Recent Articles
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 | Northern Kentucky University | 7500 | 25900 | 0.7114 | 10,136 | 1110 | 0.9666 | |
| 2 | Brigham Young University | 8000 | 22200 | 0.6405 | 34,354 | 1374 | 0.6862 | |
| 3 | Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion | 9600 | 49000 | 0.8047 | 2,075 | 1090 | 0.8894 | |
| 4 | Rice University | 9700 | 92500 | 0.8954 | 4,807 | 1528 | 0.0801 | |
| 5 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 10100 | 41500 | 0.7567 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 6 | University of Houston-Clear Lake | 10300 | 10300 | 0 | 6,029 | 1075 | 0.9173 | |
| 7 | Felician University | 11500 | 61000 | 0.8111 | 2,131 | 1015 | 0.9722 | |
| 8 | Eastern Washington University | 11800 | 28600 | 0.5879 | 7,640 | 1045 | 0.8526 | |
| 9 | Fitchburg State University | 12000 | 33800 | 0.6445 | 3,000 | 1090 | 0.8885 | |
| 10 | University of Colorado Colorado Springs | 12900 | 26600 | 0.5151 | 9,040 | 1119 | 0.9666 | |
| 10 | University of Idaho | 12900 | 27800 | 0.5369 | 9,656 | 1104 | 0.7476 | |
| 12 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | 13200 | 27100 | 0.5121 | 29,727 | 990 | 0.9229 | |
| 13 | Northern Illinois University | 13300 | 32100 | 0.5856 | 12,118 | 1070 | 0.7164 | |
| 14 | University of South Carolina-Upstate | 13900 | 26800 | 0.482 | 4,789 | 1040 | 0.6671 | |
| 15 | Eastern Michigan University | 14200 | 33900 | 0.5826 | 10,034 | 1055 | 0.7772 | |
| 16 | Murray State University | 14600 | 27000 | 0.4597 | 8,217 | 1124 | 0.8413 | |
| 17 | Troy University | 14800 | 26700 | 0.4456 | 10,130 | 1075 | 0.9535 | |
| 18 | University of Nevada-Reno | 15000 | 28200 | 0.4677 | 20,204 | 1109 | 0.8313 | |
| 18 | West Virginia University | 15000 | 73100 | 0.7945 | 18,206 | 1120 | 0.8514 | |
| 20 | Appalachian State University | 16100 | 26000 | 0.3809 | 19,732 | 1174 | 0.9388 | |
| 20 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | 16100 | 22300 | 0.2778 | 26,213 | 1209 | 0.7778 | |
| 22 | Northern State University | 16300 | 26400 | 0.3819 | 3,177 | 1085 | 0.96 | |
| 23 | North Carolina Central University | 17100 | 37500 | 0.5444 | 7,232 | 865 | 0.8605 | |
| 24 | Vermont State University | 17300 | 26900 | 0.3562 | 4,087 | 960 | 0.8323 | |
| 25 | University of Miami | 17400 | 96300 | 0.8194 | 13,241 | 1408 | 0.1761 | |
| 26 | East Carolina University | 17600 | 26100 | 0.3256 | 21,693 | 1065 | 0.9003 | |
| 26 | Winston-Salem State University | 17600 | 25500 | 0.3097 | 4,192 | 945 | 0.7826 | |
| 28 | University of Arkansas | 17800 | 28500 | 0.3772 | 29,252 | 1179 | 0.7388 | |
| 29 | Kennesaw State University | 18100 | 27400 | 0.3391 | 46,069 | 1119 | 0.7944 | |
| 30 | University of Lynchburg | 18400 | 58900 | 0.6882 | 1,424 | 1099 | 0.6108 | |
| 31 | The College of Idaho | 19400 | 81100 | 0.7611 | 1,042 | 1189 | 0.491 | |
| 32 | Illinois College | 19500 | 55200 | 0.6471 | 1,008 | 1059 | 0.7494 | |
| 33 | SUNY at Fredonia | 20100 | 53600 | 0.6248 | 2,771 | 1258 | 0.777 | |
| 34 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 20200 | 38500 | 0.4738 | 25,141 | 1256 | 0.7613 | |
