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 | Northern Kentucky University | 7500 | 25900 | 0.7114 | 10,136 | 1110 | 0.9666 | |
| 2 | Brigham Young University | 8000 | 22200 | 0.6405 | 34,354 | 1374 | 0.6862 | |
| 3 | Mississippi Valley State University | 9200 | 26500 | 0.6538 | 2,013 | 845 | 0.9238 | |
| 3 | Washington and Lee University | 9200 | 96300 | 0.9041 | 1,916 | 1484 | 0.1354 | |
| 5 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 10200 | 41500 | 0.7543 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 6 | Eastern Kentucky University | 10900 | 27300 | 0.6018 | 13,448 | 1075 | 0.9683 | |
| 7 | Eastern Illinois University | 11800 | 24300 | 0.5134 | 6,731 | 1020 | 0.7073 | |
| 8 | University of Illinois Chicago | 12200 | 30200 | 0.5969 | 24,260 | 1174 | 0.7576 | |
| 9 | Boston University | 13000 | 93200 | 0.8604 | 18,289 | 1475 | 0.1283 | |
| 10 | Lewis University | 13400 | 57700 | 0.7675 | 4,914 | 1127 | 0.6916 | |
| 11 | Eastern Michigan University | 14200 | 33900 | 0.5802 | 10,034 | 1055 | 0.7772 | |
| 11 | Salem State University | 14200 | 38300 | 0.6288 | 4,867 | 1075 | 0.9588 | |
| 13 | University of Memphis | 14300 | 29100 | 0.5088 | 15,538 | 1080 | 0.7878 | |
| 14 | Mercy University | 14800 | 46400 | 0.6815 | 6,692 | 1135 | 0.8724 | |
| 15 | Texas State University | 15000 | 26700 | 0.4375 | 39,353 | 1080 | 0.9118 | |
| 16 | Northern Michigan University | 15200 | 33100 | 0.5408 | 6,650 | 1100 | 0.8505 | |
| 17 | Central Michigan University | 15400 | 38700 | 0.6019 | 10,238 | 1099 | 0.9104 | |
| 18 | Northwest Missouri State University | 15600 | 29800 | 0.4782 | 5,241 | 1095 | 0.8613 | |
| 19 | University of Saint Francis-Fort Wayne | 15800 | 79400 | 0.8005 | 1,567 | 980 | 0.9597 | |
| 20 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | 15900 | 24200 | 0.3436 | 7,637 | 1115 | 0.1865 | |
| 21 | Keene State College | 16200 | 51400 | 0.6848 | 2,640 | 1064 | 0.8982 | |
| 22 | California State University-Long Beach | 16600 | 25800 | 0.3567 | 36,056 | 1135 | 0.4543 | |
| 22 | Georgia Southern University | 16600 | 49700 | 0.6662 | 25,595 | 1045 | 0.695 | |
| 22 | Morgan State University | 16600 | 30700 | 0.4588 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 25 | University of Miami | 17400 | 96300 | 0.8194 | 13,241 | 1408 | 0.1761 | |
| 26 | State University of New York at Oswego | 17600 | 27700 | 0.3645 | 5,293 | 1179 | 0.7989 | |
| 27 | San Jose State University | 18200 | 41100 | 0.5567 | 29,890 | 1135 | 0.8039 | |
| 28 | University of Rhode Island | 18500 | 33900 | 0.4544 | 14,466 | 1197 | 0.7456 | |
| 29 | Olivet Nazarene University | 18800 | 79300 | 0.7636 | 2,704 | 1104 | 0.5586 | |
| 29 | State University of New York at Plattsburgh | 18800 | 32000 | 0.4129 | 3,825 | 1175 | 0.7841 | |
| 31 | University of Houston | 19900 | 28400 | 0.2996 | 40,366 | 1224 | 0.7577 | |
| 32 | University of Southern California | 20000 | 76400 | 0.7387 | 20,768 | 1499 | 0.1119 | |
| 33 | SUNY at Fredonia | 20100 | 53600 | 0.6248 | 2,771 | 1258 | 0.777 | |
| 34 | Montana State University Billings | 20200 | 35100 | 0.4245 | 3,881 | 1090 | 1 | |
