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 | Old Dominion University | 0 | 32400 | 1 | 17,504 | 1205 | 0.9135 | |
| 2 | Brigham Young University | 8000 | 22000 | 0.6362 | 34,354 | 1374 | 0.6862 | |
| 3 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 8200 | 90000 | 0.9093 | 4,561 | 1542 | 0.0456 | |
| 4 | Emory University | 8400 | 92500 | 0.9091 | 7,320 | 1499 | 0.103 | |
| 5 | Rice University | 9800 | 89100 | 0.8903 | 4,807 | 1528 | 0.0801 | |
| 5 | Southeastern Oklahoma State University | 9800 | 20400 | 0.5201 | 3,224 | 1085 | 0.7643 | |
| 7 | University of Notre Dame | 10800 | 86200 | 0.8752 | 8,950 | 1497 | 0.0938 | |
| 8 | Georgetown University | 11100 | 92700 | 0.8803 | 7,908 | 1470 | 0.1349 | |
| 9 | Bucknell University | 11200 | 95700 | 0.8834 | 3,928 | 1275 | 0.322 | |
| 10 | Indiana State University | 11400 | 25900 | 0.5607 | 6,352 | 1015 | 0.9157 | |
| 11 | Eastern Washington University | 11500 | 31200 | 0.6315 | 7,640 | 1045 | 0.8526 | |
| 11 | University of California-San Diego | 11500 | 39700 | 0.7102 | 35,442 | 1375 | 0.2856 | |
| 11 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 11500 | 29100 | 0.6053 | 40,996 | 1399 | 0.4175 | |
| 14 | The University of Texas at Dallas | 11700 | 19400 | 0.3967 | 23,007 | 1281 | 0.6909 | |
| 15 | Wake Forest University | 11900 | 91900 | 0.8701 | 5,595 | 1463 | 0.2076 | |
| 16 | University of Houston | 12000 | 28400 | 0.5781 | 40,366 | 1224 | 0.7577 | |
| 17 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | 12200 | 38800 | 0.6861 | 17,848 | 1470 | 0.1565 | |
| 18 | University of Pennsylvania | 12300 | 92900 | 0.8676 | 9,989 | 1535 | 0.0492 | |
| 19 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 12500 | 28100 | 0.5551 | 8,421 | 1054 | 0.9444 | |
| 20 | Eastern Illinois University | 12700 | 24300 | 0.4768 | 6,731 | 1020 | 0.7073 | |
| 21 | Trinity University | 13600 | 69600 | 0.805 | 2,423 | 1408 | 0.2488 | |
| 22 | Utah State University | 13800 | 20800 | 0.3369 | 26,629 | 1168 | 0.9212 | |
| 22 | Western Washington University | 13800 | 31400 | 0.5605 | 13,609 | 1199 | 0.9371 | |
| 24 | University of California-Merced | 14000 | 41900 | 0.666 | 8,234 | 1070 | 0.9704 | |
| 25 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5048 | 12,118 | 1070 | 0.7164 | |
| 26 | Arkansas Tech University | 14500 | 27400 | 0.4711 | 8,279 | 1055 | 0.9747 | |
| 27 | Troy University | 15400 | 26700 | 0.4231 | 10,130 | 1075 | 0.9535 | |
| 28 | Ball State University | 15700 | 22400 | 0.2995 | 15,950 | 1185 | 0.8625 | |
| 29 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Beaver | 16000 | 38700 | 0.5863 | 475 | 1195 | 0.9418 | |
| 29 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Greater Allegheny | 16000 | 44500 | 0.64 | 308 | 1144 | 0.9053 | |
| 29 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | 16000 | 22300 | 0.2822 | 26,213 | 1209 | 0.7778 | |
| 29 | Weber State University | 16000 | 23600 | 0.3216 | 31,672 | 1075 | 1 | |
| 33 | University of Nebraska at Omaha | 16100 | 23400 | 0.3124 | 11,756 | 1124 | 0.8727 | |
| 34 | William Carey University | 17100 | 33500 | 0.4902 | 3,052 | 1120 | 0.6029 | |
| 35 | Mid-America Christian University | 17200 | 36800 | 0.533 | 1,806 | 970 | 0.9176 | |
