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 | Eastern Kentucky University | 11800 | 22900 | 0.4856 | 13,448 | 1075 | 0.9683 | |
| 3 | University of Houston | 12000 | 28400 | 0.5781 | 40,366 | 1224 | 0.7577 | |
| 4 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 12500 | 28100 | 0.5551 | 8,421 | 1054 | 0.9444 | |
| 5 | Boston University | 12900 | 92800 | 0.8612 | 18,289 | 1475 | 0.1283 | |
| 6 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 7 | University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh | 14000 | 19000 | 0.2634 | 11,994 | 1090 | 0.8651 | |
| 8 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5048 | 12,118 | 1070 | 0.7164 | |
| 9 | Northwestern University | 14600 | 88300 | 0.8348 | 9,060 | 1533 | 0.0769 | |
| 10 | Murray State University | 15100 | 27000 | 0.4423 | 8,217 | 1124 | 0.8413 | |
| 11 | University of Central Missouri | 15700 | 26600 | 0.4094 | 10,397 | 1055 | 0.7439 | |
| 12 | Sam Houston State University | 15900 | 30300 | 0.4749 | 17,822 | 1035 | 0.9372 | |
| 13 | Ferris State University | 16500 | 31000 | 0.4685 | 8,980 | 1015 | 0.8237 | |
| 13 | Goshen College | 16500 | 55900 | 0.7053 | 738 | 995 | 0.8342 | |
| 15 | SUNY at Fredonia | 17100 | 27800 | 0.3854 | 2,771 | 1258 | 0.777 | |
| 16 | State University of New York at Oswego | 18200 | 27700 | 0.3428 | 5,293 | 1179 | 0.7989 | |
| 17 | Youngstown State University | 18400 | 34000 | 0.4589 | 9,687 | 1120 | 0.9145 | |
| 18 | California State University-Fullerton | 18500 | 20600 | 0.1018 | 40,705 | 960 | 0.8811 | |
| 19 | State University of New York at Plattsburgh | 18800 | 32000 | 0.4129 | 3,825 | 1175 | 0.7841 | |
| 20 | Campbellsville University | 19100 | 43200 | 0.5573 | 6,848 | 1075 | 0.7974 | |
| 21 | California State University-Los Angeles | 19700 | 38000 | 0.4816 | 22,077 | 965 | 0.9124 | |
| 22 | SUNY Buffalo State University | 20100 | 39900 | 0.4965 | 5,196 | 1050 | 0.8422 | |
| 23 | Lasell University | 20200 | 48500 | 0.5831 | 1,347 | 1095 | 0.7457 | |
| 24 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 20600 | 23200 | 0.1121 | 20,786 | 1225 | 0.8689 | |
| 24 | University of Montevallo | 20600 | 30300 | 0.3202 | 2,643 | 1124 | 0.5385 | |
| 26 | Bradley University | 21700 | 49900 | 0.5642 | 3,258 | 1174 | 0.7459 | |
| 27 | California State University-Chico | 22300 | 31000 | 0.2803 | 13,599 | 1054 | 0.9107 | |
| 28 | San Jose State University | 22900 | 41100 | 0.4429 | 29,890 | 1135 | 0.8039 | |
| 29 | Florida Memorial University | 23100 | 42000 | 0.4495 | 1,206 | 0 | 0.8526 | |
| 30 | Southwest Minnesota State University | 23200 | 25800 | 0.1008 | 7,290 | 1015 | 0.6409 | |
| 31 | University of Southern Indiana | 23600 | 27200 | 0.1322 | 5,347 | 1145 | 0.9581 | |
| 32 | University of Kentucky | 23900 | 36400 | 0.3435 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 33 | Saint Ambrose University | 24100 | 55400 | 0.5646 | 1,884 | 1065 | 0.8006 | |
| 34 | Southwestern Adventist University | 24300 | 43200 | 0.4376 | 758 | 1064 | 0.7836 | |
| 35 | Columbia College Chicago | 24400 | 63200 | 0.6143 | 4,346 | 0 | 0.738 | |
| 36 | Lewis University | 25100 | 57700 | 0.5649 | 4,914 | 1127 | 0.6916 | |
| 37 | Point Park University | 25200 | 57000 | 0.5582 | 2,498 | 1144 | 0.984 | |
| 38 | Westminster College | 26000 | 57600 | 0.5486 | 1,110 | 1145 | 0.9167 | |
| 39 | Northern Arizona University | 26400 | 43200 | 0.3893 | 22,203 | 1129 | 0.8961 | |
| 40 | Oakland University | 26700 | 39300 | 0.3205 | 12,770 | 1039 | 0.8897 | |
| 41 | Troy University | 26800 | 34700 | 0.2277 | 10,130 | 1075 | 0.9535 | |
| 41 | University of La Verne | 26800 | 67300 | 0.6015 | 3,052 | 1109 | 0.7117 | |
| 43 | Western Kentucky University | 26900 | 41800 | 0.3564 | 13,732 | 1090 | 0.9145 | |
