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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 | Brigham Young University | 8000 | 22000 | 0.6362 | 32,952 | 1374 | 0.6778 | |
| 2 | Rice University | 9800 | 89100 | 0.8903 | 4,789 | 1535 | 0.08 | |
| 3 | Eastern Washington University | 11800 | 28600 | 0.5879 | 6,952 | 995 | 0.9075 | |
| 3 | Felician University | 11800 | 58700 | 0.7991 | 1,870 | 1020 | 0.9401 | |
| 5 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 12500 | 28100 | 0.5551 | 8,553 | 1045 | 0.8688 | |
| 6 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 7 | University of Idaho | 14100 | 25800 | 0.4543 | 9,574 | 1119 | 0.7553 | |
| 8 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5048 | 11,348 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 9 | Northern Kentucky University | 14600 | 25900 | 0.4369 | 10,163 | 1090 | 0.6765 | |
| 10 | Murray State University | 14900 | 27000 | 0.4491 | 7,851 | 1115 | 0.8568 | |
| 11 | University of California-Irvine | 15100 | 38000 | 0.603 | 30,204 | 1333 | 0.2857 | |
| 12 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | 16000 | 22300 | 0.2822 | 24,868 | 1214 | 0.796 | |
| 13 | Eastern Michigan University | 16400 | 36100 | 0.5456 | 10,470 | 1055 | 0.7964 | |
| 14 | West Virginia University | 16500 | 40900 | 0.5963 | 18,206 | 1125 | 0.89 | |
| 15 | SUNY at Fredonia | 17100 | 27800 | 0.3854 | 2,771 | 1258 | 0.777 | |
| 16 | University of Lynchburg | 17600 | 54900 | 0.6796 | 1,595 | 1104 | 0.4301 | |
| 17 | University of Miami | 17700 | 95700 | 0.8149 | 13,250 | 1406 | 0.189 | |
| 18 | Northern State University | 18000 | 27200 | 0.3383 | 3,169 | 1075 | 0.93 | |
| 19 | North Carolina Central University | 18400 | 27600 | 0.3331 | 6,595 | 1060 | 0.8696 | |
| 20 | University of South Alabama | 19300 | 22400 | 0.1387 | 9,241 | 1140 | 0.7096 | |
| 21 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 19400 | 36900 | 0.4748 | 24,449 | 1256 | 0.7847 | |
| 22 | Illinois College | 19700 | 55200 | 0.6438 | 937 | 1059 | 0.7819 | |
| 23 | Alma College | 19900 | 64800 | 0.6931 | 1,159 | 1135 | 0.5703 | |
| 23 | Bethany Lutheran College | 19900 | 46400 | 0.5711 | 856 | 1160 | 0.3897 | |
| 25 | The College of Idaho | 20000 | 59900 | 0.6661 | 1,041 | 1189 | 0.491 | |
| 26 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 20400 | 23200 | 0.1207 | 20,444 | 1209 | 0.8499 | |
| 27 | Hiram College | 20600 | 48700 | 0.5764 | 1,026 | 1030 | 0.9353 | |
| 28 | Midwestern State University | 21100 | 28600 | 0.2618 | 4,303 | 1010 | 0.9352 | |
| 29 | Marian University | 21800 | 59800 | 0.635 | 2,378 | 1085 | 0.9546 | |
| 30 | Florida State University | 22500 | 32400 | 0.306 | 32,720 | 1360 | 0.2422 | |
| 31 | Indiana Institute of Technology | 23000 | 48800 | 0.5288 | 1,650 | 1055 | 0.7039 | |
| 32 | Concordia University-Chicago | 23100 | 54900 | 0.5787 | 1,368 | 1100 | 0.9279 | |