| 35 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 20300 | 35200 | 0.4229 | 8,513 | 1160 | 0.9261 | |
| 36 | Midwestern State University | 20400 | 33600 | 0.3933 | 4,303 | 1055 | 0.9347 | |
| 36 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 20400 | 26100 | 0.2181 | 31,845 | 1298 | 0.5651 | |
| 38 | Hiram College | 20600 | 48700 | 0.5761 | 991 | 1075 | 0.9748 | |
| 39 | Bethany Lutheran College | 21500 | 46400 | 0.5363 | 889 | 1120 | 0.6406 | |
| 40 | Indiana Institute of Technology | 21600 | 48800 | 0.5575 | 1,650 | 1055 | 0.7039 | |
| 41 | The College of Saint Scholastica | 22000 | 60400 | 0.6361 | 1,810 | 1110 | 0.9298 | |
| 42 | Florida State University | 22200 | 32100 | 0.3082 | 34,271 | 1369 | 0.2383 | |
| 43 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 22500 | 22500 | 0 | 20,786 | 1225 | 0.8689 | |
| 44 | Seattle Pacific University | 22900 | 98900 | 0.7688 | 1,657 | 1174 | 0.9301 | |
| 45 | Marian University | 23500 | 59800 | 0.6066 | 2,378 | 1085 | 0.9546 | |
| 46 | Augustana College | 24500 | 72800 | 0.6628 | 2,536 | 1157 | 0.6628 | |
| 47 | Ave Maria University | 25000 | 46600 | 0.4637 | 1,320 | 1164 | 0.4139 | |
| 48 | Briar Cliff University | 25900 | 83800 | 0.6909 | 766 | 1075 | 0.5834 | |
| 49 | Drury University | 26800 | 54500 | 0.5082 | 1,453 | 1209 | 0.6575 | |
| 49 | William Paterson University of New Jersey | 26800 | 33000 | 0.1876 | 6,647 | 1153 | 0.9008 | |
| 51 | Chestnut Hill College | 27500 | 87000 | 0.6841 | 868 | 995 | 0.7446 | |
| 52 | College of Saint Benedict | 27600 | 68900 | 0.6 | 1,356 | 1199 | 0.919 | |
| 52 | Florida Southern College | 27600 | 63200 | 0.5627 | 2,682 | 1264 | 0.6442 | |
| 54 | Creighton University | 27700 | 67900 | 0.5918 | 4,833 | 1328 | 0.9216 | |
| 55 | Augustana University | 28100 | 63100 | 0.5546 | 2,140 | 1189 | 0.7289 | |
| 56 | University of Toledo | 29000 | 32600 | 0.1093 | 10,726 | 1134 | 0.8889 | |
| 57 | Northwest University | 29200 | 52000 | 0.4384 | 659 | 1189 | 0.8865 | |
| 58 | Southern Methodist University | 29400 | 96900 | 0.6963 | 7,545 | 1427 | 0.4764 | |
| 59 | Life University | 30000 | 46300 | 0.352 | 832 | 980 | 0.5918 | |
| 60 | Taylor University | 30100 | 60700 | 0.5048 | 2,769 | 1229 | 0.9881 | |
| 61 | Ithaca College | 30300 | 72600 | 0.5823 | 4,205 | 1328 | 0.7015 | |
| 62 | Marquette University | 31400 | 75900 | 0.5862 | 8,206 | 1304 | 0.7802 | |
| 63 | Gordon College | 31500 | 54200 | 0.4188 | 1,221 | 1226 | 0.9001 | |
| 64 | Cleveland State University | 31700 | 32100 | 0.0125 | 9,418 | 1069 | 0.913 | |
| 65 | Central College | 31900 | 38700 | 0.1758 | 1,050 | 1159 | 0.8698 | |
| 65 | Gettysburg College | 31900 | 86500 | 0.6309 | 2,104 | 1369 | 0.389 | |
| 67 | Wichita State University | 32600 | 42200 | 0.2269 | 14,906 | 1065 | 0.7224 | |
| 68 | University of Illinois Chicago | 32700 | 51300 | 0.3625 | 24,260 | 1174 | 0.7576 | |
| 69 | Ursinus College | 33000 | 83700 | 0.6059 | 1,378 | 1303 | 0.9285 | |
| 70 | California Baptist University | 34300 | 69800 | 0.5084 | 8,707 | 1024 | 0.8139 | |
| 70 | George Washington University | 34300 | 81800 | 0.5808 | 11,495 | 1436 | 0.4713 | |
| 72 | Averett University | 34500 | 57600 | 0.4012 | 1,244 | 1054 | 0.5659 | |