| 44 | California State University-Northridge | 27000 | 36500 | 0.2599 | 32,846 | 1005 | 0.9176 | |
| 45 | Capital University | 27100 | 62400 | 0.5656 | 1,642 | 1045 | 0.6501 | |
| 46 | Rowan University | 27500 | 41300 | 0.3345 | 17,157 | 1204 | 0.7654 | |
| 47 | Chicago State University | 27600 | 37800 | 0.2687 | 1,501 | 885 | 0.4326 | |
| 47 | Syracuse University | 27600 | 83100 | 0.6677 | 16,149 | 1374 | 0.4879 | |
| 49 | Texas State University | 27900 | 28000 | 0.0036 | 39,353 | 1080 | 0.9118 | |
| 50 | Alabama A & M University | 28300 | 37700 | 0.251 | 6,370 | 915 | 0.5795 | |
| 51 | University of North Texas | 28400 | 37400 | 0.2405 | 34,414 | 1094 | 0.7089 | |
| 52 | University of Akron Main Campus | 28600 | 32300 | 0.1145 | 11,691 | 1074 | 0.7722 | |
| 53 | Cornerstone University | 29200 | 40800 | 0.2843 | 1,354 | 1110 | 0.7777 | |
| 54 | California State University-Monterey Bay | 29400 | 34000 | 0.1352 | 7,402 | 1054 | 0.9684 | |
| 55 | Huntington University | 29500 | 44300 | 0.3339 | 1,512 | 1065 | 0.7518 | |
| 56 | University of Northwestern-St Paul | 30700 | 54600 | 0.4377 | 3,120 | 1193 | 0.3992 | |
| 57 | San Francisco State University | 30800 | 47700 | 0.3544 | 19,444 | 1035 | 0.9644 | |
| 58 | California State University-Long Beach | 31000 | 38900 | 0.2032 | 36,056 | 1135 | 0.4543 | |
| 58 | Ithaca College | 31000 | 72500 | 0.5723 | 4,205 | 1328 | 0.7015 | |
| 60 | Rider University | 31400 | 60600 | 0.4816 | 3,052 | 1214 | 0.7741 | |
| 61 | San Diego State University | 31500 | 36100 | 0.1274 | 36,196 | 1208 | 0.3741 | |
| 62 | Missouri Baptist University | 31700 | 53800 | 0.4106 | 5,253 | 910 | 0.7062 | |
| 63 | Bowie State University | 32100 | 50200 | 0.3606 | 4,810 | 1044 | 0.824 | |
| 64 | University of Pittsburgh-Bradford | 32300 | 48400 | 0.3328 | 1,094 | 1109 | 0.8917 | |
| 65 | Suffolk University | 32900 | 70300 | 0.5319 | 4,247 | 1209 | 0.8228 | |
| 66 | Adrian College | 33700 | 70200 | 0.52 | 1,675 | 1045 | 0.7257 | |
| 67 | Texas Southern University | 34500 | 42500 | 0.1883 | 6,844 | 915 | 0.9691 | |
| 68 | Trevecca Nazarene University | 34800 | 50900 | 0.3164 | 1,961 | 1099 | 0.7512 | |
| 69 | Texas Tech University | 35600 | 38900 | 0.0848 | 34,021 | 1195 | 0.6906 | |
| 70 | Temple University | 36000 | 56400 | 0.3618 | 21,031 | 1172 | 0.8622 | |
| 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 | Long Island University | 38800 | 60000 | 0.3535 | 12,072 | 1229 | 0.8616 | |
| 74 | University of Central Florida | 39700 | 39700 | 0 | 60,083 | 1289 | 0.428 | |
| 75 | Appalachian State University | 40400 | 40600 | 0.0049 | 19,732 | 1174 | 0.9388 | |
| 76 | Wayne State University | 40500 | 46200 | 0.1234 | 16,390 | 1183 | 0.8359 | |
| 77 | Montclair State University | 41800 | 46600 | 0.103 | 19,048 | 1005 | 0.894 | |
| 78 | Susquehanna University | 42000 | 76800 | 0.4533 | 2,220 | 1199 | 0.7908 | |
| 79 | University of Florida | 43300 | 45700 | 0.0526 | 37,283 | 1406 | 0.2033 | |
| 80 | Providence College | 43500 | 85000 | 0.4884 | 4,680 | 1345 | 0.4994 | |
| 81 | Campbell University | 44200 | 68700 | 0.3578 | 2,699 | 1120 | 0.872 | |
| 82 | New England Institute of Technology | 44600 | 68200 | 0.3458 | 1,718 | 1030 | 0.6673 | |
| 83 | Ashland University | 44900 | 56400 | 0.204 | 2,977 | 1125 | 0.764 | |
| 84 | The University of Texas at Austin | 49900 | 59400 | 0.16 | 44,314 | 1356 | 0.2222 | |
| 85 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 53300 | 53300 | 0 | 34,447 | 1273 | 0.8804 | |
| 86 | Elon University | 55300 | 68900 | 0.1975 | 6,191 | 1283 | 0.6326 | |
| 87 | Savannah College of Art and Design | 56600 | 66400 | 0.1476 | 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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