| 35 | Rowan University | 20300 | 41300 | 0.5088 | 17,157 | 1204 | 0.7654 | |
| 36 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 20400 | 26100 | 0.2181 | 31,845 | 1298 | 0.5651 | |
| 37 | Syracuse University | 20600 | 83600 | 0.7536 | 16,149 | 1374 | 0.4879 | |
| 38 | Ferris State University | 21000 | 31000 | 0.3231 | 8,980 | 1015 | 0.8237 | |
| 39 | University of Northern Iowa | 21500 | 24800 | 0.1327 | 7,800 | 1115 | 0.9313 | |
| 40 | Loras College | 21700 | 58400 | 0.6289 | 1,073 | 1110 | 0.6966 | |
| 41 | South Dakota State University | 21900 | 25200 | 0.1303 | 10,883 | 1115 | 0.9618 | |
| 42 | Freed-Hardeman University | 22000 | 35900 | 0.3872 | 1,873 | 1120 | 0.5968 | |
| 43 | Missouri State University-Springfield | 22400 | 26000 | 0.1383 | 21,138 | 1134 | 0.9039 | |
| 44 | Columbia College Chicago | 22500 | 63200 | 0.6443 | 4,346 | 0 | 0.738 | |
| 45 | Murray State University | 22800 | 27600 | 0.1736 | 8,217 | 1124 | 0.8413 | |
| 46 | Point Park University | 23300 | 54300 | 0.5707 | 2,498 | 1144 | 0.984 | |
| 47 | Central Washington University | 23400 | 27900 | 0.1615 | 10,033 | 1060 | 0.9061 | |
| 48 | Monmouth College | 23800 | 63400 | 0.6252 | 713 | 1120 | 0.9085 | |
| 49 | Dominican University | 24000 | 56000 | 0.5722 | 2,642 | 1005 | 0.8879 | |
| 50 | Campbellsville University | 24200 | 45100 | 0.4631 | 6,848 | 1075 | 0.7974 | |
| 50 | Oral Roberts University | 24200 | 52700 | 0.5407 | 5,017 | 1139 | 0.989 | |
| 52 | University of Central Missouri | 24300 | 35800 | 0.3223 | 10,397 | 1055 | 0.7439 | |
| 53 | Seton Hall University | 24500 | 67400 | 0.6361 | 6,178 | 1328 | 0.6915 | |
| 54 | American University | 24700 | 125500 | 0.803 | 6,730 | 1393 | 0.6556 | |
| 55 | Bowling Green State University-Main Campus | 24900 | 36800 | 0.3235 | 15,273 | 1115 | 0.8089 | |
| 56 | Illinois State University | 25100 | 36400 | 0.3116 | 19,513 | 1115 | 0.8555 | |
| 57 | Walla Walla University | 25600 | 51700 | 0.5047 | 1,314 | 1159 | 0.604 | |
| 58 | Westminster College | 25800 | 57600 | 0.552 | 1,110 | 1145 | 0.9167 | |
| 59 | Otterbein University | 25900 | 79200 | 0.6734 | 2,292 | 1126 | 0.8388 | |
| 60 | University of Akron Main Campus | 26100 | 28000 | 0.0677 | 11,691 | 1074 | 0.7722 | |
| 61 | Hood College | 27000 | 71400 | 0.6215 | 1,157 | 1055 | 0.8517 | |
| 62 | Capital University | 27100 | 63800 | 0.5751 | 1,642 | 1045 | 0.6501 | |
| 63 | Saint Ambrose University | 27400 | 57700 | 0.5254 | 1,884 | 1065 | 0.8006 | |
| 64 | Marquette University | 28000 | 63800 | 0.5612 | 8,206 | 1304 | 0.7802 | |
| 65 | Wayne State University | 28100 | 46800 | 0.3998 | 16,390 | 1183 | 0.8359 | |
| 66 | Iowa State University | 28900 | 45200 | 0.3601 | 26,346 | 1212 | 0.8793 | |
| 67 | Cleveland State University | 29300 | 38600 | 0.2411 | 9,418 | 1069 | 0.913 | |
| 68 | Southern Methodist University | 29600 | 96900 | 0.6943 | 7,545 | 1427 | 0.4764 | |
| 69 | Southern Adventist University | 29700 | 46900 | 0.3666 | 2,946 | 1142 | 0.7163 | |
| 70 | Taylor University | 30200 | 60700 | 0.5035 | 2,769 | 1229 | 0.9881 | |