| 32 | The College of Saint Scholastica | 23100 | 60400 | 0.6179 | 1,810 | 1110 | 0.9296 | |
| 34 | Skidmore College | 23700 | 89100 | 0.7337 | 2,704 | 1418 | 0.2105 | |
| 35 | Augustana College | 24700 | 72800 | 0.6601 | 2,522 | 1163 | 0.6268 | |
| 36 | Drury University | 25200 | 52900 | 0.5235 | 1,391 | 1228 | 0.5758 | |
| 37 | Ave Maria University | 25500 | 46600 | 0.453 | 1,301 | 1164 | 0.4139 | |
| 38 | Seattle Pacific University | 25800 | 70000 | 0.6314 | 1,776 | 1180 | 0.834 | |
| 39 | Northwest University | 25900 | 52300 | 0.5044 | 675 | 1184 | 0.832 | |
| 40 | Briar Cliff University | 26000 | 74200 | 0.6494 | 766 | 1050 | 0.5834 | |
| 41 | University of Arkansas | 26600 | 28900 | 0.079 | 28,859 | 1179 | 0.743 | |
| 42 | Kansas State University | 27000 | 31400 | 0.1414 | 15,650 | 1164 | 0.8169 | |
| 43 | College of Saint Benedict | 27600 | 68900 | 0.5999 | 1,391 | 1164 | 0.9152 | |
| 44 | Florida Southern College | 27700 | 63200 | 0.5614 | 2,682 | 1264 | 0.6442 | |
| 45 | Winston-Salem State University | 27800 | 34300 | 0.1895 | 4,192 | 945 | 0.7826 | |
| 46 | Wichita State University | 27900 | 39800 | 0.3007 | 13,313 | 1073 | 0.9395 | |
| 47 | Chestnut Hill College | 28100 | 60100 | 0.5323 | 868 | 995 | 0.7446 | |
| 48 | University of Utah | 28700 | 32000 | 0.1025 | 28,064 | 1237 | 0.8598 | |
| 49 | Creighton University | 29200 | 68000 | 0.5709 | 4,377 | 1328 | 0.7975 | |
| 50 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 29300 | 34000 | 0.1383 | 30,187 | 1292 | 0.6015 | |
| 51 | University of Toledo | 29700 | 42000 | 0.2926 | 11,013 | 1229 | 0.9202 | |
| 52 | University of South Carolina-Upstate | 29800 | 39700 | 0.2495 | 4,487 | 1115 | 0.6726 | |
| 53 | Central College | 30300 | 36800 | 0.1767 | 1,084 | 1145 | 0.8617 | |
| 54 | Oklahoma Baptist University | 30400 | 54700 | 0.4443 | 1,427 | 1025 | 0.4941 | |
| 55 | Life University | 31100 | 45500 | 0.3164 | 899 | 1020 | 0.9303 | |
| 55 | Taylor University | 31100 | 59100 | 0.4738 | 2,503 | 1229 | 0.7353 | |
| 57 | Ithaca College | 32000 | 72500 | 0.5585 | 4,268 | 1314 | 0.6901 | |
| 58 | Gettysburg College | 32200 | 86500 | 0.6276 | 2,104 | 1369 | 0.389 | |
| 59 | Marquette University | 32300 | 66500 | 0.5142 | 8,045 | 1309 | 0.8134 | |
| 60 | Ursinus College | 33200 | 83700 | 0.6037 | 1,502 | 1303 | 0.9177 | |
| 61 | California Baptist University | 33400 | 65600 | 0.4908 | 8,417 | 1070 | 0.8488 | |
| 62 | Cleveland State University | 33500 | 37300 | 0.1019 | 9,482 | 1069 | 0.913 | |
| 63 | George Washington University | 33700 | 81800 | 0.5881 | 11,677 | 1430 | 0.4709 | |
| 63 | Gordon College | 33700 | 51300 | 0.3431 | 1,314 | 1256 | 0.6923 | |
| 65 | Gardner-Webb University | 34100 | 50400 | 0.3235 | 1,861 | 1110 | 0.7721 | |
| 66 | Barry University | 34400 | 56400 | 0.3899 | 3,232 | 1005 | 0.7724 | |
| 67 | University of Colorado Colorado Springs | 34500 | 41600 | 0.1706 | 9,302 | 1125 | 0.9735 | |
