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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 | United States Coast Guard Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,063 | 1319 | 0.206 | |
| 1 | United States Naval Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4,474 | 1305 | 0.0927 | |
| 3 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 3900 | 112100 | 0.9651 | 4,561 | 1542 | 0.0456 | |
| 3 | Princeton University | 3900 | 83400 | 0.9533 | 5,916 | 1528 | 0.0442 | |
| 5 | University of Pennsylvania | 4400 | 93100 | 0.9532 | 9,989 | 1535 | 0.0492 | |
| 6 | United States Merchant Marine Academy | 7300 | 8800 | 0.1714 | 962 | 1214 | 0.3424 | |
| 7 | University of Notre Dame | 7900 | 86900 | 0.9096 | 8,950 | 1497 | 0.0938 | |
| 8 | Carnegie Mellon University | 8900 | 112200 | 0.9209 | 7,728 | 1528 | 0.1107 | |
| 8 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 8900 | 96500 | 0.9082 | 9,164 | 1535 | 0.0386 | |
| 8 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 8900 | 38900 | 0.7719 | 38,572 | 1455 | 0.3659 | |
| 11 | Rice University | 9700 | 92600 | 0.895 | 4,807 | 1528 | 0.0801 | |
| 11 | Utah State University | 9700 | 26700 | 0.6361 | 26,629 | 1168 | 0.9212 | |
| 13 | Portland State University | 10000 | 73900 | 0.8645 | 14,932 | 1174 | 0.8586 | |
| 14 | Wellesley College | 10400 | 117800 | 0.9117 | 2,366 | 1499 | 0.1479 | |
| 15 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | 10600 | 33500 | 0.6829 | 22,313 | 1341 | 0.2996 | |
| 16 | Washington University in St Louis | 10700 | 102300 | 0.8957 | 8,153 | 1512 | 0.1192 | |
| 17 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 11100 | 30900 | 0.6402 | 40,996 | 1399 | 0.4175 | |
| 18 | Middlebury College | 11200 | 94500 | 0.8815 | 2,640 | 1499 | 0.1277 | |
| 19 | California State University-Fresno | 11300 | 54800 | 0.7938 | 21,954 | 995 | 0.9526 | |
| 20 | Florida Atlantic University | 11800 | 25800 | 0.5433 | 25,626 | 1150 | 0.5497 | |
| 21 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 12400 | 29600 | 0.5802 | 39,193 | 1418 | 0.4081 | |
| 22 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 12500 | 28100 | 0.5551 | 8,421 | 1054 | 0.9444 | |
| 23 | Cornell University | 13100 | 93700 | 0.8601 | 16,138 | 1528 | 0.0838 | |
| 24 | University of Georgia | 13600 | 27200 | 0.4993 | 32,824 | 1348 | 0.3425 | |
| 25 | Brown University | 13900 | 120200 | 0.8843 | 7,951 | 1500 | 0.0634 | |
| 25 | Louisiana Tech University | 13900 | 43500 | 0.6804 | 11,071 | 1189 | 0.9073 | |
| 27 | The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga | 14000 | 25600 | 0.4523 | 10,396 | 1125 | 0.7162 | |
| 28 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28100 | 0.4927 | 12,118 | 1070 | 0.7164 | |
| 28 | University of Memphis | 14300 | 37800 | 0.622 | 15,538 | 1080 | 0.7878 | |
| 30 | Mount Holyoke College | 14700 | 89900 | 0.8366 | 2,135 | 1419 | 0.3841 | |
| 31 | University of Maine at Augusta | 14800 | 54900 | 0.7301 | 4,313 | 0 | 0 | |
| 32 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 16000 | 62800 | 0.7449 | 25,312 | 1134 | 0.7395 | |
| 32 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | 16000 | 22300 | 0.2822 | 26,213 | 1209 | 0.7778 | |
| 34 | North Carolina State University | 16400 | 28500 | 0.4252 | 29,340 | 1374 | 0.3954 | |
| 35 | The University of Texas at Austin | 16500 | 28100 | 0.4123 | 44,314 | 1356 | 0.2222 | |
| 36 | Morgan State University | 16600 | 28500 | 0.4173 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 37 | Georgia Southern University | 16700 | 20100 | 0.1687 | 25,595 | 1045 | 0.695 | |