| 71 | University of Northwestern-St Paul | 30500 | 54600 | 0.4412 | 3,120 | 1193 | 0.3992 | |
| 72 | Palm Beach Atlantic University | 30700 | 69000 | 0.5545 | 3,314 | 1094 | 0.8199 | |
| 73 | Southeastern University | 30900 | 79400 | 0.611 | 11,981 | 1110 | 0.4247 | |
| 73 | Western Kentucky University | 30900 | 42800 | 0.2783 | 13,732 | 1090 | 0.9145 | |
| 75 | Suffolk University | 31000 | 83500 | 0.6288 | 4,247 | 1209 | 0.8228 | |
| 76 | Kent State University at Kent | 31200 | 37500 | 0.1676 | 21,144 | 1104 | 0.7603 | |
| 77 | Rockhurst University | 32000 | 62500 | 0.4873 | 1,964 | 1159 | 0.9392 | |
| 78 | Rider University | 32500 | 60200 | 0.4601 | 3,052 | 1214 | 0.7741 | |
| 79 | Harding University | 33500 | 47800 | 0.2988 | 3,536 | 1184 | 0.7052 | |
| 80 | Drake University | 33600 | 68500 | 0.509 | 2,504 | 1226 | 0.6494 | |
| 80 | Elizabethtown College | 33600 | 57500 | 0.4154 | 1,935 | 1214 | 0.8892 | |
| 82 | Winthrop University | 33700 | 52500 | 0.3584 | 4,289 | 1130 | 0.8281 | |
| 83 | Lee University | 34200 | 39100 | 0.1253 | 3,425 | 1154 | 0.7138 | |
| 84 | University of Oregon | 34500 | 40200 | 0.1416 | 20,710 | 1193 | 0.8742 | |
| 85 | University of Idaho | 34800 | 48700 | 0.2854 | 9,656 | 1104 | 0.7476 | |
| 86 | Auburn University | 35000 | 35000 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 87 | Texas Tech University | 35600 | 41000 | 0.1318 | 34,021 | 1195 | 0.6906 | |
| 88 | Temple University | 35800 | 57200 | 0.3739 | 21,031 | 1172 | 0.8622 | |
| 89 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 36400 | 54000 | 0.326 | 32,041 | 1324 | 0.4358 | |
| 90 | Concordia University Ann Arbor | 37200 | 53600 | 0.3061 | 755 | 1163 | 0.6925 | |
| 91 | Xavier University | 37600 | 68100 | 0.4481 | 3,744 | 1286 | 0.848 | |
| 92 | Washington State University | 37800 | 53600 | 0.2946 | 21,400 | 1131 | 0.861 | |
| 93 | Baldwin Wallace University | 39000 | 69800 | 0.4415 | 2,532 | 1210 | 0.7739 | |
| 94 | William Paterson University of New Jersey | 39600 | 43200 | 0.0833 | 6,647 | 1153 | 0.9008 | |
| 95 | Concordia University-Wisconsin | 41200 | 58700 | 0.2983 | 2,401 | 1209 | 0.7819 | |
| 96 | Biola University | 41800 | 71100 | 0.4121 | 3,553 | 1281 | 0.7817 | |
| 97 | University of Florida | 43100 | 45700 | 0.057 | 37,283 | 1406 | 0.2033 | |
| 98 | Appalachian State University | 46500 | 46500 | 0 | 19,732 | 1174 | 0.9388 | |
| 99 | Lipscomb University | 48800 | 69900 | 0.3025 | 3,327 | 1214 | 0.6774 | |
| 100 | Quinnipiac University | 49300 | 79700 | 0.3816 | 6,610 | 1250 | 0.7031 | |
| 101 | The University of Texas at Austin | 49500 | 58900 | 0.1596 | 44,314 | 1356 | 0.2222 | |
| 102 | University of Georgia | 52100 | 52100 | 0 | 32,824 | 1348 | 0.3425 | |
| 103 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 53200 | 53300 | 0.0019 | 34,447 | 1273 | 0.8804 | |
| 104 | The University of Alabama | 53700 | 58000 | 0.0741 | 35,621 | 1238 | 0.7117 | |
| 105 | Hofstra University | 59100 | 83300 | 0.2906 | 6,599 | 1369 | 0.7267 | |
| 106 | Gonzaga University | 70900 | 77700 | 0.0875 | 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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