| 36 | University of St Francis | 17300 | 57200 | 0.6976 | 1,416 | 1030 | 0.6528 | |
| 37 | Salem State University | 17500 | 28500 | 0.3859 | 4,867 | 1075 | 0.9588 | |
| 38 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Mont Alto | 17700 | 43500 | 0.5926 | 586 | 1140 | 0.9577 | |
| 38 | University of Miami | 17700 | 95700 | 0.8149 | 13,241 | 1408 | 0.1761 | |
| 40 | Boston College | 17900 | 97600 | 0.8164 | 9,677 | 1484 | 0.1422 | |
| 41 | Bridgewater State University | 18000 | 25400 | 0.291 | 8,849 | 1143 | 0.8798 | |
| 41 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 18000 | 39000 | 0.5383 | 37,985 | 1390 | 0.5815 | |
| 43 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 18200 | 18200 | 0 | 35,248 | 1289 | 0.6939 | |
| 44 | Holy Family University | 18400 | 56200 | 0.6732 | 2,808 | 975 | 0.7456 | |
| 45 | Grand Canyon University | 18900 | 33700 | 0.4392 | 75,936 | 1075 | 0.7891 | |
| 45 | Quincy University | 18900 | 57900 | 0.6733 | 1,096 | 1115 | 0.551 | |
| 47 | Alma College | 19000 | 64800 | 0.707 | 1,198 | 1040 | 0.6569 | |
| 48 | Stetson University | 19400 | 79100 | 0.7551 | 2,414 | 1089 | 0.7167 | |
| 49 | Ouachita Baptist University | 19500 | 58200 | 0.6651 | 1,715 | 1193 | 0.7072 | |
| 50 | Lee University | 19600 | 37400 | 0.4762 | 3,425 | 1154 | 0.7138 | |
| 50 | Norwich University | 19600 | 73800 | 0.7342 | 2,626 | 1186 | 0.7444 | |
| 52 | Illinois College | 19800 | 55200 | 0.6413 | 1,008 | 1059 | 0.7494 | |
| 53 | University of Southern California | 20000 | 75900 | 0.7369 | 20,768 | 1499 | 0.1119 | |
| 54 | University of Rochester | 20300 | 93100 | 0.7822 | 6,096 | 1448 | 0.4191 | |
| 55 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 20600 | 23200 | 0.1121 | 20,786 | 1225 | 0.8689 | |
| 56 | Piedmont University | 20700 | 47200 | 0.5614 | 1,154 | 1080 | 0.9054 | |
| 56 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 20700 | 30600 | 0.3258 | 43,633 | 1342 | 0.4343 | |
| 58 | University of Northern Iowa | 20900 | 24000 | 0.1289 | 7,800 | 1115 | 0.9313 | |
| 59 | Bradley University | 21700 | 49900 | 0.5642 | 3,258 | 1174 | 0.7459 | |
| 59 | La Roche University | 21700 | 72600 | 0.7014 | 1,972 | 990 | 0.6638 | |
| 61 | Grand Valley State University | 22100 | 35900 | 0.3849 | 19,154 | 1074 | 0.9271 | |
| 62 | Sterling College | 22200 | 77400 | 0.713 | 649 | 1103 | 0.8759 | |
| 62 | Washburn University | 22200 | 29500 | 0.2478 | 5,427 | 1048 | 1 | |
| 64 | Lenoir-Rhyne University | 22400 | 53000 | 0.5768 | 1,495 | 1075 | 0.8761 | |
| 65 | New York University | 22700 | 91800 | 0.7524 | 29,471 | 1520 | 0.0906 | |
| 66 | University of South Dakota | 22900 | 26000 | 0.119 | 7,515 | 1120 | 0.9884 | |
| 67 | Newman University | 23000 | 55800 | 0.5884 | 2,529 | 1069 | 0.7398 | |
| 68 | Faulkner University | 23100 | 40600 | 0.4315 | 1,758 | 1025 | 0.7307 | |
| 69 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 23500 | 34500 | 0.3192 | 8,513 | 1160 | 0.9261 | |
| 69 | Hamline University | 23500 | 56500 | 0.5836 | 1,852 | 1175 | 0.9013 | |
| 69 | York College of Pennsylvania | 23500 | 45800 | 0.4873 | 3,369 | 1153 | 0.7374 | |
| 72 | Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus | 23600 | 90700 | 0.7398 | 8,727 | 1055 | 0.9703 | |
| 73 | Florida International University | 23700 | 23700 | 0 | 46,249 | 1180 | 0.6085 | |
