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 | 6,354 | 1554 | 0.0611 | |
| 2 | University of Houston | 12000 | 28400 | 0.5781 | 40,366 | 1224 | 0.7577 | |
| 3 | Boston University | 12300 | 92800 | 0.8676 | 18,289 | 1475 | 0.1283 | |
| 4 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 12500 | 28100 | 0.5551 | 8,421 | 1054 | 0.9444 | |
| 5 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 6 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5048 | 12,118 | 1070 | 0.7164 | |
| 7 | Northwestern University | 14600 | 88300 | 0.8348 | 9,060 | 1533 | 0.0769 | |
| 8 | California State University-Monterey Bay | 14800 | 31600 | 0.5323 | 7,402 | 1054 | 0.9684 | |
| 9 | Murray State University | 14900 | 27000 | 0.4495 | 8,217 | 1124 | 0.8413 | |
| 10 | University of Central Missouri | 15700 | 26600 | 0.4094 | 10,397 | 1055 | 0.7439 | |
| 11 | Appalachian State University | 15800 | 19500 | 0.1899 | 19,732 | 1174 | 0.9388 | |
| 12 | Oakland University | 16000 | 28200 | 0.4329 | 12,770 | 1039 | 0.8897 | |
| 13 | California State University-Long Beach | 16100 | 25800 | 0.3761 | 36,056 | 1135 | 0.4543 | |
| 14 | Ferris State University | 16500 | 31000 | 0.4685 | 8,980 | 1015 | 0.8237 | |
| 14 | Goshen College | 16500 | 55900 | 0.7052 | 738 | 995 | 0.8342 | |
| 14 | Wayne State University | 16500 | 32900 | 0.4982 | 16,390 | 1183 | 0.8359 | |
| 17 | Sam Houston State University | 17000 | 27000 | 0.3705 | 17,822 | 1035 | 0.9372 | |
| 18 | SUNY at Fredonia | 17100 | 27800 | 0.3854 | 2,771 | 1258 | 0.777 | |
| 19 | University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh | 17800 | 22200 | 0.1986 | 11,994 | 1090 | 0.8651 | |
| 20 | Texas Tech University | 18300 | 27100 | 0.3253 | 34,021 | 1195 | 0.6906 | |
| 20 | University of Pittsburgh-Bradford | 18300 | 33300 | 0.4505 | 1,094 | 1109 | 0.8917 | |
| 22 | Campbellsville University | 19100 | 43200 | 0.5573 | 6,848 | 1075 | 0.7974 | |
| 23 | California State University-Los Angeles | 19700 | 38000 | 0.4816 | 22,077 | 965 | 0.9124 | |
| 24 | Youngstown State University | 19900 | 34000 | 0.4147 | 9,687 | 1120 | 0.9145 | |
| 25 | SUNY Buffalo State University | 20100 | 39900 | 0.4965 | 5,196 | 1050 | 0.8422 | |
| 26 | Lasell University | 20200 | 48500 | 0.5831 | 1,347 | 1095 | 0.7457 | |
| 27 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 20400 | 23200 | 0.1207 | 20,786 | 1225 | 0.8689 | |
| 28 | University of Montevallo | 20600 | 30300 | 0.3202 | 2,643 | 1124 | 0.5385 | |
| 29 | Bradley University | 21700 | 49900 | 0.5642 | 3,258 | 1174 | 0.7459 | |
| 30 | Texas Southern University | 22100 | 25500 | 0.1335 | 6,844 | 915 | 0.9691 | |
| 31 | California State University-Chico | 22300 | 31000 | 0.2803 | 13,599 | 1054 | 0.9107 | |
| 32 | State University of New York at Plattsburgh | 22400 | 43200 | 0.4816 | 3,825 | 1175 | 0.7841 | |
| 33 | San Jose State University | 22900 | 41100 | 0.4429 | 29,890 | 1135 | 0.8039 | |
| 34 | Florida Memorial University | 23100 | 42000 | 0.4495 | 1,206 | 0 | 0.8526 | |
| 35 | Southwest Minnesota State University | 23400 | 26700 | 0.1233 | 7,290 | 1015 | 0.6409 | |
| 36 | Saint Ambrose University | 24100 | 55400 | 0.5646 | 1,884 | 1065 | 0.8006 | |
| 37 | Southwestern Adventist University | 24300 | 43200 | 0.4376 | 758 | 1064 | 0.7836 | |
| 38 | Columbia College Chicago | 24400 | 63200 | 0.6143 | 4,346 | 0 | 0.738 | |
| 39 | Eastern Kentucky University | 24800 | 38400 | 0.3545 | 13,448 | 1075 | 0.9683 | |
| 39 | Temple University | 24800 | 36100 | 0.3132 | 21,031 | 1172 | 0.8622 | |
| 41 | University of Southern Indiana | 24900 | 40000 | 0.3779 | 5,347 | 1145 | 0.9581 | |
| 42 | Lewis University | 25100 | 57700 | 0.5649 | 4,914 | 1127 | 0.6916 | |
| 43 | Point Park University | 25200 | 57000 | 0.5582 | 2,498 | 1144 | 0.984 | |
| 44 | Westminster College | 25700 | 57600 | 0.5538 | 1,110 | 1145 | 0.9167 | |
