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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 Military Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4,507 | 1335 | 0.1161 | |
| 1 | United States Naval Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4,474 | 1305 | 0.0927 | |
| 4 | Johns Hopkins University | 2700 | 92000 | 0.9704 | 6,354 | 1554 | 0.0611 | |
| 5 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 3600 | 93300 | 0.9613 | 4,561 | 1542 | 0.0456 | |
| 6 | Princeton University | 3900 | 83400 | 0.9532 | 5,916 | 1528 | 0.0442 | |
| 7 | University of Chicago | 4100 | 95500 | 0.9575 | 7,519 | 1535 | 0.0456 | |
| 8 | University of Pennsylvania | 4600 | 93100 | 0.951 | 9,989 | 1535 | 0.0492 | |
| 9 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 5600 | 40700 | 0.8615 | 35,358 | 1448 | 0.1642 | |
| 10 | Harvard University | 5900 | 95600 | 0.9384 | 6,738 | 1500 | 0.0418 | |
| 11 | Northwestern University | 6500 | 90200 | 0.9278 | 9,060 | 1533 | 0.0769 | |
| 12 | Bowdoin College | 6600 | 96700 | 0.9316 | 1,841 | 1499 | 0.0681 | |
| 13 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 6900 | 41500 | 0.8347 | 38,572 | 1455 | 0.3659 | |
| 14 | Washington University in St Louis | 7300 | 102300 | 0.9283 | 8,153 | 1512 | 0.1192 | |
| 15 | Lafayette College | 7800 | 91000 | 0.9138 | 2,675 | 1415 | 0.3116 | |
| 15 | University of Notre Dame | 7800 | 89100 | 0.9123 | 8,950 | 1497 | 0.0938 | |
| 15 | Vanderbilt University | 7800 | 98200 | 0.921 | 7,221 | 1527 | 0.0586 | |
| 18 | Brigham Young University | 8000 | 22200 | 0.6405 | 34,354 | 1374 | 0.6862 | |
| 19 | California Institute of Technology | 8400 | 94600 | 0.9108 | 971 | 1564 | 0.0379 | |
| 20 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 8600 | 98000 | 0.9125 | 9,164 | 1535 | 0.0386 | |
| 21 | Carnegie Mellon University | 8900 | 90900 | 0.9025 | 7,728 | 1528 | 0.1107 | |
| 22 | Rice University | 9700 | 92500 | 0.8954 | 4,807 | 1528 | 0.0801 | |
| 22 | University of Tulsa | 9700 | 63100 | 0.8468 | 2,852 | 1328 | 0.615 | |
| 24 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 10100 | 41500 | 0.7567 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 25 | University of California-Berkeley | 10400 | 44400 | 0.766 | 33,513 | 1407 | 0.1145 | |
| 26 | Cornell University | 10500 | 93700 | 0.8878 | 16,138 | 1528 | 0.0838 | |
| 27 | University of Rochester | 10600 | 96300 | 0.8903 | 6,096 | 1448 | 0.4191 | |
| 28 | University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point | 10700 | 21100 | 0.4936 | 7,753 | 1140 | 0.9245 | |
| 29 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 11100 | 32800 | 0.6612 | 46,627 | 1366 | 0.492 | |
| 30 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell | 11300 | 35700 | 0.683 | 12,122 | 1283 | 0.8296 | |
| 31 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | 11800 | 39000 | 0.6966 | 17,848 | 1470 | 0.1565 | |
| 32 | Brown University | 11900 | 94000 | 0.8733 | 7,951 | 1500 | 0.0634 | |
| 33 | New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | 12100 | 25900 | 0.5322 | 1,066 | 1197 | 0.4449 | |
| 34 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 12400 | 31100 | 0.6022 | 39,193 | 1418 | 0.4081 | |
| 35 | North Carolina A & T State University | 13000 | 17900 | 0.2745 | 12,497 | 1075 | 0.5125 | |
| 36 | California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt | 13300 | 38300 | 0.6521 | 5,677 | 985 | 0.9301 | |
| 36 | Louisiana Tech University | 13300 | 42900 | 0.6899 | 11,071 | 1189 | 0.9073 | |
| 36 | Northern Illinois University | 13300 | 32100 | 0.5856 | 12,118 | 1070 | 0.7164 | |
