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 | California Institute of Technology | 7500 | 91800 | 0.9183 | 987 | 1557 | 0.0257 | |
| 3 | College of Staten Island CUNY | 7700 | 36100 | 0.7877 | 10,051 | 1064 | 0.9234 | |
| 4 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 8300 | 97100 | 0.915 | 9,164 | 1535 | 0.0399 | |
| 5 | University of Houston-Clear Lake | 10300 | 10300 | 0 | 6,139 | 1070 | 0.9052 | |
| 6 | Valdosta State University | 10500 | 24800 | 0.5775 | 7,166 | 1015 | 0.7229 | |
| 7 | Savannah State University | 10600 | 26700 | 0.6037 | 2,966 | 925 | 0.4614 | |
| 8 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 12500 | 28100 | 0.5551 | 8,553 | 1045 | 0.8688 | |
| 9 | University of North Florida | 12600 | 22400 | 0.438 | 13,735 | 1150 | 0.5324 | |
| 10 | Fort Hays State University | 12800 | 22600 | 0.435 | 10,172 | 1075 | 0.9026 | |
| 11 | University of South Florida | 12900 | 17100 | 0.2454 | 38,525 | 1239 | 0.4319 | |
| 12 | University of Michigan-Flint | 13000 | 46300 | 0.719 | 5,011 | 1109 | 0.7046 | |
| 13 | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | 13300 | 13300 | 0 | 18,288 | 1090 | 0.9068 | |
| 14 | SUNY Polytechnic Institute | 13500 | 13500 | 0 | 1,973 | 1189 | 0.8135 | |
| 15 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 16 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 13700 | 50700 | 0.7294 | 38,040 | 1418 | 0.452 | |
| 17 | Grand Valley State University | 14100 | 25300 | 0.4432 | 19,002 | 1084 | 0.8302 | |
| 18 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Greater Allegheny | 14200 | 40600 | 0.6496 | 352 | 1180 | 0.9647 | |
| 19 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5048 | 11,348 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 20 | Dickinson State University | 14400 | 25000 | 0.4259 | 1,339 | 990 | 0.3702 | |
| 21 | Northwestern State University of Louisiana | 14600 | 29600 | 0.5075 | 7,622 | 1075 | 0.9254 | |
| 21 | Northwestern University | 14600 | 88300 | 0.8348 | 9,399 | 1527 | 0.0769 | |
| 23 | Wayne State College | 15100 | 20300 | 0.2561 | 3,902 | 0 | 0 | |
| 24 | Alabama State University | 15500 | 24300 | 0.3632 | 3,521 | 945 | 0.9755 | |
| 25 | University of California-Riverside | 15900 | 36500 | 0.564 | 22,600 | 1199 | 0.7639 | |
| 25 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 15900 | 38500 | 0.5862 | 37,140 | 1406 | 0.4237 | |
| 27 | Emporia State University | 16100 | 22900 | 0.2971 | 2,396 | 1075 | 0.9771 | |
| 28 | Grove City College | 16400 | 39700 | 0.5876 | 2,341 | 1266 | 0.7232 | |
| 29 | Goshen College | 16500 | 55900 | 0.7045 | 780 | 995 | 0.8407 | |
| 30 | Southern University at New Orleans | 16600 | 31000 | 0.4639 | 2,179 | 950 | 0.789 | |
| 31 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell | 16700 | 35700 | 0.5323 | 12,122 | 1283 | 0.8304 | |
| 31 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 16700 | 64800 | 0.7418 | 20,885 | 1420 | 0.1534 | |
| 33 | Westfield State University | 16800 | 33100 | 0.4931 | 3,868 | 1085 | 0.8141 | |
| 34 | SUNY at Fredonia | 17100 | 27800 | 0.3854 | 2,771 | 1258 | 0.777 | |
