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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 | Northern Kentucky University | 7500 | 26600 | 0.7193 | 10,136 | 1110 | 0.9666 | |
| 2 | Brigham Young University | 8100 | 22100 | 0.6333 | 34,354 | 1374 | 0.6862 | |
| 3 | Rice University | 9700 | 92600 | 0.895 | 4,807 | 1528 | 0.0801 | |
| 4 | University of Houston-Clear Lake | 10300 | 10300 | 0 | 6,029 | 1075 | 0.9173 | |
| 5 | Felician University | 11600 | 60400 | 0.8074 | 2,131 | 1015 | 0.9722 | |
| 6 | Eastern Washington University | 11800 | 28600 | 0.5879 | 7,640 | 1045 | 0.8526 | |
| 7 | Fitchburg State University | 12400 | 34800 | 0.6428 | 3,000 | 1090 | 0.8885 | |
| 8 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 12500 | 28100 | 0.5551 | 8,421 | 1054 | 0.9444 | |
| 9 | University of Colorado Colorado Springs | 12800 | 34400 | 0.6272 | 9,040 | 1119 | 0.9666 | |
| 10 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | 13200 | 25700 | 0.4862 | 29,727 | 990 | 0.9229 | |
| 11 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 38400 | 0.6464 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 12 | Eastern Michigan University | 14200 | 33900 | 0.5804 | 10,034 | 1055 | 0.7772 | |
| 13 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28100 | 0.4927 | 12,118 | 1070 | 0.7164 | |
| 14 | Midwestern State University | 14400 | 21600 | 0.3329 | 4,303 | 1055 | 0.9347 | |
| 15 | Troy University | 14800 | 39100 | 0.6211 | 10,130 | 1075 | 0.9535 | |
| 16 | Murray State University | 14900 | 27000 | 0.4495 | 8,217 | 1124 | 0.8413 | |
| 17 | Skidmore College | 16000 | 89200 | 0.8206 | 2,715 | 1418 | 0.2377 | |
| 17 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | 16000 | 22300 | 0.2822 | 26,213 | 1209 | 0.7778 | |
| 19 | Kansas State University | 16800 | 26400 | 0.3644 | 16,555 | 1163 | 0.875 | |
| 20 | College of Charleston | 17200 | 43600 | 0.6049 | 10,596 | 1234 | 0.73 | |
| 21 | Vermont State University | 17300 | 26900 | 0.3562 | 4,087 | 960 | 0.8323 | |
| 22 | Northern State University | 17400 | 26700 | 0.3477 | 3,177 | 1085 | 0.96 | |
| 22 | University of Miami | 17400 | 96300 | 0.8194 | 13,241 | 1408 | 0.1761 | |
| 24 | University of South Alabama | 17700 | 40600 | 0.5635 | 9,530 | 1140 | 0.9455 | |
| 25 | Kennesaw State University | 18000 | 61500 | 0.7069 | 46,069 | 1119 | 0.7944 | |
| 26 | Texas Tech University | 18200 | 27100 | 0.3283 | 34,021 | 1195 | 0.6906 | |
| 27 | University of Nevada-Reno | 19200 | 28200 | 0.3189 | 20,204 | 1109 | 0.8313 | |
| 28 | Illinois College | 19700 | 55200 | 0.6439 | 1,008 | 1059 | 0.7494 | |
| 29 | William Paterson University of New Jersey | 19900 | 43200 | 0.5394 | 6,647 | 1153 | 0.9008 | |
| 30 | The College of Idaho | 20000 | 59900 | 0.6661 | 1,042 | 1189 | 0.491 | |
| 31 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 20200 | 38500 | 0.4738 | 25,141 | 1256 | 0.7613 | |
| 32 | Hiram College | 20600 | 48700 | 0.5767 | 991 | 1075 | 0.9748 | |
| 33 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 20700 | 30600 | 0.326 | 43,633 | 1342 | 0.4343 | |
| 34 | Washington State University | 21100 | 36200 | 0.417 | 21,400 | 1131 | 0.861 | |