| 36 | University of Houston | 13300 | 21800 | 0.3898 | 40,366 | 1224 | 0.7577 | |
| 40 | University of California-Riverside | 13500 | 36500 | 0.6297 | 24,034 | 1199 | 0.8609 | |
| 41 | West Virginia University Institute of Technology | 13700 | 60900 | 0.7752 | 1,278 | 1025 | 0.3668 | |
| 42 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette | 14100 | 31000 | 0.5458 | 13,432 | 1225 | 0.8701 | |
| 42 | Youngstown State University | 14100 | 28400 | 0.5033 | 9,687 | 1120 | 0.9145 | |
| 44 | Bucknell University | 14500 | 95700 | 0.8489 | 3,928 | 1275 | 0.322 | |
| 44 | Case Western Reserve University | 14500 | 92800 | 0.8434 | 6,657 | 1484 | 0.3778 | |
| 46 | University of California-Irvine | 14800 | 40400 | 0.6341 | 30,260 | 1333 | 0.2895 | |
| 47 | Stanford University | 14900 | 1932000 | 0.9923 | 7,346 | 1542 | 0.038 | |
| 48 | West Virginia University | 15000 | 73100 | 0.7945 | 18,206 | 1120 | 0.8514 | |
| 49 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville | 15200 | 25800 | 0.4099 | 5,386 | 995 | 0.9092 | |
| 49 | University of Mississippi | 15200 | 27000 | 0.4369 | 22,939 | 1172 | 0.9738 | |
| 51 | Florida State University | 15600 | 23000 | 0.322 | 34,271 | 1369 | 0.2383 | |
| 51 | Illinois Institute of Technology | 15600 | 74500 | 0.7908 | 3,190 | 1317 | 0.6187 | |
| 51 | University of Kansas | 15600 | 34900 | 0.5524 | 22,544 | 1176 | 0.9258 | |
| 54 | University of Florida | 15800 | 22500 | 0.2977 | 37,283 | 1406 | 0.2033 | |
| 55 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | 15900 | 24200 | 0.3436 | 7,637 | 1115 | 0.1865 | |
| 56 | North Carolina State University | 16100 | 28500 | 0.4348 | 29,340 | 1374 | 0.3954 | |
| 57 | Texas Tech University | 16300 | 27100 | 0.3984 | 34,021 | 1195 | 0.6906 | |
| 58 | McNeese State University | 16500 | 27800 | 0.4068 | 5,668 | 1060 | 0.7827 | |
| 58 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | 16500 | 26500 | 0.3761 | 23,003 | 1164 | 0.7367 | |
| 60 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 16600 | 41200 | 0.5978 | 25,312 | 1134 | 0.7395 | |
| 61 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | 16800 | 31500 | 0.4667 | 9,827 | 1329 | 0.6737 | |
| 62 | University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown | 17300 | 44200 | 0.6093 | 1,829 | 1149 | 0.945 | |
| 63 | Kutztown University of Pennsylvania | 17400 | 29400 | 0.4086 | 6,229 | 1174 | 0.8942 | |
| 63 | University of Miami | 17400 | 96300 | 0.8194 | 13,241 | 1408 | 0.1761 | |
| 65 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 17500 | 29900 | 0.4164 | 60,710 | 1278 | 0.5732 | |
| 66 | Cal Poly Maritime Academy | 17700 | 58500 | 0.6971 | 804 | 1110 | 0.9501 | |
| 66 | Yale University | 17700 | 278600 | 0.9365 | 6,667 | 1507 | 0.0475 | |
| 68 | Northeastern University | 17900 | 90000 | 0.801 | 22,456 | 1481 | 0.0562 | |
| 69 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 18200 | 18200 | 0 | 35,248 | 1289 | 0.6939 | |
| 69 | San Jose State University | 18200 | 41100 | 0.5567 | 29,890 | 1135 | 0.8039 | |
| 71 | University of Rhode Island | 18500 | 33900 | 0.4544 | 14,466 | 1197 | 0.7456 | |
| 72 | The University of Texas Permian Basin | 18900 | 54000 | 0.6497 | 3,991 | 1010 | 0.9654 | |
| 73 | Lehigh University | 19200 | 89800 | 0.7863 | 5,986 | 1436 | 0.2896 | |
| 74 | University of Southern California | 20000 | 76400 | 0.7387 | 20,768 | 1499 | 0.1119 | |
| 75 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 20200 | 38500 | 0.4738 | 25,141 | 1256 | 0.7613 | |
