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 | Johns Hopkins University | 2700 | 92000 | 0.9704 | 6,356 | 1543 | 0.0644 | |
| 2 | Eastern Kentucky University | 11800 | 22900 | 0.4856 | 13,448 | 1110 | 0.7761 | |
| 3 | California State University-Northridge | 12000 | 22000 | 0.4528 | 32,756 | 1005 | 0.9345 | |
| 3 | University of Central Florida | 12000 | 25300 | 0.525 | 59,552 | 1280 | 0.4011 | |
| 3 | University of Houston | 12000 | 28400 | 0.5781 | 39,257 | 1249 | 0.7392 | |
| 6 | Boston University | 12700 | 92800 | 0.8633 | 18,805 | 1475 | 0.1111 | |
| 7 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 8 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5048 | 11,348 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 9 | Northwestern University | 14600 | 88300 | 0.8348 | 9,399 | 1527 | 0.0769 | |
| 10 | California State University-Monterey Bay | 14800 | 31600 | 0.5323 | 6,907 | 1060 | 0.974 | |
| 11 | California State University-Chico | 15200 | 23500 | 0.3528 | 13,792 | 1075 | 0.9272 | |
| 11 | Texas State University | 15200 | 25500 | 0.4042 | 36,236 | 1100 | 0.8932 | |
| 13 | Troy University | 15400 | 26700 | 0.4231 | 10,222 | 1090 | 0.9604 | |
| 14 | University of Southern Indiana | 15500 | 26000 | 0.4021 | 7,600 | 1145 | 0.9581 | |
| 15 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 15600 | 31000 | 0.4964 | 8,553 | 1045 | 0.8688 | |
| 16 | University of Central Missouri | 15700 | 26600 | 0.4094 | 7,584 | 1055 | 0.638 | |
| 17 | Appalachian State University | 15800 | 19500 | 0.1899 | 19,560 | 1190 | 0.9014 | |
| 17 | Sam Houston State University | 15800 | 30300 | 0.4782 | 17,787 | 1030 | 0.9026 | |
| 19 | University of Florida | 16400 | 22500 | 0.271 | 36,573 | 1399 | 0.242 | |
| 20 | Goshen College | 16500 | 55900 | 0.7045 | 780 | 995 | 0.8407 | |
| 21 | Ferris State University | 17000 | 31000 | 0.4523 | 8,991 | 1015 | 0.9139 | |
| 22 | University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh | 17800 | 22200 | 0.1986 | 11,994 | 1090 | 0.865 | |
| 23 | State University of New York at Plattsburgh | 18800 | 32000 | 0.4129 | 3,825 | 1175 | 0.7841 | |
| 24 | Campbellsville University | 19100 | 43200 | 0.5573 | 6,848 | 1075 | 0.7974 | |
| 25 | California State University-Los Angeles | 19700 | 38000 | 0.4816 | 19,586 | 965 | 0.9125 | |
| 26 | Youngstown State University | 20000 | 34000 | 0.4118 | 9,400 | 1115 | 0.8445 | |
| 27 | Lasell University | 20200 | 48500 | 0.5831 | 1,293 | 1095 | 0.8122 | |
| 28 | SUNY Buffalo State University | 20400 | 39900 | 0.489 | 5,255 | 1109 | 0.7295 | |
| 29 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 20500 | 23200 | 0.1164 | 20,444 | 1209 | 0.8499 | |
| 30 | Murray State University | 22900 | 27600 | 0.1687 | 7,851 | 1115 | 0.8568 | |
| 31 | San Jose State University | 23000 | 41100 | 0.4405 | 28,008 | 1124 | 0.8461 | |
| 32 | Southwest Minnesota State University | 23100 | 25800 | 0.1029 | 7,735 | 1015 | 0.6218 | |
| 33 | University of Kentucky | 23800 | 36400 | 0.3451 | 25,534 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 34 | Bradley University | 24100 | 49900 | 0.5161 | 3,596 | 1223 | 0.7676 | |
| 35 | Saint Ambrose University | 24200 | 55400 | 0.5628 | 1,939 | 1085 | 0.7733 | |
| 36 | Columbia College Chicago | 24300 | 63200 | 0.6158 | 5,422 | 0 | 0.8946 | |
| 36 | Southwestern Adventist University | 24300 | 43200 | 0.4376 | 758 | 1064 | 0.7836 | |
| 38 | Lewis University | 24700 | 57700 | 0.5718 | 4,326 | 1099 | 0.7129 | |
| 39 | Temple University | 24800 | 36100 | 0.3132 | 21,457 | 1135 | 0.8041 | |
| 40 | Point Park University | 25200 | 57000 | 0.5582 | 2,337 | 1140 | 0.9691 | |
| 41 | Northern Arizona University | 25600 | 43200 | 0.4082 | 22,990 | 1090 | 0.8961 | |
| 42 | Western Kentucky University | 25900 | 41800 | 0.3803 | 14,151 | 970 | 0.9387 | |