| 35 | Bethany Lutheran College | 21800 | 46400 | 0.5309 | 889 | 1120 | 0.6406 | |
| 35 | Marian University | 21800 | 59800 | 0.635 | 2,378 | 1085 | 0.9546 | |
| 37 | Averett University | 22300 | 57400 | 0.612 | 1,244 | 1054 | 0.5659 | |
| 38 | Florida State University | 22400 | 32200 | 0.3047 | 34,271 | 1369 | 0.2383 | |
| 39 | Indiana Institute of Technology | 23000 | 48800 | 0.5288 | 1,650 | 1055 | 0.7039 | |
| 40 | The College of Saint Scholastica | 23100 | 60400 | 0.6179 | 1,810 | 1110 | 0.9298 | |
| 41 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 23300 | 26900 | 0.1338 | 20,786 | 1225 | 0.8689 | |
| 42 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 24100 | 38400 | 0.3726 | 24,019 | 1404 | 0.5989 | |
| 43 | Boise State University | 24600 | 31200 | 0.2116 | 25,308 | 1025 | 0.8389 | |
| 44 | Augustana College | 24700 | 72800 | 0.6602 | 2,536 | 1157 | 0.6628 | |
| 44 | University at Buffalo | 24700 | 34000 | 0.2736 | 21,192 | 1309 | 0.8059 | |
| 46 | Ave Maria University | 25000 | 74000 | 0.6619 | 1,320 | 1164 | 0.4139 | |
| 47 | Shenandoah University | 25500 | 56100 | 0.5454 | 2,723 | 1154 | 0.7785 | |
| 48 | Central College | 25600 | 38700 | 0.3388 | 1,050 | 1159 | 0.8698 | |
| 49 | Seattle Pacific University | 25700 | 70000 | 0.6328 | 1,657 | 1174 | 0.9301 | |
| 50 | Briar Cliff University | 26000 | 74700 | 0.6515 | 766 | 1075 | 0.5834 | |
| 51 | University of Arkansas | 26800 | 52400 | 0.4888 | 29,252 | 1179 | 0.7388 | |
| 52 | Cleveland State University | 27100 | 38500 | 0.2959 | 9,418 | 1069 | 0.913 | |
| 53 | West Virginia University | 27200 | 51100 | 0.468 | 18,206 | 1120 | 0.8514 | |
| 54 | Chestnut Hill College | 27500 | 60100 | 0.5423 | 868 | 995 | 0.7446 | |
| 55 | College of Saint Benedict | 27600 | 68900 | 0.6 | 1,356 | 1199 | 0.919 | |
| 56 | Creighton University | 27700 | 67900 | 0.5916 | 4,833 | 1328 | 0.9216 | |
| 57 | Florida Southern College | 27800 | 63200 | 0.56 | 2,682 | 1264 | 0.6442 | |
| 57 | Winston-Salem State University | 27800 | 34300 | 0.1895 | 4,192 | 945 | 0.7826 | |
| 59 | Augustana University | 28200 | 61200 | 0.5391 | 2,140 | 1189 | 0.7289 | |
| 60 | Drury University | 28800 | 68900 | 0.5824 | 1,453 | 1209 | 0.6575 | |
| 61 | Gardner-Webb University | 29000 | 53700 | 0.4602 | 1,861 | 1110 | 0.7721 | |
| 62 | Marquette University | 29100 | 63800 | 0.544 | 8,206 | 1304 | 0.7802 | |
| 63 | Northwest University | 29200 | 52000 | 0.4384 | 659 | 1189 | 0.8865 | |
| 64 | University of Toledo | 29300 | 32600 | 0.1009 | 10,726 | 1134 | 0.8889 | |
| 65 | Southern Methodist University | 29700 | 88100 | 0.6632 | 7,545 | 1427 | 0.4764 | |
| 66 | Ithaca College | 30400 | 72600 | 0.581 | 4,205 | 1328 | 0.7015 | |
| 67 | Life University | 30800 | 45800 | 0.3278 | 832 | 980 | 0.5918 | |
| 68 | Taylor University | 31100 | 59100 | 0.474 | 2,769 | 1229 | 0.9881 | |
| 69 | North Carolina Central University | 31200 | 40000 | 0.2199 | 7,232 | 865 | 0.8605 | |
| 70 | Gordon College | 31400 | 62600 | 0.4983 | 1,221 | 1226 | 0.9001 | |
| 71 | University of Lynchburg | 31600 | 58600 | 0.4604 | 1,424 | 1099 | 0.6108 | |
| 72 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 32100 | 36700 | 0.1252 | 42,565 | 1339 | 0.7887 | |
