo College of New Jersey | 50500 | 55400 | 0.0883 | 5,492 | 1210 | 0.7026 | |
| 158 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 50500 | 58800 | 0.1411 | 25,054 | 1225 | 0.7762 | |
| 160 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 50800 | 84700 | 0.4003 | 35,358 | 1448 | 0.1642 | |
| 161 | Rowan University | 53600 | 53600 | 0 | 17,157 | 1204 | 0.7654 | |
| 162 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 58200 | 64100 | 0.092 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 163 | Molloy University | 58600 | 62300 | 0.0594 | 3,396 | 1188 | 0.6633 | |
| 164 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 58900 | 61200 | 0.0374 | 26,490 | 1183 | 0.8863 | |
| 165 | Thiel College | 60500 | 69100 | 0.1244 | 830 | 1065 | 0.7189 | |
| 166 | Clemson University | 61400 | 63700 | 0.036 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 | |
| 167 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | 63700 | 63700 | 0 | 9,827 | 1329 | 0.6737 | |
| 168 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Beaver | 63900 | 63900 | 0 | 475 | 1195 | 0.9418 | |
| 169 | Fordham University | 74900 | 95100 | 0.2123 | 10,582 | 1406 | 0.5931 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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