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 | Northeastern University Professional Programs | 3700 | 53000 | 0.9299 | 2,525 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | Washington and Lee University | 4100 | 87100 | 0.9531 | 1,886 | 1488 | 0.1397 | |
| 3 | Trinity College | 4500 | 91500 | 0.9509 | 2,237 | 1393 | 0.3352 | |
| 4 | Amherst College | 5300 | 95600 | 0.9444 | 1,914 | 1514 | 0.0901 | |
| 5 | University of Pennsylvania | 5700 | 93000 | 0.9389 | 10,013 | 1528 | 0.054 | |
| 6 | Davidson College | 6000 | 89900 | 0.933 | 1,869 | 1454 | 0.1337 | |
| 7 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 6500 | 94100 | 0.9312 | 9,157 | 1535 | 0.0386 | |
| 7 | Swarthmore College | 6500 | 88900 | 0.9269 | 1,623 | 1520 | 0.0746 | |
| 9 | Wellesley College | 7000 | 90900 | 0.9233 | 2,407 | 1500 | 0.1405 | |
| 10 | Bates College | 7200 | 91800 | 0.9214 | 1,760 | 1438 | 0.1332 | |
| 11 | Smith College | 7400 | 92700 | 0.9197 | 2,549 | 1477 | 0.21 | |
| 12 | Pitzer College | 7600 | 90700 | 0.9161 | 1,242 | 1279 | 0.2516 | |
| 13 | Middlebury College | 8500 | 89800 | 0.9052 | 2,760 | 1499 | 0.1075 | |
| 13 | Pomona College | 8500 | 88500 | 0.9039 | 1,766 | 1520 | 0.0709 | |
| 15 | Hamilton College | 8700 | 88400 | 0.9017 | 2,037 | 1499 | 0.1362 | |
| 16 | Haverford College | 8900 | 97300 | 0.9086 | 1,431 | 1499 | 0.1237 | |
| 17 | Grinnell College | 9300 | 91400 | 0.8984 | 1,788 | 1462 | 0.1451 | |
| 18 | St Olaf College | 9400 | 75600 | 0.8754 | 3,124 | 1378 | 0.4832 | |
| 19 | Vassar College | 9600 | 91500 | 0.8949 | 2,462 | 1499 | 0.1857 | |
| 20 | Duke University | 9800 | 93500 | 0.8955 | 6,523 | 1539 | 0.0571 | |
| 21 | Colgate University | 9900 | 91600 | 0.8915 | 3,193 | 1488 | 0.1388 | |
| 22 | Brigham Young University | 10900 | 29000 | 0.6237 | 32,221 | 1374 | 0.6919 | |
| 23 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 11100 | 27200 | 0.5927 | 40,754 | 1391 | 0.3915 | |
| 24 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 11300 | 34400 | 0.6706 | 37,140 | 1442 | 0.4237 | |
| 25 | Lafayette College | 11800 | 85800 | 0.863 | 2,775 | 1427 | 0.3145 | |
| 26 | Northeastern State University | 11900 | 22900 | 0.4802 | 5,085 | 1035 | 0.9935 | |
| 27 | New York University | 12000 | 91800 | 0.869 | 29,060 | 1520 | 0.0923 | |
| 28 | Carleton College | 12300 | 74000 | 0.8334 | 2,128 | 1492 | 0.2041 | |
| 28 | Northern Illinois University | 12300 | 29000 | 0.5744 | 11,349 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 30 | Bowdoin College | 12600 | 89900 | 0.8601 | 1,881 | 1505 | 0.0713 | |
| 31 | Denison University | 13500 | 69300 | 0.8057 | 2,406 | 1383 | 0.1693 | |
| 32 | University of Delaware | 13600 | 32500 | 0.5829 | 19,119 | 1303 | 0.6356 | |
| 32 | University of North Alabama | 13600 | 28200 | 0.518 | 8,078 | 1124 | 0.7054 | |
| 34 | Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville | 14500 | 41100 | 0.6478 | 8,975 | 1045 | 0.9721 | |