| 74 | Saint Norbert College | 23900 | 63800 | 0.6252 | 1,970 | 1193 | 0.8574 | |
| 75 | Texas Wesleyan University | 24000 | 64500 | 0.6278 | 1,796 | 1060 | 0.6916 | |
| 76 | Saint Ambrose University | 24100 | 55400 | 0.5646 | 1,884 | 1065 | 0.8006 | |
| 77 | University of Kansas | 24200 | 37600 | 0.3585 | 22,544 | 1176 | 0.9258 | |
| 78 | Augustana College | 24900 | 72800 | 0.6583 | 2,536 | 1157 | 0.6628 | |
| 79 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Hazleton | 25000 | 45900 | 0.4557 | 504 | 1200 | 0.9095 | |
| 80 | Lewis University | 25100 | 57700 | 0.5649 | 4,914 | 1127 | 0.6916 | |
| 81 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 25200 | 31100 | 0.1898 | 19,787 | 1197 | 0.8807 | |
| 82 | Saint Leo University | 25300 | 50000 | 0.4938 | 7,519 | 1110 | 0.7877 | |
| 82 | University of Dayton | 25300 | 64200 | 0.606 | 7,252 | 1319 | 0.6659 | |
| 84 | The University of Findlay | 25400 | 50600 | 0.4976 | 4,132 | 1090 | 0.6748 | |
| 85 | Walla Walla University | 25700 | 51700 | 0.5026 | 1,314 | 1159 | 0.604 | |
| 86 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine | 25800 | 37500 | 0.3124 | 1,078 | 1217 | 0.9646 | |
| 87 | Otterbein University | 25900 | 57300 | 0.5479 | 2,292 | 1126 | 0.8388 | |
| 88 | Iowa State University | 26200 | 42800 | 0.3868 | 26,346 | 1212 | 0.8793 | |
| 89 | Benedictine University | 26500 | 48900 | 0.4581 | 2,082 | 1124 | 0.9576 | |
| 90 | William Paterson University of New Jersey | 26600 | 31100 | 0.1448 | 6,647 | 1153 | 0.9008 | |
| 91 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 26700 | 41500 | 0.3564 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 92 | Northwood University | 26800 | 54500 | 0.5087 | 2,045 | 1055 | 0.6451 | |
| 92 | University of Arkansas | 26800 | 28900 | 0.0726 | 29,252 | 1179 | 0.7388 | |
| 94 | St. Francis College | 26900 | 39400 | 0.3177 | 1,719 | 1035 | 1 | |
| 95 | Wright State University-Main Campus | 27300 | 36500 | 0.2522 | 7,747 | 1073 | 0.9617 | |
| 96 | University of North Alabama | 27400 | 37300 | 0.2655 | 8,078 | 1124 | 0.7054 | |
| 97 | Cornell College | 27500 | 74800 | 0.6318 | 1,094 | 1243 | 0.799 | |
| 97 | Saginaw Valley State University | 27500 | 39800 | 0.3091 | 6,280 | 1050 | 0.7843 | |
| 99 | Creighton University | 27600 | 68000 | 0.5944 | 4,833 | 1328 | 0.9216 | |
| 100 | Roosevelt University | 28600 | 47600 | 0.3999 | 2,868 | 1049 | 0.9716 | |
| 101 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 29000 | 34000 | 0.1472 | 31,845 | 1298 | 0.5651 | |
| 102 | University of Connecticut | 29200 | 39500 | 0.2608 | 20,056 | 1329 | 0.5239 | |
| 103 | Ferrum College | 29400 | 49500 | 0.4061 | 726 | 990 | 0.8898 | |
| 104 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona | 29600 | 48100 | 0.3849 | 2,280 | 1224 | 0.9675 | |
| 105 | William Peace University | 29700 | 50200 | 0.409 | 778 | 1150 | 0.8633 | |
| 106 | Southern Methodist University | 29800 | 90100 | 0.6692 | 7,545 | 1427 | 0.4764 | |
| 107 | Southern Adventist University | 29900 | 46900 | 0.3625 | 2,946 | 1142 | 0.7163 | |
| 108 | Jacksonville University | 30800 | 74200 | 0.5847 | 2,916 | 1210 | 0.5748 | |
| 108 | Wheaton College | 30800 | 84800 | 0.6367 | 2,181 | 1357 | 0.8491 | |
