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 | Brigham Young University | 8000 | 22000 | 0.6362 | 34,354 | 1374 | 0.6862 | |
| 2 | Washington and Lee University | 9400 | 96200 | 0.9025 | 1,916 | 1484 | 0.1354 | |
| 3 | Mississippi Valley State University | 9600 | 26300 | 0.6345 | 2,013 | 845 | 0.9238 | |
| 4 | Eastern Kentucky University | 11800 | 22900 | 0.4856 | 13,448 | 1075 | 0.9683 | |
| 5 | University of Houston | 12000 | 28400 | 0.5781 | 40,366 | 1224 | 0.7577 | |
| 6 | Boston University | 12300 | 92800 | 0.8676 | 18,289 | 1475 | 0.1283 | |
| 7 | Eastern Illinois University | 12700 | 24300 | 0.4766 | 6,731 | 1020 | 0.7073 | |
| 8 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 9 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5048 | 12,118 | 1070 | 0.7164 | |
| 10 | Central Michigan University | 14500 | 37800 | 0.6157 | 10,238 | 1099 | 0.9104 | |
| 11 | Northern Kentucky University | 14600 | 25900 | 0.4369 | 10,136 | 1110 | 0.9666 | |
| 12 | Texas State University | 15200 | 25500 | 0.4042 | 39,353 | 1080 | 0.9118 | |
| 13 | Northwest Missouri State University | 15600 | 29800 | 0.4782 | 5,241 | 1095 | 0.8613 | |
| 14 | University of Central Missouri | 15700 | 26600 | 0.4094 | 10,397 | 1055 | 0.7439 | |
| 15 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | 15800 | 24200 | 0.3478 | 7,637 | 1115 | 0.1865 | |
| 16 | California State University-Long Beach | 16100 | 25800 | 0.3761 | 36,056 | 1135 | 0.4543 | |
| 17 | Eastern Michigan University | 16400 | 36100 | 0.5459 | 10,034 | 1055 | 0.7772 | |
| 18 | Ferris State University | 16500 | 31000 | 0.4685 | 8,980 | 1015 | 0.8237 | |
| 18 | Wayne State University | 16500 | 32900 | 0.4982 | 16,390 | 1183 | 0.8359 | |
| 20 | SUNY at Fredonia | 17100 | 27800 | 0.3854 | 2,771 | 1258 | 0.777 | |
| 21 | Missouri State University-Springfield | 17200 | 25700 | 0.3307 | 21,138 | 1134 | 0.9039 | |
| 22 | Keene State College | 17500 | 41400 | 0.5775 | 2,640 | 1064 | 0.8982 | |
| 23 | University of Miami | 17700 | 95700 | 0.8149 | 13,241 | 1408 | 0.1761 | |
| 24 | State University of New York at Plattsburgh | 18800 | 32000 | 0.4129 | 3,825 | 1175 | 0.7841 | |
| 25 | Campbellsville University | 19100 | 43200 | 0.5573 | 6,848 | 1075 | 0.7974 | |
| 26 | Lee University | 19600 | 37400 | 0.4762 | 3,425 | 1154 | 0.7138 | |
| 27 | Olivet Nazarene University | 19700 | 79300 | 0.7523 | 2,704 | 1104 | 0.5586 | |
| 28 | Iowa State University | 19900 | 24200 | 0.179 | 26,346 | 1212 | 0.8793 | |
| 29 | Cleveland State University | 20000 | 30900 | 0.3523 | 9,418 | 1069 | 0.913 | |
| 29 | University of Southern California | 20000 | 75900 | 0.7369 | 20,768 | 1499 | 0.1119 | |
| 31 | University of Saint Francis-Fort Wayne | 20200 | 57300 | 0.6479 | 1,567 | 980 | 0.9597 | |
| 32 | Montana State University Billings | 20300 | 25500 | 0.204 | 3,881 | 1090 | 1 | |
| 33 | South Dakota State University | 20400 | 25200 | 0.19 | 10,883 | 1115 | 0.9618 | |
| 34 | University of Memphis | 21000 | 29600 | 0.2909 | 15,538 | 1080 | 0.7878 | |
| 35 | Washington State University | 21100 | 36200 | 0.417 | 21,400 | 1131 | 0.861 | |