| 35 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Mont Alto | 17200 | 43500 | 0.6041 | 581 | 1132 | 0.9821 | |
| 36 | Central Connecticut State University | 17600 | 34000 | 0.4818 | 8,170 | 1075 | 0.7333 | |
| 36 | Wright State University-Main Campus | 17600 | 26600 | 0.3387 | 7,505 | 1073 | 0.9633 | |
| 38 | Boston College | 17900 | 97600 | 0.8164 | 10,314 | 1490 | 0.1643 | |
| 38 | University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown | 17900 | 35300 | 0.4926 | 1,813 | 1109 | 0.9484 | |
| 40 | College of Charleston | 18000 | 33900 | 0.4696 | 10,880 | 1255 | 0.6003 | |
| 41 | State University of New York at Oswego | 18200 | 27700 | 0.3428 | 5,517 | 1180 | 0.8055 | |
| 41 | The University of Texas Permian Basin | 18200 | 28600 | 0.3634 | 4,218 | 1030 | 0.9489 | |
| 43 | University of Houston-Victoria | 19400 | 35800 | 0.4583 | 2,627 | 1095 | 0.959 | |
| 44 | Rutgers University-Newark | 19500 | 38000 | 0.4866 | 7,989 | 1159 | 0.7136 | |
| 44 | Saint Xavier University | 19500 | 53300 | 0.6329 | 3,098 | 1050 | 0.843 | |
| 46 | Norwich University | 19600 | 73800 | 0.7342 | 2,626 | 1186 | 0.7444 | |
| 46 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Hazleton | 19600 | 41400 | 0.5262 | 502 | 1189 | 0.9641 | |
| 48 | Southeastern Oklahoma State University | 19700 | 30400 | 0.3516 | 3,224 | 1085 | 0.7643 | |
| 49 | University of Wisconsin-Green Bay | 20100 | 22800 | 0.1184 | 10,632 | 1075 | 0.8859 | |
| 50 | SUNY Buffalo State University | 20400 | 39900 | 0.489 | 5,255 | 1109 | 0.7295 | |
| 51 | East Carolina University | 20800 | 23800 | 0.1258 | 21,445 | 1160 | 0.8921 | |
| 51 | Saint Mary's University of Minnesota | 20800 | 57800 | 0.6408 | 1,932 | 1193 | 0.9278 | |
| 53 | University of Nebraska at Omaha | 20900 | 27600 | 0.2431 | 11,756 | 1124 | 0.8698 | |
| 54 | Albright College | 21200 | 49300 | 0.5699 | 1,230 | 1050 | 0.7633 | |
| 55 | Luther College | 21400 | 71900 | 0.7019 | 1,384 | 1226 | 0.7154 | |
| 56 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Abington | 21500 | 36400 | 0.4088 | 2,884 | 1175 | 0.9677 | |
| 57 | University of Illinois Chicago | 22200 | 30100 | 0.2629 | 22,495 | 1252 | 0.7735 | |
| 57 | Virginia Commonwealth University | 22200 | 33600 | 0.339 | 21,210 | 1148 | 0.9262 | |
| 59 | Grambling State University | 22400 | 25700 | 0.1286 | 4,313 | 950 | 0.4486 | |
| 59 | Lenoir-Rhyne University | 22400 | 53000 | 0.5768 | 1,472 | 1075 | 0.8459 | |
| 61 | Brigham Young University-Hawaii | 22500 | 25400 | 0.1143 | 2,906 | 1125 | 0.4696 | |
| 61 | New Mexico Highlands University | 22500 | 27200 | 0.1726 | 1,603 | 0 | 0 | |
| 63 | San Jose State University | 23000 | 41100 | 0.4405 | 28,008 | 1124 | 0.8461 | |
| 64 | Dakota State University | 23100 | 25600 | 0.0977 | 3,066 | 1192 | 0.8805 | |
| 64 | Florida Memorial University | 23100 | 42000 | 0.4495 | 1,206 | 0 | 0.8526 | |
| 66 | Houghton University | 23200 | 44300 | 0.4763 | 1,162 | 1277 | 0.8866 | |
| 67 | Robert Morris University | 23300 | 58000 | 0.5988 | 4,325 | 1145 | 0.8989 | |