| 110 | University of Toledo | 30900 | 42000 | 0.2644 | 10,726 | 1134 | 0.8889 | |
| 111 | Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia | 31000 | 77600 | 0.6003 | 4,999 | 1258 | 0.9296 | |
| 112 | Rider University | 31400 | 60600 | 0.4816 | 3,052 | 1214 | 0.7741 | |
| 113 | Farmingdale State College | 31700 | 37800 | 0.1612 | 10,062 | 1125 | 0.6166 | |
| 113 | Ohio Northern University | 31700 | 63500 | 0.5019 | 2,706 | 1203 | 0.7384 | |
| 115 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg | 32200 | 40900 | 0.2127 | 4,047 | 1219 | 0.976 | |
| 116 | Belmont University | 32500 | 69900 | 0.5356 | 7,174 | 1273 | 0.9367 | |
| 116 | University of Scranton | 32500 | 78700 | 0.5867 | 3,689 | 1245 | 0.8006 | |
| 118 | McKendree University | 32700 | 52900 | 0.3811 | 1,757 | 1098 | 0.7172 | |
| 119 | Belmont Abbey College | 33200 | 38000 | 0.1264 | 1,300 | 1094 | 0.7465 | |
| 120 | George Washington University | 33700 | 81800 | 0.5881 | 11,495 | 1436 | 0.4713 | |
| 121 | Drake University | 33800 | 68500 | 0.5062 | 2,504 | 1226 | 0.6494 | |
| 122 | University of St Thomas | 34200 | 70300 | 0.5138 | 6,270 | 1299 | 0.8548 | |
| 123 | Valparaiso University | 34900 | 62700 | 0.4428 | 2,056 | 1183 | 0.8994 | |
| 124 | California Lutheran University | 35200 | 70000 | 0.4973 | 2,160 | 1218 | 0.7631 | |
| 125 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Schuylkill | 35300 | 61100 | 0.4223 | 653 | 1145 | 0.7972 | |
| 126 | University of Montevallo | 35400 | 44900 | 0.2118 | 2,643 | 1124 | 0.5385 | |
| 127 | New York Institute of Technology | 35500 | 83600 | 0.5749 | 3,646 | 1298 | 0.8102 | |
| 128 | New Jersey City University | 35700 | 39800 | 0.1031 | 3,871 | 1015 | 0.9838 | |
| 129 | Curry College | 35900 | 105900 | 0.6608 | 1,808 | 1140 | 0.8765 | |
| 130 | Hofstra University | 36400 | 76900 | 0.5266 | 6,599 | 1369 | 0.7267 | |
| 131 | University of Arkansas at Little Rock | 36900 | 37100 | 0.0054 | 5,939 | 1065 | 0.5878 | |
| 132 | Hardin-Simmons University | 37200 | 49700 | 0.2514 | 1,291 | 1110 | 0.862 | |
| 133 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 66300 | 0.436 | 31,536 | 1366 | 0.5457 | |
| 134 | Chaminade University of Honolulu | 37500 | 57100 | 0.3435 | 1,732 | 1108 | 0.9117 | |
| 134 | University of Southern Maine | 37500 | 37500 | 0 | 5,549 | 1139 | 0.8241 | |
| 136 | DePaul University | 37800 | 66000 | 0.4275 | 14,338 | 1258 | 0.878 | |
| 137 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Abington | 38100 | 38100 | 0 | 2,710 | 1218 | 0.9374 | |
| 138 | University of Central Arkansas | 38200 | 40200 | 0.0521 | 8,238 | 1110 | 0.9157 | |
| 138 | University of Illinois Chicago | 38200 | 50600 | 0.2451 | 24,260 | 1174 | 0.7576 | |
| 140 | Xavier University | 38400 | 68100 | 0.4364 | 3,744 | 1286 | 0.848 | |
| 141 | LeTourneau University | 38500 | 54800 | 0.2977 | 2,903 | 1242 | 0.4879 | |
| 142 | Manhattan University | 38900 | 74100 | 0.4749 | 2,378 | 1174 | 0.8216 | |
| 143 | University of Charleston | 39200 | 51200 | 0.2342 | 2,348 | 1075 | 0.5975 | |
| 144 | Cumberland University | 39400 | 47500 | 0.1706 | 2,745 | 1055 | 0.6733 | |
| 145 | Saint Vincent College | 39500 | 64600 | 0.3886 | 1,157 | 1140 | 0.7863 | |
| 146 | Rutgers University-Newark | 39600 | 57900 | 0.316 | 7,989 | 1159 | 0.7136 | |