| 34 | Union College | 14500 | 91000 | 0.8407 | 2,065 | 1393 | 0.4392 | |
| 36 | Trinity University | 14600 | 64800 | 0.7748 | 2,518 | 1402 | 0.2592 | |
| 37 | Stanford University | 14800 | 71300 | 0.792 | 7,904 | 1535 | 0.0361 | |
| 38 | Macalester College | 15300 | 88200 | 0.8269 | 2,144 | 1417 | 0.2852 | |
| 39 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 15400 | 28100 | 0.452 | 8,553 | 1054 | 0.8688 | |
| 40 | Albion College | 15600 | 72600 | 0.785 | 1,308 | 1065 | 0.807 | |
| 41 | Northeastern University | 16100 | 89900 | 0.8213 | 22,695 | 1490 | 0.0522 | |
| 42 | Barnard College | 17600 | 93200 | 0.8112 | 3,269 | 1490 | 0.0796 | |
| 43 | University of Rochester | 17700 | 93100 | 0.8101 | 6,580 | 1469 | 0.4008 | |
| 43 | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | 17700 | 17700 | 0 | 18,428 | 1090 | 0.9529 | |
| 45 | Whitman College | 18000 | 85500 | 0.7898 | 1,561 | 1399 | 0.3815 | |
| 46 | Occidental College | 18300 | 87900 | 0.7917 | 1,881 | 1447 | 0.4417 | |
| 47 | Indiana University-Bloomington | 18400 | 30600 | 0.3971 | 38,093 | 1302 | 0.7821 | |
| 48 | Scripps College | 18900 | 94800 | 0.8004 | 1,117 | 1475 | 0.3829 | |
| 49 | Kansas State University | 19000 | 31400 | 0.395 | 15,650 | 1164 | 0.8199 | |
| 50 | Loyola University New Orleans | 19500 | 71100 | 0.726 | 3,032 | 1145 | 0.9305 | |
| 51 | Lee University | 19900 | 37100 | 0.4631 | 3,271 | 1154 | 0.7052 | |
| 52 | Niagara University | 20800 | 57400 | 0.6374 | 2,692 | 970 | 0.3972 | |
| 53 | Pennsylvania Western University | 21200 | 29400 | 0.279 | 7,586 | 1070 | 0.9433 | |
| 54 | Luther College | 21400 | 71900 | 0.7025 | 1,384 | 1226 | 0.8402 | |
| 55 | Cottey College | 21800 | 37300 | 0.4157 | 261 | 1090 | 0.7023 | |
| 56 | Canisius University | 22000 | 53200 | 0.5861 | 1,724 | 1129 | 0.7224 | |
| 57 | Lake Forest College | 22100 | 76700 | 0.7115 | 1,814 | 1323 | 0.5681 | |
| 58 | Sterling College | 22300 | 53600 | 0.5838 | 670 | 1090 | 0.8916 | |
| 59 | University of Nebraska at Kearney | 22500 | 26500 | 0.1512 | 4,214 | 1090 | 0.8949 | |
| 60 | Murray State University | 22900 | 27600 | 0.1707 | 8,281 | 1124 | 0.8568 | |
| 61 | University of Central Missouri | 23200 | 34300 | 0.3244 | 7,584 | 1055 | 0.638 | |
| 62 | Illinois Institute of Technology | 23900 | 71600 | 0.6664 | 3,135 | 1299 | 0.5493 | |
| 63 | Tulane University of Louisiana | 24100 | 83600 | 0.712 | 7,283 | 1451 | 0.1398 | |
| 64 | Wilson College | 24800 | 44400 | 0.4412 | 1,180 | 1040 | 0.9532 | |
| 65 | Creighton University | 24900 | 56600 | 0.5601 | 4,647 | 1328 | 0.7975 | |
| 66 | University of Kansas | 25600 | 37600 | 0.3189 | 22,085 | 1176 | 0.9348 | |
| 67 | Westminster University | 26100 | 59500 | 0.561 | 842 | 1233 | 0.6657 | |
| 68 | Earlham College | 26400 | 75800 | 0.6521 | 696 | 1233 | 0.7311 | |
| 69 | St. Francis College | 26800 | 39400 | 0.3202 | 1,934 | 1035 | 0.8153 | |