| 76 | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry | 20300 | 60700 | 0.6655 | 1,984 | 1239 | 0.6328 | |
| 76 | Syracuse University | 20300 | 83600 | 0.7572 | 16,149 | 1374 | 0.4879 | |
| 76 | University of Wyoming | 20300 | 27900 | 0.2742 | 8,138 | 1163 | 0.9695 | |
| 79 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | 20700 | 39200 | 0.4722 | 10,900 | 1222 | 0.8914 | |
| 80 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | 21300 | 27800 | 0.2336 | 31,127 | 1115 | 0.8679 | |
| 81 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 21800 | 37300 | 0.4156 | 26,490 | 1183 | 0.8863 | |
| 82 | Tufts University | 22400 | 99000 | 0.7738 | 7,031 | 1497 | 0.1082 | |
| 83 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 22500 | 22500 | 0 | 20,786 | 1225 | 0.8689 | |
| 83 | Virginia Commonwealth University | 22500 | 53400 | 0.5791 | 21,469 | 1167 | 0.9061 | |
| 85 | Lamar University | 23500 | 37700 | 0.3765 | 8,387 | 1040 | 0.8353 | |
| 85 | Marian University | 23500 | 59800 | 0.6066 | 2,378 | 1085 | 0.9546 | |
| 87 | The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga | 23700 | 34500 | 0.3133 | 10,396 | 1125 | 0.7162 | |
| 88 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 24000 | 38500 | 0.3764 | 24,019 | 1404 | 0.5989 | |
| 89 | University of Dayton | 24100 | 64400 | 0.6255 | 7,252 | 1319 | 0.6659 | |
| 90 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 24200 | 40500 | 0.4025 | 21,388 | 1369 | 0.5945 | |
| 91 | Miami University-Oxford | 24400 | 28300 | 0.1378 | 16,405 | 1284 | 0.74 | |
| 91 | Montana State University | 24400 | 24400 | 0 | 15,142 | 1184 | 0.9938 | |
| 93 | University of South Florida | 24700 | 36500 | 0.3229 | 39,093 | 1255 | 0.4071 | |
| 94 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 25300 | 31100 | 0.1856 | 19,787 | 1197 | 0.8807 | |
| 95 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus | 25400 | 39400 | 0.3555 | 13,039 | 1020 | 0.894 | |
| 96 | Christian Brothers University | 25700 | 57600 | 0.5545 | 1,155 | 1110 | 0.867 | |
| 97 | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | 25800 | 28400 | 0.0903 | 2,216 | 1268 | 0.7987 | |
| 98 | Dordt University | 26000 | 52500 | 0.5045 | 1,716 | 1205 | 0.6847 | |
| 99 | University of Akron Main Campus | 26100 | 28000 | 0.0677 | 11,691 | 1074 | 0.7722 | |
| 100 | Trine University | 26400 | 56100 | 0.5292 | 4,373 | 1159 | 0.8548 | |
| 101 | University of Arkansas | 26700 | 44700 | 0.4019 | 29,252 | 1179 | 0.7388 | |
| 102 | University of Minnesota Duluth | 27100 | 31300 | 0.1362 | 8,706 | 1230 | 0.8906 | |
| 103 | University of Southern Mississippi | 27200 | 27200 | 0 | 10,371 | 1181 | 0.926 | |
| 104 | California State University-Long Beach | 27300 | 38800 | 0.2963 | 36,056 | 1135 | 0.4543 | |
| 105 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 27500 | 43800 | 0.3725 | 18,028 | 1059 | 0.7996 | |
| 106 | Wayne State University | 28100 | 46800 | 0.3998 | 16,390 | 1183 | 0.8359 | |
| 107 | Clarkson University | 28200 | 78000 | 0.6386 | 2,163 | 1283 | 0.825 | |
| 108 | Iowa State University | 28700 | 45200 | 0.3663 | 26,346 | 1212 | 0.8793 | |
| 109 | Clemson University | 28800 | 37100 | 0.2253 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 | |
| 110 | New York University | 29000 | 92100 | 0.6851 | 29,471 | 1520 | 0.0906 | |
| 111 | University of Connecticut | 29200 | 55500 | 0.4737 | 20,056 | 1329 | 0.5239 | |
| 112 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 29400 | 34200 | 0.1402 | 31,845 | 1298 | 0.5651 | |
| 113 | University of Iowa | 29500 | 32100 | 0.0799 | 23,407 | 1203 | 0.799 | |