| 38 | Bennington College | 17100 | 89500 | 0.8095 | 708 | 1402 | 0.3721 | |
| 39 | Barnard College | 17500 | 99700 | 0.8241 | 3,223 | 1499 | 0.1005 | |
| 39 | University of Kentucky | 17500 | 46800 | 0.6264 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 41 | Keene State College | 17600 | 31100 | 0.4347 | 2,640 | 1064 | 0.8982 | |
| 41 | University of Nevada-Las Vegas | 17600 | 27400 | 0.3575 | 27,963 | 1090 | 0.8395 | |
| 41 | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | 17600 | 27400 | 0.3571 | 18,667 | 1090 | 0.9711 | |
| 44 | Yale University | 17700 | 275000 | 0.9356 | 6,667 | 1507 | 0.0475 | |
| 45 | University of Arkansas | 17800 | 36800 | 0.5156 | 29,252 | 1179 | 0.7388 | |
| 46 | California State University-Sacramento | 17900 | 35700 | 0.4987 | 28,619 | 1015 | 0.9357 | |
| 46 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 17900 | 43800 | 0.5908 | 21,028 | 1450 | 0.1334 | |
| 48 | La Roche University | 18500 | 87300 | 0.7883 | 1,972 | 990 | 0.6638 | |
| 49 | Connecticut College | 19300 | 93000 | 0.7922 | 1,953 | 1284 | 0.3923 | |
| 49 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 19300 | 29900 | 0.3538 | 60,710 | 1278 | 0.5732 | |
| 51 | Lehigh University | 19400 | 111000 | 0.8254 | 5,986 | 1436 | 0.2896 | |
| 52 | Kean University | 19500 | 39400 | 0.505 | 11,932 | 1040 | 0.7811 | |
| 53 | Norwich University | 19600 | 76000 | 0.7417 | 2,626 | 1186 | 0.7444 | |
| 54 | Olivet Nazarene University | 19700 | 79300 | 0.7523 | 2,704 | 1104 | 0.5586 | |
| 54 | University of Illinois Chicago | 19700 | 30100 | 0.3453 | 24,260 | 1174 | 0.7576 | |
| 56 | Syracuse University | 19800 | 83600 | 0.7632 | 16,149 | 1374 | 0.4879 | |
| 56 | University of Colorado Boulder | 19800 | 32100 | 0.3839 | 32,244 | 1351 | 0.7809 | |
| 58 | Iowa State University | 19900 | 24200 | 0.179 | 26,346 | 1212 | 0.8793 | |
| 58 | University of Southern California | 19900 | 76200 | 0.7388 | 20,768 | 1499 | 0.1119 | |
| 60 | University of Rhode Island | 20000 | 81200 | 0.7536 | 14,466 | 1197 | 0.7456 | |
| 61 | University of Hawaii at Manoa | 20100 | 32300 | 0.3775 | 15,735 | 1069 | 0.8797 | |
| 62 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 20300 | 43700 | 0.5355 | 8,513 | 1160 | 0.9261 | |
| 62 | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry | 20300 | 30500 | 0.334 | 1,984 | 1239 | 0.6328 | |
| 64 | South Dakota State University | 20400 | 25200 | 0.19 | 10,883 | 1115 | 0.9618 | |
| 65 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 20700 | 30600 | 0.326 | 43,633 | 1342 | 0.4343 | |
| 66 | North Dakota State University | 20800 | 25700 | 0.1902 | 9,762 | 1110 | 0.9496 | |
| 67 | University of New Orleans | 21000 | 29700 | 0.2929 | 5,419 | 1040 | 0.7431 | |
| 68 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 21800 | 37300 | 0.4156 | 26,490 | 1183 | 0.8863 | |
| 69 | Marywood University | 22200 | 93800 | 0.7633 | 1,936 | 1144 | 0.7878 | |
| 70 | Mount Mary University | 22300 | 57200 | 0.6102 | 616 | 1069 | 0.831 | |
| 71 | Tufts University | 22400 | 120000 | 0.813 | 7,031 | 1497 | 0.1082 | |
| 71 | University of Houston | 22400 | 27800 | 0.1944 | 40,366 | 1224 | 0.7577 | |
| 73 | Hampshire College | 22500 | 81600 | 0.7245 | 844 | 1254 | 0.7528 | |
| 74 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 23000 | 27500 | 0.1618 | 18,028 | 1059 | 0.7996 | |
| 75 | University of North Alabama | 23200 | 37300 | 0.3781 | 8,078 | 1124 | 0.7054 | |