| 43 | Westminster College | 26000 | 57600 | 0.5486 | 1,137 | 1149 | 0.9256 | |
| 44 | University of La Verne | 26800 | 67300 | 0.6015 | 3,050 | 1109 | 0.7117 | |
| 45 | Capital University | 27200 | 62400 | 0.564 | 1,609 | 1084 | 0.7022 | |
| 46 | Rowan University | 27500 | 41300 | 0.3345 | 16,100 | 1219 | 0.7766 | |
| 47 | Syracuse University | 27800 | 83100 | 0.6653 | 15,957 | 1363 | 0.4592 | |
| 48 | Alabama A & M University | 28200 | 37700 | 0.2518 | 6,370 | 915 | 0.5795 | |
| 49 | University of Akron Main Campus | 28600 | 32300 | 0.1145 | 11,160 | 1069 | 0.5967 | |
| 50 | University of North Texas | 28900 | 37400 | 0.2271 | 34,458 | 1114 | 0.7223 | |
| 51 | Cornerstone University | 29100 | 40800 | 0.2857 | 1,354 | 1110 | 0.7777 | |
| 52 | Huntington University | 29400 | 44300 | 0.3362 | 1,588 | 1055 | 0.7564 | |
| 53 | University of Northwestern-St Paul | 30600 | 54600 | 0.4387 | 3,163 | 1165 | 0.9347 | |
| 54 | Chicago State University | 30800 | 37600 | 0.1807 | 1,501 | 885 | 0.4326 | |
| 54 | San Francisco State University | 30800 | 47700 | 0.3544 | 19,444 | 1035 | 0.9644 | |
| 56 | Rider University | 31400 | 60600 | 0.4816 | 3,145 | 1233 | 0.7864 | |
| 56 | San Diego State University | 31400 | 36100 | 0.1301 | 35,782 | 1208 | 0.3619 | |
| 58 | Bowie State University | 31600 | 37300 | 0.153 | 5,136 | 946 | 0.7241 | |
| 59 | Missouri Baptist University | 31700 | 53800 | 0.4116 | 4,958 | 843 | 0.686 | |
| 60 | Ithaca College | 32100 | 72500 | 0.5571 | 4,268 | 1314 | 0.6901 | |
| 61 | University of Pittsburgh-Bradford | 32600 | 48400 | 0.3266 | 1,009 | 1115 | 0.8854 | |
| 62 | Suffolk University | 32900 | 70300 | 0.5319 | 4,326 | 1209 | 0.8233 | |
| 63 | State University of New York at Oswego | 33000 | 40200 | 0.1792 | 5,517 | 1180 | 0.8055 | |
| 64 | Adrian College | 33600 | 70200 | 0.5207 | 1,673 | 1045 | 0.7253 | |
| 65 | SUNY at Fredonia | 34100 | 39600 | 0.1391 | 2,771 | 1258 | 0.777 | |
| 66 | Southeastern University | 34400 | 60500 | 0.4312 | 10,172 | 1110 | 0.5298 | |
| 67 | Texas Southern University | 34500 | 42500 | 0.1883 | 6,844 | 915 | 0.9691 | |
| 68 | Trevecca Nazarene University | 34700 | 50900 | 0.3175 | 1,903 | 1085 | 0.6944 | |
| 69 | University of Montevallo | 35400 | 44900 | 0.2118 | 2,642 | 1124 | 0.5385 | |
| 70 | Texas Tech University | 35600 | 38900 | 0.0848 | 32,580 | 1200 | 0.7265 | |
| 71 | Vermont State University | 37400 | 38700 | 0.0336 | 4,108 | 960 | 0.8167 | |
| 72 | Hofstra University | 38200 | 76900 | 0.5032 | 6,581 | 1328 | 0.6808 | |
| 73 | Long Island University | 38800 | 60000 | 0.3535 | 12,072 | 1229 | 0.8616 | |
| 74 | California State University-Fullerton | 39300 | 41500 | 0.0518 | 38,760 | 1090 | 0.9052 | |
| 75 | Wayne State University | 40400 | 46200 | 0.1256 | 16,012 | 1174 | 0.8116 | |
| 76 | Montclair State University | 42000 | 46600 | 0.0987 | 18,712 | 1058 | 0.8789 | |
| 76 | Susquehanna University | 42000 | 76800 | 0.4533 | 2,246 | 1204 | 0.8143 | |
| 78 | Campbell University | 44100 | 68700 | 0.3586 | 2,699 | 1120 | 0.8718 | |
| 79 | New England Institute of Technology | 44600 | 68200 | 0.3458 | 1,796 | 1030 | 0.6673 | |
| 80 | Ashland University | 44900 | 56400 | 0.204 | 2,977 | 1125 | 0.764 | |
| 81 | The University of Texas at Austin | 49800 | 59400 | 0.1617 | 43,165 | 1356 | 0.2664 | |
| 82 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 53300 | 53300 | 0 | 33,033 | 1264 | 0.8529 | |
| 83 | Savannah College of Art and Design | 54600 | 66400 | 0.1777 | 15,552 | 1174 | 0.8298 | |
| 84 | Elon University | 56400 | 68900 | 0.1815 | 6,452 | 1215 | 0.6635 | |
| 85 | Howard University | 60000 | 66500 | 0.0978 | 11,519 | 1208 | 0.4134 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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