| 73 | Gettysburg College | 32200 | 86500 | 0.6278 | 2,104 | 1369 | 0.389 | |
| 74 | Wichita State University | 32700 | 40100 | 0.1844 | 14,906 | 1065 | 0.7224 | |
| 75 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 33100 | 34200 | 0.0321 | 31,845 | 1298 | 0.5651 | |
| 76 | Ursinus College | 33200 | 83700 | 0.6038 | 1,378 | 1303 | 0.9285 | |
| 77 | Queens University of Charlotte | 33500 | 71300 | 0.5301 | 1,210 | 1244 | 0.805 | |
| 78 | George Washington University | 34300 | 81800 | 0.5808 | 11,495 | 1436 | 0.4713 | |
| 79 | Southern Connecticut State University | 34400 | 52900 | 0.3499 | 7,252 | 965 | 0.9482 | |
| 80 | California Baptist University | 34500 | 69100 | 0.5009 | 8,707 | 1024 | 0.8139 | |
| 80 | SUNY at Fredonia | 34500 | 41000 | 0.1586 | 2,771 | 1258 | 0.777 | |
| 82 | University of Idaho | 34800 | 48700 | 0.2854 | 9,656 | 1104 | 0.7476 | |
| 83 | Valparaiso University | 34900 | 62700 | 0.4428 | 2,056 | 1183 | 0.8994 | |
| 84 | Barry University | 35200 | 58800 | 0.4014 | 4,654 | 1005 | 0.9663 | |
| 85 | New York Institute of Technology | 35400 | 83600 | 0.577 | 3,646 | 1298 | 0.8102 | |
| 86 | Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion | 36000 | 48500 | 0.2575 | 2,075 | 1090 | 0.8894 | |
| 86 | University of South Carolina-Upstate | 36000 | 57000 | 0.3681 | 4,789 | 1040 | 0.6671 | |
| 88 | East Carolina University | 36900 | 42700 | 0.1356 | 21,693 | 1065 | 0.9003 | |
| 89 | Baldwin Wallace University | 39000 | 66100 | 0.4102 | 2,532 | 1210 | 0.7739 | |
| 90 | The University of Montana | 39200 | 75200 | 0.4785 | 8,014 | 1184 | 0.9586 | |
| 91 | Fresno Pacific University | 39900 | 52200 | 0.2354 | 1,615 | 1075 | 0.6396 | |
| 91 | Saint Francis University | 39900 | 81500 | 0.5104 | 2,567 | 1150 | 0.7682 | |
| 93 | Concordia University-Wisconsin | 41200 | 57400 | 0.2823 | 2,401 | 1209 | 0.7819 | |
| 94 | Ashland University | 41700 | 57100 | 0.2697 | 2,977 | 1125 | 0.764 | |
| 95 | Montreat College | 41800 | 58100 | 0.2804 | 781 | 1164 | 0.692 | |
| 96 | Seattle University | 42500 | 85100 | 0.5004 | 4,370 | 1299 | 0.7313 | |
| 97 | University of Florida | 43100 | 45700 | 0.057 | 37,283 | 1406 | 0.2033 | |
| 98 | The University of Tampa | 45600 | 58500 | 0.2204 | 10,710 | 1250 | 0.4363 | |
| 99 | Appalachian State University | 46100 | 46100 | 0 | 19,732 | 1174 | 0.9388 | |
| 100 | Sacred Heart University | 49700 | 67500 | 0.2637 | 7,291 | 1265 | 0.6363 | |
| 101 | University of Utah | 51400 | 53700 | 0.0426 | 29,335 | 1222 | 0.9015 | |
| 102 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 60200 | 64800 | 0.0709 | 8,513 | 1160 | 0.9261 | |
| 103 | University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis | 61200 | 61700 | 0.0081 | 344 | 1125 | 0.8984 | |
| 104 | Mercyhurst University | 66000 | 76400 | 0.136 | 2,214 | 1203 | 0.775 | |
| 105 | Gonzaga University | 70800 | 76400 | 0.0733 | 4,976 | 1328 | 0.7962 | |
| 106 | University of California-Irvine | 72000 | 85400 | 0.1569 | 30,260 | 1333 | 0.2895 | |
| 107 | Auburn University | 75300 | 85500 | 0.1193 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.