| 76 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 23400 | 31100 | 0.2475 | 19,787 | 1197 | 0.8807 | |
| 77 | Massachusetts Maritime Academy | 23600 | 46900 | 0.4971 | 1,511 | 1120 | 0.9202 | |
| 78 | Bowling Green State University-Main Campus | 23700 | 34200 | 0.3073 | 15,273 | 1115 | 0.8089 | |
| 79 | Judson University | 24100 | 49100 | 0.5087 | 697 | 1010 | 0.8905 | |
| 79 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 24100 | 38400 | 0.3726 | 24,019 | 1404 | 0.5989 | |
| 79 | University of Southern Mississippi | 24100 | 30400 | 0.2073 | 10,371 | 1181 | 0.926 | |
| 82 | Indiana State University | 24200 | 32400 | 0.2532 | 6,352 | 1015 | 0.9157 | |
| 83 | Miami University-Oxford | 24300 | 28300 | 0.1413 | 16,405 | 1284 | 0.74 | |
| 84 | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi | 24500 | 36300 | 0.3247 | 2,881 | 1040 | 0.89 | |
| 85 | Temple University | 24800 | 36100 | 0.3132 | 21,031 | 1172 | 0.8622 | |
| 86 | Ball State University | 25400 | 25400 | 0 | 15,950 | 1185 | 0.8625 | |
| 86 | University of Kansas | 25400 | 37600 | 0.3265 | 22,544 | 1176 | 0.9258 | |
| 88 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | 25600 | 80500 | 0.6823 | 17,848 | 1470 | 0.1565 | |
| 89 | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | 26300 | 37700 | 0.3021 | 3,758 | 0 | 0.7236 | |
| 90 | Delaware Valley University | 27400 | 95800 | 0.7141 | 1,680 | 1189 | 0.9268 | |
| 91 | Hobart William Smith Colleges | 27600 | 88300 | 0.6873 | 1,862 | 1296 | 0.667 | |
| 92 | Drury University | 28800 | 68900 | 0.5824 | 1,453 | 1209 | 0.6575 | |
| 93 | Thomas Jefferson University | 29900 | 68700 | 0.5649 | 3,772 | 1255 | 0.8098 | |
| 94 | Lawrence Technological University | 30000 | 99100 | 0.6976 | 2,661 | 1149 | 0.8101 | |
| 95 | Mississippi State University | 30100 | 34400 | 0.1246 | 19,093 | 1205 | 0.8363 | |
| 96 | Ithaca College | 30400 | 72600 | 0.581 | 4,205 | 1328 | 0.7015 | |
| 97 | Kent State University at Kent | 31200 | 37500 | 0.1678 | 21,144 | 1104 | 0.7603 | |
| 98 | North Carolina A & T State University | 31400 | 36700 | 0.1443 | 12,497 | 1075 | 0.5125 | |
| 99 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 32000 | 54400 | 0.4117 | 35,248 | 1289 | 0.6939 | |
| 100 | Anderson University | 32300 | 53600 | 0.3973 | 3,724 | 1209 | 0.5491 | |
| 100 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette | 32300 | 44100 | 0.2677 | 13,432 | 1225 | 0.8701 | |
| 102 | SUNY Maritime College | 32500 | 42300 | 0.2315 | 1,401 | 1164 | 0.785 | |
| 103 | Prairie View A & M University | 32700 | 39600 | 0.1742 | 9,022 | 960 | 0.7836 | |
| 104 | Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design | 33700 | 60900 | 0.4468 | 838 | 1143 | 0.6054 | |
| 105 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | 34000 | 47000 | 0.2767 | 31,127 | 1115 | 0.8679 | |
| 106 | University of Oregon | 34500 | 40200 | 0.1418 | 20,710 | 1193 | 0.8742 | |
| 107 | Samford University | 34600 | 93800 | 0.6312 | 4,210 | 1199 | 0.8236 | |
| 108 | University of Idaho | 34800 | 48700 | 0.2854 | 9,656 | 1104 | 0.7476 | |
| 109 | Chatham University | 34900 | 80600 | 0.5671 | 1,555 | 1197 | 0.6196 | |
| 110 | Texas Tech University | 35600 | 38900 | 0.0848 | 34,021 | 1195 | 0.6906 | |
| 111 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 36400 | 53600 | 0.321 | 32,041 | 1324 | 0.4358 | |
| 112 | University of Connecticut | 37100 | 70600 | 0.4746 | 20,056 | 1329 | 0.5239 | |
| 113 | Andrews University | 37200 | 76700 | 0.5148 | 1,384 | 1143 | 0.8185 | |