| 147 | Saint Anselm College | 40100 | 73700 | 0.4558 | 2,094 | 1195 | 0.7805 | |
| 148 | University of Wyoming | 40200 | 45300 | 0.1125 | 8,138 | 1163 | 0.9695 | |
| 149 | Arkansas State University | 40500 | 41000 | 0.0122 | 11,189 | 1080 | 0.7818 | |
| 149 | Pace University | 40500 | 74800 | 0.4585 | 5,520 | 1273 | 0.7827 | |
| 151 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | 40600 | 47500 | 0.1453 | 31,127 | 1115 | 0.8679 | |
| 152 | Susquehanna University | 42000 | 76800 | 0.4533 | 2,220 | 1199 | 0.7908 | |
| 153 | Seattle University | 42500 | 85100 | 0.5004 | 4,370 | 1299 | 0.7313 | |
| 154 | Bryant University | 42600 | 75900 | 0.4385 | 3,511 | 1255 | 0.6484 | |
| 155 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | 42700 | 56200 | 0.2403 | 10,900 | 1222 | 0.8914 | |
| 156 | University of Maryland-College Park | 43000 | 53600 | 0.1979 | 31,875 | 1456 | 0.4503 | |
| 157 | University of Florida | 43300 | 45700 | 0.0526 | 37,283 | 1406 | 0.2033 | |
| 158 | Illinois State University | 44000 | 49100 | 0.1038 | 19,513 | 1115 | 0.8555 | |
| 159 | Oregon State University | 44900 | 61900 | 0.2743 | 31,253 | 1272 | 0.773 | |
| 160 | Duquesne University | 45400 | 70500 | 0.356 | 5,382 | 1252 | 0.8639 | |
| 161 | Drexel University | 48000 | 83900 | 0.428 | 12,318 | 1354 | 0.699 | |
| 162 | Saint Louis University | 48800 | 80900 | 0.3966 | 9,331 | 1250 | 0.7499 | |
| 163 | Stevens Institute of Technology | 49700 | 85800 | 0.4206 | 4,206 | 1430 | 0.5068 | |
| 164 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 49800 | 62200 | 0.1995 | 38,572 | 1455 | 0.3659 | |
| 165 | University of Utah | 51600 | 53700 | 0.039 | 29,335 | 1222 | 0.9015 | |
| 166 | University of Iowa | 52300 | 54400 | 0.0385 | 23,407 | 1203 | 0.799 | |
| 167 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 53300 | 53300 | 0 | 34,447 | 1273 | 0.8804 | |
| 168 | George Mason University | 53600 | 61000 | 0.1213 | 28,862 | 1271 | 0.8647 | |
| 169 | Elon University | 55300 | 68900 | 0.1975 | 6,191 | 1283 | 0.6326 | |
| 170 | The University of Alabama | 55700 | 58500 | 0.0478 | 35,621 | 1238 | 0.7117 | |
| 171 | Savannah College of Art and Design | 56600 | 66400 | 0.1476 | 15,552 | 1174 | 0.8298 | |
| 172 | Auburn University | 58500 | 58500 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 173 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 59500 | 61600 | 0.034 | 25,141 | 1256 | 0.7613 | |
| 174 | University of Washington-Bothell Campus | 61600 | 66000 | 0.0667 | 5,753 | 1195 | 0.864 | |
| 175 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College | 63900 | 63900 | 0 | 3,211 | 1243 | 0.9594 | |
| 176 | Mercyhurst University | 66000 | 68000 | 0.0294 | 2,214 | 1203 | 0.775 | |
| 177 | University of California-Davis | 68600 | 69800 | 0.0172 | 31,695 | 1290 | 0.4435 | |
| 178 | Stonehill College | 68700 | 70600 | 0.0269 | 2,569 | 1150 | 0.6628 | |
| 179 | Loyola Marymount University | 78000 | 95500 | 0.1832 | 7,187 | 1347 | 0.4821 | |
| 180 | The Catholic University of America | 82500 | 82500 | 0 | 3,294 | 1229 | 0.7328 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
Join thousands of students and parents learning about finding the right college, admissions secrets, scholarships, financial aid, and more.