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 | Bates College | 6400 | 92900 | 0.9309 | 1,760 | 1469 | 0.1332 | |
| 2 | University of Richmond | 9400 | 88400 | 0.8938 | 3,055 | 1484 | 0.222 | |
| 3 | Mississippi Valley State University | 9600 | 26300 | 0.6345 | 2,013 | 845 | 0.9238 | |
| 4 | Marshall University | 11800 | 36600 | 0.6773 | 9,146 | 1065 | 0.9573 | |
| 5 | Trinity University | 13500 | 69600 | 0.8064 | 2,518 | 1423 | 0.2592 | |
| 6 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 7 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5048 | 11,348 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 8 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 15600 | 31000 | 0.4964 | 8,553 | 1045 | 0.8688 | |
| 9 | Ferris State University | 17000 | 31000 | 0.4523 | 8,991 | 1015 | 0.9139 | |
| 10 | Northwestern Oklahoma State University | 17300 | 28000 | 0.3821 | 1,787 | 980 | 0.6545 | |
| 10 | Whitman College | 17300 | 85500 | 0.798 | 1,561 | 1399 | 0.3815 | |
| 12 | Northern State University | 18000 | 27200 | 0.3383 | 3,169 | 1075 | 0.93 | |
| 13 | University of California-Berkeley | 18300 | 43500 | 0.5798 | 33,070 | 1407 | 0.1098 | |
| 13 | University of Pittsburgh-Bradford | 18300 | 33300 | 0.4505 | 1,009 | 1115 | 0.8854 | |
| 15 | East Tennessee State University | 18500 | 26100 | 0.2907 | 10,829 | 1124 | 0.8619 | |
| 16 | University of Nebraska at Kearney | 18800 | 26300 | 0.2851 | 4,213 | 1124 | 0.8949 | |
| 17 | Scripps College | 19000 | 94900 | 0.8002 | 1,117 | 1475 | 0.3829 | |
| 18 | Jackson State University | 19300 | 28000 | 0.3102 | 4,650 | 950 | 0.9315 | |
| 19 | University of Mississippi | 19400 | 27000 | 0.2814 | 21,585 | 1182 | 0.9658 | |
| 20 | Illinois College | 19700 | 55200 | 0.6438 | 937 | 1059 | 0.7819 | |
| 21 | Bethel University | 19800 | 54500 | 0.6363 | 1,065 | 1030 | 0.9766 | |
| 22 | Youngstown State University | 20000 | 34000 | 0.4118 | 9,400 | 1115 | 0.8445 | |
| 23 | Coe College | 20100 | 76500 | 0.7373 | 1,195 | 1229 | 0.6404 | |
| 24 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 20400 | 23200 | 0.1207 | 20,444 | 1209 | 0.8499 | |
| 25 | Black Hills State University | 22600 | 24900 | 0.0917 | 3,198 | 1075 | 0.9633 | |
| 25 | Old Dominion University | 22600 | 32400 | 0.3023 | 17,746 | 1205 | 0.9036 | |
| 27 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 23000 | 27500 | 0.1618 | 17,450 | 1044 | 0.9518 | |
| 28 | University of Minnesota-Morris | 23300 | 30300 | 0.2302 | 981 | 1140 | 0.7493 | |
| 29 | Boise State University | 24600 | 31200 | 0.2116 | 23,983 | 1135 | 0.8721 | |
| 30 | Sul Ross State University | 24800 | 37300 | 0.3352 | 1,890 | 1020 | 0.9871 | |
| 31 | Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania | 25600 | 34900 | 0.2668 | 4,371 | 1084 | 0.865 | |
| 32 | Bowling Green State University-Main Campus | 26400 | 36800 | 0.2828 | 14,783 | 1124 | 0.8096 | |
| 33 | Syracuse University | 27800 | 83100 | 0.6653 | 15,957 | 1363 | 0.4592 | |
| 34 | Texas State University | 28000 | 28000 | 0 | 36,236 | 1100 | 0.8932 | |
| 35 | Elmhurst University | 28700 | 67000 | 0.5719 | 3,213 | 1148 | 0.7364 | |
| 36 | University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown | 31800 | 49500 | 0.3579 | 1,813 | 1109 | 0.9484 | |
| 37 | Drake University | 32600 | 68500 | 0.524 | 2,585 | 1259 | 0.6385 | |
| 38 | University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg | 34000 | 48800 | 0.303 | 1,321 | 1155 | 0.9521 | |
| 39 | Charleston Southern University | 34200 | 48400 | 0.2948 | 3,126 | 1060 | 0.9646 | |
| 40 | University of Montevallo | 35300 | 44900 | 0.214 | 2,642 | 1124 | 0.5385 | |
| 41 | DePaul University | 37800 | 66000 | 0.4275 | 14,188 | 1254 | 0.7589 | |
| 42 | Clark Atlanta University | 38500 | 51900 | 0.2581 | 3,618 | 990 | 0.6422 | |
| 43 | University of Central Florida | 39700 | 39700 | 0 | 59,552 | 1280 | 0.4011 | |
| 44 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 41500 | 55200 | 0.2481 | 25,900 | 1375 | 0.5808 | |
| 45 | Oglethorpe University | 41800 | 68600 | 0.3906 | 1,396 | 1216 | 0.8845 | |
| 46 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania | 42400 | 42400 | 0 | 14,449 | 1195 | 0.784 | |
| 47 | Duquesne University | 45200 | 70500 | 0.3586 | 5,371 | 1274 | 0.8356 | |
| 48 | Georgia College & State University | 45300 | 52400 | 0.1355 | 6,006 | 1165 | 0.7823 | |
| 49 | University of Kentucky | 49000 | 58000 | 0.1559 | 25,534 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 50 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 49800 | 62200 | 0.1995 | 37,140 | 1406 | 0.4237 | |
| 51 | University of Utah | 51400 | 53700 | 0.0425 | 28,064 | 1237 | 0.8598 | |
| 52 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 53200 | 61000 | 0.1291 | 41,303 | 1338 | 0.7975 | |
| 53 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 53300 | 53300 | 0 | 33,033 | 1264 | 0.8529 | |
| 54 | Clemson University | 61400 | 63700 | 0.0358 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 | |
| 55 | Pepperdine University | 62200 | 94600 | 0.3425 | 3,553 | 1378 | 0.6286 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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