| 36 | Northern Michigan University | 21300 | 33100 | 0.3565 | 6,650 | 1100 | 0.8505 | |
| 37 | University of Northern Iowa | 21500 | 24800 | 0.1329 | 7,800 | 1115 | 0.9313 | |
| 38 | Loras College | 21700 | 58400 | 0.6289 | 1,073 | 1110 | 0.6966 | |
| 39 | The University of Alabama | 22600 | 31000 | 0.2708 | 35,621 | 1238 | 0.7117 | |
| 40 | Murray State University | 22800 | 27600 | 0.1738 | 8,217 | 1124 | 0.8413 | |
| 41 | San Jose State University | 22900 | 41100 | 0.4429 | 29,890 | 1135 | 0.8039 | |
| 42 | Central Washington University | 23400 | 27900 | 0.1615 | 10,033 | 1060 | 0.9061 | |
| 43 | Monmouth College | 23800 | 63400 | 0.6252 | 713 | 1120 | 0.9085 | |
| 44 | Dominican University | 24000 | 56000 | 0.5723 | 2,642 | 1005 | 0.8879 | |
| 45 | Saint Ambrose University | 24100 | 55400 | 0.5646 | 1,884 | 1065 | 0.8006 | |
| 46 | Oral Roberts University | 24200 | 52700 | 0.5408 | 5,017 | 1139 | 0.989 | |
| 47 | Columbia College Chicago | 24400 | 63200 | 0.6143 | 4,346 | 0 | 0.738 | |
| 48 | American University | 24700 | 81600 | 0.6975 | 6,730 | 1393 | 0.6556 | |
| 49 | Lewis University | 25100 | 57700 | 0.5649 | 4,914 | 1127 | 0.6916 | |
| 50 | Point Park University | 25200 | 57000 | 0.5582 | 2,498 | 1144 | 0.984 | |
| 51 | Walla Walla University | 25600 | 51700 | 0.5047 | 1,314 | 1159 | 0.604 | |
| 52 | Otterbein University | 25800 | 57300 | 0.5497 | 2,292 | 1126 | 0.8388 | |
| 52 | Westminster College | 25800 | 57600 | 0.5521 | 1,110 | 1145 | 0.9167 | |
| 54 | Salem State University | 26000 | 43200 | 0.3984 | 4,867 | 1075 | 0.9588 | |
| 55 | Bowling Green State University-Main Campus | 26300 | 36800 | 0.2855 | 15,273 | 1115 | 0.8089 | |
| 56 | Georgia Southern University | 26500 | 26800 | 0.0112 | 25,595 | 1045 | 0.695 | |
| 57 | University of Idaho | 26700 | 45200 | 0.4089 | 9,656 | 1104 | 0.7476 | |
| 58 | Western Kentucky University | 26800 | 41800 | 0.3588 | 13,732 | 1090 | 0.9145 | |
| 59 | Hood College | 27000 | 71400 | 0.6215 | 1,157 | 1055 | 0.8517 | |
| 60 | Capital University | 27100 | 62400 | 0.5656 | 1,642 | 1045 | 0.6501 | |
| 61 | Rowan University | 27400 | 41300 | 0.3369 | 17,157 | 1204 | 0.7654 | |
| 62 | Syracuse University | 27900 | 83100 | 0.6641 | 16,149 | 1374 | 0.4879 | |
| 63 | Winthrop University | 28300 | 38600 | 0.2665 | 4,289 | 1130 | 0.8281 | |
| 64 | Freed-Hardeman University | 28500 | 35900 | 0.2061 | 1,873 | 1120 | 0.5968 | |
| 65 | University of Akron Main Campus | 28600 | 32300 | 0.1145 | 11,691 | 1074 | 0.7722 | |
| 66 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 29000 | 34000 | 0.1472 | 31,845 | 1298 | 0.5651 | |
| 67 | Marquette University | 29100 | 63800 | 0.544 | 8,206 | 1304 | 0.7802 | |
| 68 | Southern Adventist University | 29700 | 46900 | 0.3666 | 2,946 | 1142 | 0.7163 | |
| 68 | Southern Methodist University | 29700 | 90100 | 0.6703 | 7,545 | 1427 | 0.4764 | |
| 70 | Lipscomb University | 29800 | 57800 | 0.4841 | 3,327 | 1214 | 0.6774 | |
| 71 | Mercy University | 30100 | 44500 | 0.3237 | 6,692 | 1135 | 0.8724 | |
| 72 | University of Northwestern-St Paul | 30500 | 54600 | 0.4413 | 3,120 | 1193 | 0.3992 | |