| 68 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 23600 | 24900 | 0.0522 | 30,187 | 1292 | 0.6015 | |
| 69 | University of Kentucky | 23800 | 36400 | 0.3454 | 25,534 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 70 | Dominican University | 24000 | 56000 | 0.5716 | 2,690 | 1005 | 0.9032 | |
| 71 | Bradley University | 24100 | 49900 | 0.5161 | 3,596 | 1223 | 0.7676 | |
| 72 | Ramapo College of New Jersey | 24200 | 36300 | 0.3337 | 5,444 | 1220 | 0.7064 | |
| 73 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | 24400 | 30600 | 0.2026 | 10,200 | 1325 | 0.6507 | |
| 74 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 24600 | 40500 | 0.3927 | 25,900 | 1375 | 0.5808 | |
| 74 | Western Oregon University | 24600 | 24600 | 0 | 3,167 | 1040 | 0.981 | |
| 76 | Pennsylvania Western University | 24900 | 34400 | 0.2759 | 7,586 | 1045 | 0.9433 | |
| 77 | Doane University | 25300 | 71000 | 0.644 | 1,315 | 1125 | 0.9801 | |
| 78 | Bethune-Cookman University | 25900 | 32700 | 0.208 | 2,738 | 910 | 0.8824 | |
| 79 | Minnesota State University Moorhead | 26100 | 28300 | 0.076 | 3,375 | 1090 | 0.5876 | |
| 80 | Bowling Green State University-Main Campus | 26400 | 36800 | 0.2828 | 14,783 | 1124 | 0.8096 | |
| 80 | Columbia College | 26400 | 46900 | 0.4372 | 5,207 | 1145 | 0.4714 | |
| 82 | Benedictine University | 26500 | 48900 | 0.4581 | 1,972 | 1161 | 0.9523 | |
| 83 | Northwood University | 26800 | 54500 | 0.5087 | 2,045 | 1055 | 0.6451 | |
| 84 | Colorado State University Pueblo | 26900 | 30100 | 0.1047 | 5,086 | 1124 | 0.949 | |
| 85 | Kennesaw State University | 27400 | 27400 | 0 | 42,760 | 1120 | 0.6919 | |
| 85 | University of North Georgia | 27400 | 38600 | 0.2905 | 18,322 | 1100 | 0.6794 | |
| 87 | University of Maryland-Baltimore County | 27600 | 27600 | 0 | 10,767 | 1326 | 0.7243 | |
| 88 | Syracuse University | 27800 | 83100 | 0.6653 | 15,957 | 1363 | 0.4592 | |
| 89 | Fairmont State University | 28100 | 32200 | 0.1274 | 3,088 | 970 | 0.9862 | |
| 90 | George Fox University | 28300 | 69400 | 0.5925 | 3,354 | 1193 | 0.9351 | |
| 91 | University of Akron Main Campus | 28600 | 32300 | 0.1145 | 11,160 | 1069 | 0.5967 | |
| 92 | Elmhurst University | 28700 | 67000 | 0.5719 | 3,213 | 1148 | 0.7364 | |
| 93 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | 28800 | 36700 | 0.2151 | 28,674 | 980 | 0.9419 | |
| 94 | University of Louisiana at Monroe | 28900 | 42400 | 0.3187 | 6,761 | 1105 | 0.8475 | |
| 94 | University of North Texas | 28900 | 37400 | 0.2271 | 34,458 | 1114 | 0.7223 | |
| 94 | University of Utah | 28900 | 32000 | 0.0984 | 28,064 | 1237 | 0.8598 | |
| 97 | Jacksonville State University | 29100 | 38200 | 0.2381 | 8,663 | 1069 | 0.7769 | |
| 98 | Clemson University | 29200 | 37100 | 0.2141 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 | |
| 99 | East Texas A&M University | 29500 | 36500 | 0.1917 | 9,992 | 1045 | 0.9224 | |
| 100 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | 29600 | 31600 | 0.0633 | 6,835 | 1090 | 0.7147 | |
| 101 | Morgan State University | 29700 | 41900 | 0.2914 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 102 | University of South Carolina-Upstate | 29800 | 39700 | 0.2495 | 4,487 | 1115 | 0.6726 | |