| 45 | Northern Arizona University | 26300 | 43200 | 0.392 | 22,203 | 1129 | 0.8961 | |
| 46 | University of La Verne | 26600 | 67300 | 0.6044 | 3,052 | 1109 | 0.7117 | |
| 47 | Troy University | 26800 | 34700 | 0.2277 | 10,130 | 1075 | 0.9535 | |
| 47 | Western Kentucky University | 26800 | 41800 | 0.3588 | 13,732 | 1090 | 0.9145 | |
| 49 | California State University-Northridge | 27000 | 36500 | 0.2597 | 32,846 | 1005 | 0.9176 | |
| 50 | Capital University | 27100 | 62400 | 0.5656 | 1,642 | 1045 | 0.6501 | |
| 51 | Chicago State University | 27500 | 37800 | 0.2739 | 1,501 | 885 | 0.4326 | |
| 52 | Syracuse University | 27900 | 83100 | 0.6641 | 16,149 | 1374 | 0.4879 | |
| 52 | Texas State University | 27900 | 28000 | 0.0036 | 39,353 | 1080 | 0.9118 | |
| 54 | Alabama A & M University | 28200 | 37700 | 0.2513 | 6,370 | 915 | 0.5795 | |
| 55 | University of North Texas | 28400 | 37400 | 0.2405 | 34,414 | 1094 | 0.7089 | |
| 56 | University of Akron Main Campus | 28600 | 32300 | 0.1145 | 11,691 | 1074 | 0.7722 | |
| 57 | Cornerstone University | 29100 | 40800 | 0.2867 | 1,354 | 1110 | 0.7777 | |
| 58 | Huntington University | 29300 | 44300 | 0.3384 | 1,512 | 1065 | 0.7518 | |
| 59 | University of Northwestern-St Paul | 30500 | 54600 | 0.4413 | 3,120 | 1193 | 0.3992 | |
| 60 | Ithaca College | 30800 | 72500 | 0.575 | 4,205 | 1328 | 0.7015 | |
| 60 | San Francisco State University | 30800 | 47700 | 0.3544 | 19,444 | 1035 | 0.9644 | |
| 62 | San Diego State University | 31300 | 36100 | 0.1329 | 36,196 | 1208 | 0.3741 | |
| 63 | Rider University | 31400 | 60600 | 0.4816 | 3,052 | 1214 | 0.7741 | |
| 64 | Missouri Baptist University | 31500 | 53800 | 0.4142 | 5,253 | 910 | 0.7062 | |
| 65 | Bowie State University | 32100 | 50200 | 0.3606 | 4,810 | 1044 | 0.824 | |
| 66 | State University of New York at Oswego | 32700 | 40200 | 0.1866 | 5,293 | 1179 | 0.7989 | |
| 67 | Suffolk University | 32900 | 70300 | 0.5319 | 4,247 | 1209 | 0.8228 | |
| 68 | Adrian College | 33500 | 70200 | 0.5227 | 1,675 | 1045 | 0.7257 | |
| 69 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 33900 | 36100 | 0.0609 | 34,447 | 1273 | 0.8804 | |
| 70 | Trevecca Nazarene University | 34600 | 50900 | 0.3202 | 1,961 | 1099 | 0.7512 | |
| 71 | Hofstra University | 36400 | 76900 | 0.5266 | 6,599 | 1369 | 0.7267 | |
| 72 | Vermont State University | 37400 | 38700 | 0.0336 | 4,087 | 960 | 0.8323 | |
| 73 | California State University-Fullerton | 38600 | 41500 | 0.0697 | 40,705 | 960 | 0.8811 | |
| 74 | Long Island University | 38800 | 60000 | 0.3535 | 12,072 | 1229 | 0.8616 | |
| 75 | University of Central Florida | 39700 | 39700 | 0 | 60,083 | 1289 | 0.428 | |
| 76 | Montclair State University | 41600 | 46600 | 0.1073 | 19,048 | 1005 | 0.894 | |
| 77 | Susquehanna University | 42000 | 76800 | 0.4533 | 2,220 | 1199 | 0.7908 | |
| 78 | University of Florida | 43100 | 45700 | 0.057 | 37,283 | 1406 | 0.2033 | |
| 79 | Providence College | 43400 | 85000 | 0.4895 | 4,680 | 1345 | 0.4994 | |
| 80 | Campbell University | 44000 | 68700 | 0.3606 | 2,699 | 1120 | 0.872 | |
| 81 | New England Institute of Technology | 44600 | 68200 | 0.3458 | 1,718 | 1030 | 0.6673 | |
| 82 | Ashland University | 44900 | 56400 | 0.204 | 2,977 | 1125 | 0.764 | |
| 83 | University of Kentucky | 49000 | 58000 | 0.1556 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 84 | The University of Texas at Austin | 49700 | 59400 | 0.1633 | 44,314 | 1356 | 0.2222 | |
| 85 | Rowan University | 53600 | 53600 | 0 | 17,157 | 1204 | 0.7654 | |
| 86 | Elon University | 55200 | 68900 | 0.199 | 6,191 | 1283 | 0.6326 | |
| 87 | Savannah College of Art and Design | 56000 | 66400 | 0.1567 | 15,552 | 1174 | 0.8298 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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