| 114 | University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth | 37400 | 63100 | 0.407 | 5,986 | 1110 | 0.8916 | |
| 114 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 66600 | 0.4382 | 31,536 | 1366 | 0.5457 | |
| 116 | Benedictine College | 37600 | 52500 | 0.2836 | 2,404 | 1241 | 0.9812 | |
| 117 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | 38400 | 60200 | 0.362 | 23,003 | 1164 | 0.7367 | |
| 118 | Maine Maritime Academy | 38500 | 53000 | 0.2737 | 977 | 1189 | 0.9615 | |
| 119 | Drexel University | 39600 | 107600 | 0.6318 | 12,318 | 1354 | 0.699 | |
| 120 | Stony Brook University | 39700 | 53000 | 0.2507 | 18,616 | 1410 | 0.4818 | |
| 121 | University of Central Florida | 40200 | 40200 | 0 | 60,083 | 1289 | 0.428 | |
| 122 | University of California-Los Angeles | 40300 | 90200 | 0.5531 | 33,534 | 1399 | 0.0941 | |
| 123 | Concordia University-Wisconsin | 41200 | 57400 | 0.2823 | 2,401 | 1209 | 0.7819 | |
| 124 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 41400 | 58900 | 0.2971 | 21,388 | 1369 | 0.5945 | |
| 125 | University at Buffalo | 41500 | 46400 | 0.1057 | 21,192 | 1309 | 0.8059 | |
| 126 | University of Arizona | 42800 | 43800 | 0.0228 | 43,294 | 1186 | 0.8351 | |
| 127 | University of Maryland-College Park | 43000 | 68700 | 0.3743 | 31,875 | 1456 | 0.4503 | |
| 128 | University of Florida | 43100 | 45700 | 0.057 | 37,283 | 1406 | 0.2033 | |
| 129 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 43200 | 108500 | 0.6019 | 35,358 | 1448 | 0.1642 | |
| 130 | Otis College of Art and Design | 46700 | 102100 | 0.5426 | 1,188 | 1335 | 0.8034 | |
| 131 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 47100 | 59800 | 0.2121 | 37,985 | 1390 | 0.5815 | |
| 132 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 47200 | 53300 | 0.1144 | 34,447 | 1273 | 0.8804 | |
| 133 | University of Delaware | 47700 | 62000 | 0.2314 | 19,287 | 1302 | 0.6924 | |
| 134 | The University of Texas at Arlington | 48400 | 57000 | 0.151 | 32,545 | 1129 | 0.799 | |
| 135 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 50500 | 58800 | 0.1411 | 25,054 | 1225 | 0.7762 | |
| 136 | University of California-Berkeley | 51700 | 98700 | 0.4761 | 33,513 | 1407 | 0.1145 | |
| 137 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 53000 | 86300 | 0.3859 | 5,833 | 1440 | 0.6725 | |
| 138 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 53200 | 61000 | 0.1293 | 42,565 | 1339 | 0.7887 | |
| 139 | University of San Francisco | 53900 | 87300 | 0.3827 | 5,171 | 1333 | 0.7176 | |
| 140 | Tulane University of Louisiana | 54100 | 95100 | 0.4311 | 6,839 | 1469 | 0.1446 | |
| 141 | Howard University | 55000 | 67300 | 0.1827 | 11,519 | 1208 | 0.4134 | |
| 142 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 58300 | 63500 | 0.0819 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 143 | Maryland Institute College of Art | 58400 | 71200 | 0.1798 | 1,192 | 1232 | 0.7681 | |
| 144 | Indiana University-Bloomington | 60700 | 63000 | 0.0364 | 38,463 | 1324 | 0.7589 | |
| 145 | Webb Institute | 61100 | 74200 | 0.1765 | 104 | 1465 | 0.2484 | |
| 146 | Clemson University | 61400 | 63700 | 0.036 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 | |
| 147 | University of California-Davis | 68400 | 90000 | 0.2399 | 31,695 | 1290 | 0.4435 | |
| 148 | Auburn University | 75300 | 85500 | 0.1193 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 149 | The Catholic University of America | 82500 | 82500 | 0 | 3,294 | 1229 | 0.7328 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.