| 70 | University of North Georgia | 27000 | 35500 | 0.2393 | 18,329 | 1100 | 0.6794 | |
| 71 | Mount St. Mary's University | 27900 | 61400 | 0.5464 | 1,833 | 1164 | 0.7381 | |
| 72 | College of Coastal Georgia | 28400 | 43200 | 0.3422 | 3,468 | 985 | 0.9813 | |
| 73 | Regis University | 28800 | 67200 | 0.5711 | 2,704 | 1199 | 0.8639 | |
| 74 | Knox College | 28900 | 61000 | 0.5269 | 1,136 | 1287 | 0.7079 | |
| 75 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 29900 | 31100 | 0.0385 | 20,592 | 1435 | 0.1407 | |
| 76 | Gannon University | 30400 | 45300 | 0.329 | 2,768 | 1174 | 0.7416 | |
| 77 | Agnes Scott College | 30700 | 69000 | 0.5552 | 843 | 1273 | 0.6215 | |
| 78 | The College of Wooster | 30800 | 82400 | 0.626 | 1,738 | 1344 | 0.5953 | |
| 79 | University of North Florida | 31800 | 37900 | 0.161 | 13,735 | 1150 | 0.5324 | |
| 80 | Southern Nazarene University | 32100 | 48400 | 0.3367 | 1,465 | 1055 | 0.7703 | |
| 81 | LeTourneau University | 34000 | 54600 | 0.3772 | 3,184 | 1178 | 0.3801 | |
| 82 | University of Nevada-Reno | 35000 | 35000 | 0 | 18,895 | 1134 | 0.7371 | |
| 83 | New York Institute of Technology | 35400 | 83600 | 0.5761 | 3,355 | 1235 | 0.7808 | |
| 84 | Baldwin Wallace University | 35700 | 47300 | 0.2452 | 2,862 | 1194 | 0.757 | |
| 85 | Western Kentucky University | 36100 | 41900 | 0.1385 | 14,151 | 1090 | 0.9387 | |
| 86 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 38800 | 52900 | 0.2664 | 30,564 | 1298 | 0.416 | |
| 87 | Pace University | 39700 | 74100 | 0.464 | 8,038 | 1274 | 0.7592 | |
| 88 | Oglethorpe University | 41900 | 68600 | 0.3895 | 1,361 | 1216 | 0.886 | |
| 89 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 42500 | 54900 | 0.2261 | 20,418 | 1375 | 0.5808 | |
| 90 | Florida Institute of Technology | 43400 | 68600 | 0.3675 | 3,677 | 1224 | 0.577 | |
| 91 | University of California-Riverside | 43500 | 66400 | 0.3448 | 22,599 | 1199 | 0.7685 | |
| 92 | Georgia College & State University | 45100 | 52400 | 0.1393 | 6,006 | 1155 | 0.8779 | |
| 93 | Montclair State University | 46300 | 46600 | 0.0064 | 18,712 | 1058 | 0.8789 | |
| 94 | University of California-Merced | 48500 | 52300 | 0.0726 | 8,372 | 1070 | 0.9152 | |
| 95 | Drexel University | 51100 | 82600 | 0.3812 | 13,169 | 1339 | 0.7944 | |
| 96 | University of Utah | 51500 | 53700 | 0.0411 | 28,064 | 1237 | 0.8598 | |
| 97 | Sacred Heart University | 53000 | 75200 | 0.2953 | 6,960 | 1245 | 0.6768 | |
| 98 | University of California-Irvine | 55000 | 64800 | 0.1512 | 30,204 | 1333 | 0.2878 | |
| 99 | University of California-Davis | 63500 | 63500 | 0 | 32,273 | 1290 | 0.4183 | |
| 100 | University of Oregon | 66700 | 68900 | 0.032 | 20,622 | 1250 | 0.883 | |
| 101 | University of California-Berkeley | 74600 | 75500 | 0.0119 | 33,469 | 1407 | 0.1104 |
School data is from 2022–2023 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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