| 102 | University of Toledo | 29800 | 42000 | 0.2895 | 11,013 | 1229 | 0.9202 | |
| 104 | Mercy University | 30100 | 44500 | 0.3237 | 6,774 | 1135 | 0.8584 | |
| 104 | Northern Kentucky University | 30100 | 32100 | 0.0623 | 10,163 | 1090 | 0.6765 | |
| 106 | Oklahoma Baptist University | 30500 | 54700 | 0.4419 | 1,427 | 1025 | 0.4941 | |
| 107 | Lincoln University | 30600 | 34500 | 0.1129 | 1,926 | 0 | 0 | |
| 107 | University of Northwestern-St Paul | 30600 | 54600 | 0.4387 | 3,163 | 1165 | 0.9347 | |
| 109 | Central College | 30700 | 36800 | 0.1659 | 1,084 | 1145 | 0.8617 | |
| 110 | Missouri University of Science and Technology | 30900 | 36900 | 0.1624 | 5,552 | 1305 | 0.7255 | |
| 111 | Frostburg State University | 31000 | 43000 | 0.2792 | 3,422 | 1095 | 0.8918 | |
| 111 | Indiana University-Indianapolis | 31000 | 33200 | 0.0648 | 14,504 | 1149 | 0.7637 | |
| 113 | Hampton University | 31400 | 54800 | 0.427 | 3,728 | 947 | 0.6225 | |
| 114 | Angelo State University | 31700 | 35400 | 0.1031 | 9,702 | 1055 | 0.8301 | |
| 115 | Saint Michael's College | 31900 | 68500 | 0.5346 | 1,120 | 1240 | 0.8451 | |
| 116 | McKendree University | 32000 | 52200 | 0.3872 | 1,757 | 1098 | 0.7172 | |
| 117 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg | 32200 | 40900 | 0.2127 | 4,047 | 1219 | 0.976 | |
| 118 | Washington Adventist University | 32300 | 37800 | 0.1457 | 513 | 995 | 0.4618 | |
| 119 | SUNY Brockport | 32400 | 35800 | 0.095 | 5,816 | 1195 | 0.7068 | |
| 120 | University of Scranton | 32500 | 78700 | 0.5874 | 3,613 | 1250 | 0.8123 | |
| 121 | Suffolk University | 32900 | 70300 | 0.5319 | 4,326 | 1209 | 0.8233 | |
| 122 | Tarleton State University | 33300 | 33300 | 0 | 15,254 | 1080 | 0.8955 | |
| 123 | Cleveland State University | 33500 | 37300 | 0.1019 | 9,482 | 1069 | 0.913 | |
| 124 | George Washington University | 33700 | 81800 | 0.5881 | 11,677 | 1430 | 0.4709 | |
| 124 | Immaculata University | 33700 | 47900 | 0.2967 | 1,652 | 1245 | 0.8576 | |
| 126 | LeTourneau University | 34000 | 54800 | 0.3798 | 3,187 | 1178 | 0.3801 | |
| 126 | Thomas Jefferson University | 34000 | 68100 | 0.501 | 3,772 | 1255 | 0.8097 | |
| 128 | Salisbury University | 34100 | 41700 | 0.1821 | 6,288 | 1250 | 0.8747 | |
| 129 | Charleston Southern University | 34300 | 48400 | 0.2921 | 3,126 | 1060 | 0.9646 | |
| 130 | Coastal Carolina University | 34700 | 45100 | 0.2304 | 10,811 | 1145 | 0.7527 | |
| 131 | California Lutheran University | 35100 | 70000 | 0.4988 | 2,297 | 1254 | 0.7567 | |
| 132 | Adelphi University | 35200 | 63300 | 0.4445 | 5,325 | 1237 | 0.6591 | |
| 132 | Stockton University | 35200 | 44500 | 0.2091 | 7,565 | 1135 | 0.8894 | |
| 134 | Averett University | 35400 | 57200 | 0.3813 | 1,244 | 1054 | 0.5659 | |
| 135 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville | 36500 | 41600 | 0.1237 | 5,386 | 1050 | 0.9092 | |
| 136 | Furman University | 36700 | 82900 | 0.5571 | 2,383 | 1359 | 0.4295 | |
| 136 | Loyola University Maryland | 36700 | 78800 | 0.5343 | 3,881 | 1303 | 0.7549 | |
