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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 | College of the Ozarks | 8200 | 32800 | 0.7493 | 1,454 | 1135 | 0.1199 | |
| 2 | University of California-Davis | 10100 | 37800 | 0.732 | 32,273 | 1290 | 0.4183 | |
| 3 | University of Wisconsin-River Falls | 10300 | 24000 | 0.5725 | 4,721 | 1110 | 0.7782 | |
| 4 | Cornell University | 10400 | 92000 | 0.8866 | 16,128 | 1521 | 0.0841 | |
| 5 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | 12000 | 26200 | 0.5418 | 21,947 | 1335 | 0.3122 | |
| 6 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus | 12200 | 29900 | 0.5919 | 12,498 | 1010 | 0.8896 | |
| 7 | Northern Illinois University | 12400 | 29000 | 0.5718 | 11,349 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 8 | Utah State University | 13000 | 30000 | 0.5659 | 25,920 | 1176 | 0.9247 | |
| 9 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 13700 | 32200 | 0.5744 | 39,083 | 1412 | 0.4517 | |
| 10 | Louisiana Tech University | 13800 | 24900 | 0.4451 | 11,071 | 1164 | 0.9073 | |
| 11 | Texas Tech University | 14000 | 27000 | 0.4813 | 32,580 | 1200 | 0.7265 | |
| 12 | West Virginia University | 14100 | 23300 | 0.3948 | 18,614 | 1125 | 0.778 | |
| 13 | University of Wisconsin-Platteville | 14200 | 27800 | 0.4903 | 6,270 | 1140 | 0.8726 | |
| 14 | Oklahoma Panhandle State University | 14300 | 17500 | 0.1829 | 1,071 | 985 | 0.9707 | |
| 14 | University of Idaho | 14300 | 26400 | 0.458 | 9,574 | 1119 | 0.7553 | |
| 16 | Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville | 14400 | 41100 | 0.6502 | 8,975 | 1045 | 0.9721 | |
| 17 | Northwest Missouri State University | 14600 | 36300 | 0.5973 | 5,241 | 1075 | 0.8613 | |
| 18 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 15200 | 35700 | 0.5744 | 26,500 | 1183 | 0.8857 | |
| 19 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 15300 | 28100 | 0.4555 | 8,553 | 1054 | 0.8688 | |
| 20 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 17200 | 27200 | 0.3671 | 44,170 | 1327 | 0.4979 | |
| 21 | Sam Houston State University | 17300 | 23000 | 0.2478 | 17,787 | 1030 | 0.9026 | |
| 22 | University of Vermont | 18300 | 37800 | 0.5164 | 12,276 | 1379 | 0.653 | |
| 23 | Texas State University | 18900 | 28900 | 0.3455 | 36,268 | 1100 | 0.8908 | |
| 24 | Kansas State University | 19000 | 31400 | 0.3953 | 15,650 | 1164 | 0.8199 | |
| 25 | University of Wyoming | 20000 | 26700 | 0.2497 | 8,130 | 1159 | 0.9688 | |
| 26 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 20200 | 38800 | 0.481 | 36,588 | 1367 | 0.6535 | |
| 26 | SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill | 20200 | 26800 | 0.2459 | 1,764 | 1055 | 0.8325 | |
| 28 | South Dakota State University | 20600 | 25200 | 0.1814 | 10,728 | 1120 | 0.9834 | |
| 29 | University of Maryland-College Park | 20900 | 27100 | 0.2289 | 31,133 | 1456 | 0.448 | |
| 30 | Tarleton State University | 21000 | 23000 | 0.087 | 15,130 | 0 | 0.5256 | |
| 31 | Buena Vista University | 22500 | 59100 | 0.6188 | 810 | 1124 | 0.7761 | |
| 32 | Murray State University | 23000 | 27600 | 0.166 | 8,281 | 1124 | 0.8568 | |
| 32 | Sul Ross State University | 23000 | 37300 | 0.3835 | 1,441 | 1000 | 0.9562 | |
| 34 | Fort Valley State University | 23500 | 38900 | 0.3956 | 2,558 | 940 | 0.628 | |
| 35 | Missouri State University-Springfield | 23600 | 25700 | 0.0817 | 20,584 | 1134 | 0.9053 | |
| 36 | University of Kentucky | 23900 | 36000 | 0.3352 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 37 | Wilson College | 24300 | 43300 | 0.4385 | 1,180 | 1040 | 0.9532 | |
| 38 | Montana State University | 24900 | 31400 | 0.207 | 15,053 | 1184 | 0.8214 | |
| 38 | Unity Environmental University | 24900 | 27700 | 0.1009 | 5,655 | 0 | 0.818 | |
| 40 | Tuskegee University | 25100 | 42100 | 0.4042 | 2,400 | 1030 | 0.3143 | |
| 41 | Dordt University | 25200 | 52300 | 0.518 | 1,695 | 1195 | 0.7116 | |
| 42 | California State University-Fresno | 25300 | 35900 | 0.2951 | 21,430 | 995 | 0.9638 | |
| 43 | Texas A&M University-Commerce | 25500 | 37400 | 0.3186 | 9,666 | 1040 | 0.7498 | |
| 44 | Michigan State University | 25800 | 28900 | 0.1089 | 41,234 | 1223 | 0.848 | |
| 44 | The University of Findlay | 25800 | 50200 | 0.4863 | 3,954 | 1124 | 0.8615 | |
| 44 | University of Minnesota-Crookston | 25800 | 28600 | 0.0988 | 2,510 | 1095 | 0.8781 | |