| 73 | Palm Beach Atlantic University | 30700 | 69000 | 0.5545 | 3,314 | 1094 | 0.8199 | |
| 74 | Taylor University | 31100 | 59100 | 0.474 | 2,769 | 1229 | 0.9881 | |
| 75 | Kent State University at Kent | 31200 | 37500 | 0.1678 | 21,144 | 1104 | 0.7603 | |
| 76 | Rider University | 31400 | 60600 | 0.4816 | 3,052 | 1214 | 0.7741 | |
| 77 | Rockhurst University | 32000 | 62500 | 0.4873 | 1,964 | 1159 | 0.9392 | |
| 78 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 32300 | 35100 | 0.0799 | 32,041 | 1324 | 0.4358 | |
| 79 | Morgan State University | 32500 | 41900 | 0.2245 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 80 | State University of New York at Oswego | 32700 | 40200 | 0.1866 | 5,293 | 1179 | 0.7989 | |
| 81 | Suffolk University | 32900 | 70300 | 0.5319 | 4,247 | 1209 | 0.8228 | |
| 82 | Harding University | 33500 | 47800 | 0.299 | 3,536 | 1184 | 0.7052 | |
| 83 | Drake University | 33600 | 68500 | 0.5091 | 2,504 | 1226 | 0.6494 | |
| 84 | Auburn University | 33700 | 34100 | 0.0117 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 84 | Elizabethtown College | 33700 | 55300 | 0.3907 | 1,935 | 1214 | 0.8892 | |
| 86 | University of Rhode Island | 34200 | 46400 | 0.2627 | 14,466 | 1197 | 0.7456 | |
| 87 | Southeastern University | 34400 | 60500 | 0.4312 | 11,981 | 1110 | 0.4247 | |
| 88 | University of Oregon | 34500 | 40200 | 0.1418 | 20,710 | 1193 | 0.8742 | |
| 89 | Texas Tech University | 35600 | 38900 | 0.0848 | 34,021 | 1195 | 0.6906 | |
| 90 | Temple University | 35900 | 56400 | 0.3636 | 21,031 | 1172 | 0.8622 | |
| 91 | Hofstra University | 36400 | 76900 | 0.5266 | 6,599 | 1369 | 0.7267 | |
| 92 | Concordia University Ann Arbor | 37200 | 57000 | 0.3472 | 755 | 1163 | 0.6925 | |
| 93 | Seton Hall University | 38200 | 67400 | 0.433 | 6,178 | 1328 | 0.6915 | |
| 94 | Xavier University | 38400 | 68100 | 0.4364 | 3,744 | 1286 | 0.848 | |
| 95 | William Paterson University of New Jersey | 38900 | 50300 | 0.2268 | 6,647 | 1153 | 0.9008 | |
| 96 | Baldwin Wallace University | 39000 | 66100 | 0.4102 | 2,532 | 1210 | 0.7739 | |
| 97 | Appalachian State University | 40200 | 40600 | 0.0099 | 19,732 | 1174 | 0.9388 | |
| 98 | Concordia University-Wisconsin | 41200 | 57000 | 0.2774 | 2,401 | 1209 | 0.7819 | |
| 99 | University of Florida | 43100 | 45700 | 0.057 | 37,283 | 1406 | 0.2033 | |
| 100 | Illinois State University | 43800 | 49100 | 0.1078 | 19,513 | 1115 | 0.8555 | |
| 101 | Quinnipiac University | 44800 | 79200 | 0.4343 | 6,610 | 1250 | 0.7031 | |
| 102 | Biola University | 46700 | 71200 | 0.3442 | 3,553 | 1281 | 0.7817 | |
| 103 | The University of Texas at Austin | 49700 | 59400 | 0.1633 | 44,314 | 1356 | 0.2222 | |
| 103 | University of Georgia | 49700 | 51600 | 0.0368 | 32,824 | 1348 | 0.3425 | |
| 105 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 53300 | 53300 | 0 | 34,447 | 1273 | 0.8804 | |
| 106 | Gonzaga University | 70800 | 76600 | 0.0757 | 4,976 | 1328 | 0.7962 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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