| 138 | University of Arkansas at Little Rock | 36900 | 37100 | 0.0054 | 5,939 | 1065 | 0.5878 | |
| 139 | DePaul University | 37800 | 66000 | 0.4275 | 14,188 | 1254 | 0.7589 | |
| 140 | Christopher Newport University | 38000 | 51000 | 0.2551 | 4,369 | 1189 | 0.8604 | |
| 141 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | 38400 | 38700 | 0.0078 | 14,416 | 1210 | 0.8851 | |
| 142 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 38600 | 53100 | 0.2729 | 30,564 | 1302 | 0.416 | |
| 143 | University of South Alabama | 39700 | 39700 | 0 | 9,241 | 1140 | 0.7096 | |
| 144 | Stony Brook University | 39900 | 53000 | 0.2481 | 18,263 | 1410 | 0.4904 | |
| 145 | Wayne State University | 40400 | 46200 | 0.1256 | 16,012 | 1174 | 0.8116 | |
| 146 | Pace University | 40700 | 74800 | 0.4558 | 8,038 | 1260 | 0.7592 | |
| 147 | University of Mount Olive | 42300 | 50400 | 0.1617 | 1,944 | 1075 | 0.7575 | |
| 148 | University of Maryland-College Park | 43000 | 53600 | 0.1979 | 31,133 | 1463 | 0.4479 | |
| 149 | Merrimack College | 43500 | 78800 | 0.4474 | 4,102 | 1115 | 0.7002 | |
| 150 | Radford University | 43600 | 45700 | 0.047 | 6,161 | 1070 | 0.8953 | |
| 151 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 43900 | 57100 | 0.2305 | 23,329 | 1239 | 0.766 | |
| 152 | James Madison University | 45200 | 45200 | 0 | 20,973 | 1260 | 0.7152 | |
| 153 | Towson University | 45500 | 46400 | 0.0194 | 16,264 | 1098 | 0.8197 | |
| 154 | University of Colorado Boulder | 47000 | 57700 | 0.1842 | 32,244 | 1351 | 0.7808 | |
| 155 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 47100 | 59700 | 0.2117 | 37,985 | 1390 | 0.5815 | |
| 156 | Wentworth Institute of Technology | 47900 | 67900 | 0.2945 | 3,965 | 1229 | 0.9121 | |
| 157 | The University of Texas at Arlington | 48000 | 55800 | 0.1398 | 32,545 | 1129 | 0.799 | |
| 158 | Drexel University | 48800 | 83900 | 0.4184 | 13,309 | 1339 | 0.7944 | |
| 159 | Mercer University | 48900 | 63700 | 0.2324 | 4,690 | 1273 | 0.6889 | |
| 160 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 53000 | 61200 | 0.1332 | 26,221 | 1204 | 0.8854 | |
| 161 | Rowan University | 53600 | 53600 | 0 | 16,100 | 1219 | 0.7766 | |
| 162 | Dallas Baptist University | 56400 | 63400 | 0.1104 | 2,785 | 1109 | 0.8884 | |
| 163 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 58200 | 64100 | 0.092 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 164 | Molloy University | 59800 | 62300 | 0.0402 | 3,240 | 1199 | 0.8174 | |
| 165 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine | 60400 | 64100 | 0.0577 | 1,236 | 1193 | 0.9811 | |
| 166 | Thiel College | 60600 | 69100 | 0.123 | 833 | 1065 | 0.7155 | |
| 167 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Berks | 62000 | 64200 | 0.0343 | 1,880 | 1185 | 0.9867 | |
| 168 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Beaver | 63900 | 63900 | 0 | 482 | 1195 | 0.9565 | |
| 169 | Fordham University | 69900 | 95100 | 0.2649 | 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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