| 47 | Iowa State University | 26200 | 42800 | 0.3864 | 25,628 | 1207 | 0.8866 | |
| 48 | University of Arizona | 26500 | 35200 | 0.247 | 45,025 | 1212 | 0.8614 | |
| 49 | University of Arkansas | 26700 | 30800 | 0.1324 | 28,859 | 1179 | 0.7431 | |
| 50 | North Dakota State University | 27900 | 30400 | 0.0815 | 9,762 | 1110 | 0.9496 | |
| 51 | Alabama A & M University | 28100 | 42800 | 0.3433 | 5,845 | 940 | 0.6622 | |
| 52 | Mississippi State University | 28300 | 32300 | 0.126 | 18,567 | 1214 | 0.7764 | |
| 53 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 29900 | 52900 | 0.435 | 37,140 | 1442 | 0.4237 | |
| 54 | California State University-Chico | 30100 | 41000 | 0.2661 | 13,392 | 1117 | 0.9158 | |
| 55 | Lubbock Christian University | 30300 | 49000 | 0.3815 | 1,322 | 1070 | 0.7589 | |
| 56 | Centenary University | 30500 | 63600 | 0.5203 | 951 | 965 | 0.9675 | |
| 57 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 30600 | 31100 | 0.0161 | 19,701 | 1214 | 0.8749 | |
| 58 | University of Hawaii at Manoa | 30900 | 39500 | 0.2175 | 14,576 | 1179 | 0.6967 | |
| 59 | North Carolina State University | 31100 | 53000 | 0.4127 | 28,422 | 1335 | 0.4167 | |
| 60 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 31200 | 41100 | 0.2411 | 25,255 | 1134 | 0.737 | |
| 61 | University of Rhode Island | 31300 | 46700 | 0.3298 | 14,376 | 1148 | 0.7216 | |
| 62 | North Carolina A & T State University | 31700 | 36400 | 0.129 | 12,216 | 1020 | 0.4617 | |
| 63 | Angelo State University | 31800 | 35400 | 0.101 | 9,779 | 1055 | 0.8301 | |
| 64 | Stephen F Austin State University | 33700 | 42800 | 0.2126 | 9,129 | 1060 | 0.7445 | |
| 65 | Delaware Valley University | 35300 | 63800 | 0.4466 | 1,768 | 1180 | 0.9326 | |
| 65 | University of Mount Olive | 35300 | 35300 | 0 | 1,937 | 945 | 0.7775 | |
| 67 | Abilene Christian University | 35700 | 60700 | 0.4115 | 3,233 | 1129 | 0.6604 | |
| 68 | University of Maine | 36100 | 45100 | 0.1996 | 591 | 1199 | 0.9684 | |
| 69 | Andrews University | 36400 | 47100 | 0.227 | 1,312 | 1208 | 0.874 | |
| 70 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 62000 | 0.3968 | 31,035 | 1366 | 0.5499 | |
| 71 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville | 37600 | 41600 | 0.0979 | 5,187 | 1005 | 0.9229 | |
| 72 | University of Connecticut | 37800 | 41800 | 0.0957 | 19,388 | 1324 | 0.5395 | |
| 73 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | 38600 | 44600 | 0.1345 | 22,351 | 1159 | 0.7504 | |
| 73 | Washington State University | 38600 | 53900 | 0.2835 | 14,346 | 1139 | 0.8797 | |
| 75 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 39000 | 52900 | 0.2626 | 30,564 | 1298 | 0.416 | |
| 76 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 39600 | 53800 | 0.264 | 23,920 | 1390 | 0.5973 | |
| 77 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | 40200 | 40200 | 0 | 11,365 | 1216 | 0.8816 | |
| 78 | University of Georgia | 40300 | 46000 | 0.1242 | 31,514 | 1336 | 0.3719 | |
| 79 | Arkansas State University | 41900 | 45900 | 0.086 | 9,985 | 1075 | 0.7959 | |
| 80 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 42500 | 52100 | 0.1843 | 46,815 | 1339 | 0.6057 | |
| 81 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 42600 | 55100 | 0.227 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 82 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 43500 | 50300 | 0.1352 | 34,242 | 1273 | 0.7333 | |
| 82 | University of Florida | 43500 | 45600 | 0.046 | 36,567 | 1399 | 0.242 | |
| 84 | Oregon State University | 44900 | 61900 | 0.2742 | 31,253 | 1272 | 0.773 | |
| 85 | Middle Tennessee State University | 45800 | 45800 | 0 | 17,668 | 1124 | 0.68 | |
| 86 | University of Delaware | 47200 | 53200 | 0.1127 | 19,119 | 1303 | 0.6356 | |
| 87 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 52400 | 56100 | 0.0655 | 60,710 | 1278 | 0.5732 | |
| 88 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 53400 | 61000 | 0.1257 | 41,303 | 1338 | 0.7975 | |
| 89 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 54100 | 59200 | 0.0857 | 24,457 | 1256 | 0.7847 | |
| 90 | Auburn University | 55400 | 55400 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 91 | Clemson University | 61600 | 63700 | 0.0326 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 |
School data is from 2022–2023 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.