| 114 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 30100 | 78300 | 0.6157 | 14,267 | 1363 | 0.6693 | |
| 115 | University of Toledo | 30400 | 42000 | 0.2756 | 10,726 | 1134 | 0.8889 | |
| 116 | Missouri University of Science and Technology | 30500 | 36900 | 0.1737 | 5,687 | 1305 | 0.7863 | |
| 117 | The College of Wooster | 30600 | 82400 | 0.6292 | 1,515 | 1345 | 0.6438 | |
| 118 | University of North Dakota | 30700 | 33700 | 0.0908 | 11,837 | 1189 | 0.8157 | |
| 119 | Prairie View A & M University | 30800 | 39600 | 0.2221 | 9,022 | 960 | 0.7836 | |
| 120 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 31100 | 50300 | 0.3816 | 21,028 | 1450 | 0.1334 | |
| 121 | Western Michigan University | 31200 | 31200 | 0 | 13,714 | 1089 | 0.9121 | |
| 122 | Tuskegee University | 31500 | 45600 | 0.3093 | 2,660 | 1090 | 0.4868 | |
| 123 | Cleveland State University | 31700 | 32100 | 0.0125 | 9,418 | 1069 | 0.913 | |
| 123 | Hampton University | 31700 | 54800 | 0.4215 | 4,046 | 1005 | 0.6358 | |
| 125 | Hendrix College | 31800 | 59900 | 0.4694 | 1,069 | 1287 | 0.7822 | |
| 126 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 31900 | 35200 | 0.0938 | 32,041 | 1324 | 0.4358 | |
| 127 | Villanova University | 32100 | 92900 | 0.6548 | 6,933 | 1466 | 0.2814 | |
| 128 | University of Louisville | 32300 | 42100 | 0.2325 | 17,916 | 1134 | 0.7921 | |
| 129 | Rider University | 32500 | 60200 | 0.4601 | 3,052 | 1214 | 0.7741 | |
| 130 | University of Illinois Chicago | 32700 | 51300 | 0.3625 | 24,260 | 1174 | 0.7576 | |
| 131 | University of Maryland-Baltimore County | 32900 | 59400 | 0.4461 | 11,087 | 1326 | 0.7397 | |
| 132 | Milwaukee School of Engineering | 33000 | 72600 | 0.5451 | 2,836 | 1283 | 0.6711 | |
| 133 | University of North Carolina Wilmington | 34000 | 34100 | 0.0029 | 16,131 | 1275 | 0.6472 | |
| 134 | California Baptist University | 34300 | 69800 | 0.5084 | 8,707 | 1024 | 0.8139 | |
| 134 | University of California-Santa Barbara | 34300 | 59100 | 0.4194 | 23,091 | 1354 | 0.382 | |
| 136 | University of Idaho | 34500 | 48700 | 0.2916 | 9,656 | 1104 | 0.7476 | |
| 137 | University of Nevada-Reno | 34700 | 45800 | 0.2425 | 20,204 | 1109 | 0.8313 | |
| 138 | Auburn University | 35000 | 35000 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 139 | Colorado School of Mines | 36000 | 62900 | 0.4279 | 6,195 | 1399 | 0.6069 | |
| 139 | Tennessee Technological University | 36000 | 38500 | 0.0666 | 9,187 | 1163 | 0.7613 | |
| 141 | University of South Alabama | 36100 | 40200 | 0.1021 | 9,530 | 1140 | 0.9455 | |
| 142 | Rowan University | 36500 | 53600 | 0.3189 | 17,157 | 1204 | 0.7654 | |
| 143 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 66700 | 0.4394 | 31,536 | 1366 | 0.5457 | |
| 144 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 37500 | 40100 | 0.064 | 25,054 | 1225 | 0.7762 | |
| 144 | Washington State University | 37500 | 53600 | 0.2998 | 21,400 | 1131 | 0.861 | |
| 146 | Benedictine College | 37600 | 52500 | 0.2836 | 2,404 | 1241 | 0.9812 | |
| 147 | Kettering University | 37700 | 98700 | 0.6183 | 1,212 | 1204 | 0.7867 | |
| 147 | Widener University | 37700 | 79400 | 0.5254 | 2,975 | 1179 | 0.7093 | |
| 149 | Maine Maritime Academy | 38300 | 53000 | 0.2775 | 977 | 1189 | 0.9615 | |
| 150 | Mississippi State University | 38900 | 53400 | 0.2726 | 19,093 | 1205 | 0.8363 | |
| 151 | Stony Brook University | 39400 | 53000 | 0.2559 | 18,616 | 1410 | 0.4818 | |
| 152 | Drexel University | 39700 | 86400 | 0.5408 | 12,318 | 1354 | 0.699 | |