| 73 | Valparaiso University | 34900 | 62700 | 0.4428 | 2,056 | 1183 | 0.8994 | |
| 74 | Southern Connecticut State University | 35000 | 42000 | 0.1667 | 7,252 | 965 | 0.9482 | |
| 75 | New York Institute of Technology | 35100 | 83600 | 0.5799 | 3,646 | 1298 | 0.8102 | |
| 76 | Barry University | 35200 | 58800 | 0.4014 | 4,654 | 1005 | 0.9663 | |
| 77 | Texas Tech University | 35600 | 41000 | 0.1318 | 34,021 | 1195 | 0.6906 | |
| 78 | Gardner-Webb University | 36000 | 54900 | 0.3443 | 1,861 | 1110 | 0.7721 | |
| 79 | University of South Alabama | 36100 | 40200 | 0.1021 | 9,530 | 1140 | 0.9455 | |
| 80 | Shenandoah University | 36400 | 56100 | 0.3512 | 2,723 | 1154 | 0.7785 | |
| 81 | Washington State University | 37500 | 53600 | 0.2998 | 21,400 | 1131 | 0.861 | |
| 82 | Baldwin Wallace University | 39000 | 69800 | 0.4415 | 2,532 | 1210 | 0.7739 | |
| 83 | Fresno Pacific University | 39700 | 52200 | 0.2406 | 1,615 | 1075 | 0.6396 | |
| 84 | Saint Francis University | 39900 | 67300 | 0.407 | 2,567 | 1150 | 0.7682 | |
| 85 | Boise State University | 40000 | 50100 | 0.2014 | 25,308 | 1025 | 0.8389 | |
| 86 | The University of Montana | 40200 | 57400 | 0.2997 | 8,014 | 1184 | 0.9586 | |
| 87 | Concordia University-Wisconsin | 40900 | 58700 | 0.3035 | 2,401 | 1209 | 0.7819 | |
| 87 | Kansas State University | 40900 | 41900 | 0.0239 | 16,555 | 1163 | 0.875 | |
| 89 | Montreat College | 41500 | 58100 | 0.2852 | 781 | 1164 | 0.692 | |
| 90 | Seattle University | 42500 | 85300 | 0.5016 | 4,370 | 1299 | 0.7313 | |
| 91 | University of Florida | 42800 | 45700 | 0.0635 | 37,283 | 1406 | 0.2033 | |
| 92 | The University of Tampa | 45600 | 58500 | 0.2204 | 10,710 | 1250 | 0.4363 | |
| 93 | University at Buffalo | 46400 | 46400 | 0 | 21,192 | 1309 | 0.8059 | |
| 94 | Ashland University | 47700 | 57000 | 0.163 | 2,977 | 1125 | 0.764 | |
| 95 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48200 | 51200 | 0.0598 | 43,633 | 1342 | 0.4343 | |
| 96 | College of Charleston | 49700 | 62300 | 0.2021 | 10,596 | 1234 | 0.73 | |
| 96 | Sacred Heart University | 49700 | 67500 | 0.2637 | 7,291 | 1265 | 0.6363 | |
| 98 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 50600 | 63800 | 0.2065 | 42,565 | 1339 | 0.7887 | |
| 99 | University of Utah | 51100 | 53700 | 0.0478 | 29,335 | 1222 | 0.9015 | |
| 100 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 53400 | 63400 | 0.1578 | 24,019 | 1404 | 0.5989 | |
| 101 | Queens University of Charlotte | 58400 | 72400 | 0.1935 | 1,210 | 1244 | 0.805 | |
| 102 | Auburn University | 59400 | 59400 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 103 | University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis | 60500 | 65600 | 0.0778 | 344 | 1125 | 0.8984 | |
| 104 | Mercyhurst University | 61100 | 68000 | 0.1014 | 2,214 | 1203 | 0.775 | |
| 105 | Gonzaga University | 70900 | 77700 | 0.0875 | 4,976 | 1328 | 0.7962 | |
| 106 | University of California-Irvine | 72000 | 75000 | 0.04 | 30,260 | 1333 | 0.2895 | |
| 107 | Skidmore College | 93400 | 95400 | 0.021 | 2,715 | 1418 | 0.2377 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.