| 68 | Sacred Heart University | 34600 | 67500 | 0.4877 | 7,204 | 950 | 0.6536 | |
| 69 | Valparaiso University | 34900 | 62700 | 0.4428 | 2,123 | 1189 | 0.8943 | |
| 70 | Averett University | 35400 | 57200 | 0.3813 | 1,244 | 1054 | 0.5659 | |
| 70 | New York Institute of Technology | 35400 | 83600 | 0.5769 | 3,646 | 1298 | 0.8102 | |
| 72 | Baldwin Wallace University | 35600 | 66100 | 0.4616 | 2,862 | 1203 | 0.757 | |
| 72 | Texas Tech University | 35600 | 38900 | 0.0848 | 32,580 | 1200 | 0.7265 | |
| 72 | The University of Tampa | 35600 | 56900 | 0.374 | 10,598 | 1185 | 0.4034 | |
| 75 | Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion | 36000 | 48500 | 0.2573 | 2,075 | 1090 | 0.8894 | |
| 76 | East Carolina University | 37100 | 40100 | 0.0748 | 21,445 | 1160 | 0.8921 | |
| 77 | Vermont State University | 37400 | 38700 | 0.0336 | 4,108 | 960 | 0.8167 | |
| 78 | University of Nevada-Reno | 38000 | 45800 | 0.1704 | 19,117 | 1134 | 0.7371 | |
| 79 | Queens University of Charlotte | 38100 | 68200 | 0.4411 | 1,225 | 1208 | 0.6208 | |
| 80 | Saint Francis University | 38500 | 63100 | 0.3899 | 2,567 | 1150 | 0.7682 | |
| 81 | Fresno Pacific University | 39900 | 52200 | 0.2352 | 1,545 | 1099 | 0.6407 | |
| 82 | Appalachian State University | 40600 | 40600 | 0 | 19,560 | 1190 | 0.9014 | |
| 82 | Washington State University | 40600 | 56300 | 0.28 | 21,455 | 1125 | 0.8664 | |
| 84 | Concordia University-Wisconsin | 41200 | 57000 | 0.2773 | 2,401 | 1209 | 0.782 | |
| 85 | Montreat College | 41800 | 58100 | 0.2803 | 781 | 1164 | 0.692 | |
| 86 | Seattle University | 42000 | 74600 | 0.4368 | 4,078 | 1305 | 0.7692 | |
| 87 | Shenandoah University | 43100 | 56600 | 0.2385 | 2,641 | 1124 | 0.7695 | |
| 87 | University of Florida | 43100 | 45700 | 0.057 | 36,573 | 1399 | 0.242 | |
| 89 | University at Buffalo | 43900 | 46700 | 0.06 | 20,359 | 1303 | 0.7418 | |
| 90 | The University of Montana | 44300 | 45000 | 0.0156 | 7,891 | 1225 | 0.9586 | |
| 91 | Ashland University | 44900 | 56400 | 0.204 | 2,977 | 1125 | 0.764 | |
| 92 | Boise State University | 45100 | 50000 | 0.098 | 23,983 | 1135 | 0.8721 | |
| 93 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48500 | 51200 | 0.0543 | 44,819 | 1327 | 0.4987 | |
| 94 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 53200 | 61000 | 0.1291 | 41,303 | 1338 | 0.7975 | |
| 95 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 53600 | 62800 | 0.1465 | 23,920 | 1397 | 0.5973 | |
| 96 | Auburn University | 58500 | 58500 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4592 | |
| 97 | Mercyhurst University | 60900 | 68000 | 0.1044 | 2,274 | 1090 | 0.8102 | |
| 98 | College of Charleston | 61200 | 61200 | 0 | 10,880 | 1255 | 0.6003 | |
| 99 | University of California-Davis | 69800 | 69800 | 0 | 32,273 | 1290 | 0.4183 | |
| 100 | Gonzaga University | 70700 | 76600 | 0.077 | 5,281 | 1329 | 0.8169 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.