| 153 | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | 40100 | 83500 | 0.5196 | 2,160 | 1374 | 0.809 | |
| 154 | University of Maine | 40300 | 42800 | 0.0585 | 9,182 | 1195 | 0.9562 | |
| 155 | University of California-Los Angeles | 40400 | 81800 | 0.5061 | 33,534 | 1399 | 0.0941 | |
| 156 | Kansas State University | 40900 | 41900 | 0.0239 | 16,555 | 1163 | 0.875 | |
| 157 | University of Arizona | 42500 | 48600 | 0.1254 | 43,294 | 1186 | 0.8351 | |
| 158 | University of Maryland-College Park | 42900 | 58500 | 0.2665 | 31,875 | 1456 | 0.4503 | |
| 159 | Florida Institute of Technology | 43200 | 68700 | 0.3719 | 4,279 | 1234 | 0.5796 | |
| 160 | Oregon State University | 44800 | 61900 | 0.2766 | 31,253 | 1272 | 0.773 | |
| 161 | University of New Haven | 46000 | 70700 | 0.3492 | 4,969 | 1219 | 0.5589 | |
| 162 | University at Buffalo | 46400 | 46400 | 0 | 21,192 | 1309 | 0.8059 | |
| 163 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 47500 | 61500 | 0.2286 | 37,985 | 1390 | 0.5815 | |
| 163 | University of Alabama in Huntsville | 47500 | 47500 | 0 | 6,743 | 1266 | 0.6292 | |
| 165 | University of Delaware | 47700 | 62400 | 0.2365 | 19,287 | 1302 | 0.6924 | |
| 166 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48200 | 51200 | 0.0598 | 43,633 | 1342 | 0.4343 | |
| 167 | University of Kentucky | 48400 | 59900 | 0.1916 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 168 | Stevens Institute of Technology | 48500 | 86200 | 0.4375 | 4,206 | 1430 | 0.5068 | |
| 169 | The University of Texas at Tyler | 48600 | 57000 | 0.1475 | 8,219 | 1100 | 0.9485 | |
| 170 | University of California-San Diego | 48800 | 79600 | 0.3868 | 35,442 | 1375 | 0.2856 | |
| 171 | Michigan State University | 49200 | 56200 | 0.1245 | 41,415 | 1212 | 0.8324 | |
| 172 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 49300 | 67600 | 0.2708 | 40,996 | 1399 | 0.4175 | |
| 173 | The University of Texas at Austin | 49500 | 58900 | 0.1596 | 44,314 | 1356 | 0.2222 | |
| 174 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 50100 | 85400 | 0.4135 | 5,461 | 1292 | 0.6189 | |
| 175 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 50600 | 63800 | 0.2065 | 42,565 | 1339 | 0.7887 | |
| 176 | University of Utah | 51100 | 53700 | 0.0478 | 29,335 | 1222 | 0.9015 | |
| 177 | Manhattan University | 51200 | 72900 | 0.2975 | 2,378 | 1174 | 0.8216 | |
| 178 | University of Georgia | 52000 | 52100 | 0.0019 | 32,824 | 1348 | 0.3425 | |
| 179 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 52600 | 86300 | 0.3905 | 5,833 | 1440 | 0.6725 | |
| 180 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 53200 | 53300 | 0.0019 | 34,447 | 1273 | 0.8804 | |
| 181 | Tulane University of Louisiana | 53400 | 96100 | 0.4442 | 6,839 | 1469 | 0.1446 | |
| 182 | The University of Alabama | 53700 | 58000 | 0.0741 | 35,621 | 1238 | 0.7117 | |
| 183 | University of Colorado Boulder | 55200 | 70900 | 0.2206 | 32,244 | 1351 | 0.7809 | |
| 184 | Michigan Technological University | 55600 | 55600 | 0 | 6,009 | 1247 | 0.8546 | |
| 185 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 58300 | 63600 | 0.0834 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 186 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 58800 | 62100 | 0.0531 | 8,513 | 1160 | 0.9261 | |
| 187 | Howard University | 60000 | 88500 | 0.3222 | 11,519 | 1208 | 0.4134 | |
| 188 | Hawaii Pacific University | 63200 | 65800 | 0.039 | 3,468 | 1200 | 0.8855 | |
| 189 | University of California-Davis | 68100 | 69900 | 0.0258 | 31,695 | 1290 | 0.4435 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.