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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 | North Carolina Central University | 7000 | 27000 | 0.7416 | 6,595 | 971 | 0.8697 | |
| 2 | California State University-Fresno | 12300 | 19600 | 0.3717 | 21,430 | 995 | 0.9638 | |
| 3 | Northern Illinois University | 12500 | 29000 | 0.5679 | 11,349 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 4 | Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus | 12800 | 24500 | 0.4782 | 4,250 | 970 | 0.9166 | |
| 5 | Texas Tech University | 14000 | 27000 | 0.4813 | 32,580 | 1200 | 0.7265 | |
| 6 | North Carolina A & T State University | 14100 | 17900 | 0.2129 | 12,216 | 1020 | 0.4617 | |
| 7 | Fort Valley State University | 14200 | 20300 | 0.301 | 2,558 | 940 | 0.628 | |
| 8 | Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville | 14400 | 41100 | 0.6502 | 8,975 | 1045 | 0.9721 | |
| 9 | Norfolk State University | 14500 | 26700 | 0.4568 | 5,510 | 950 | 0.8746 | |
| 10 | Pittsburg State University | 14600 | 25200 | 0.423 | 4,491 | 1055 | 0.8727 | |
| 11 | Texas Woman's University | 14700 | 23200 | 0.3661 | 10,034 | 1055 | 0.9613 | |
| 12 | Wayne State College | 15600 | 26400 | 0.4096 | 3,902 | 1075 | 1 | |
| 13 | Chadron State College | 15700 | 25600 | 0.3868 | 1,785 | 0 | 0 | |
| 14 | Mississippi University for Women | 16000 | 21400 | 0.2527 | 1,995 | 1075 | 1 | |
| 15 | Delta State University | 16500 | 23400 | 0.2951 | 1,876 | 1040 | 1 | |
| 15 | Southeast Missouri State University | 16500 | 30300 | 0.4537 | 7,926 | 1080 | 0.6897 | |
| 17 | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | 16700 | 25200 | 0.3372 | 1,905 | 965 | 0.5754 | |
| 18 | Eastern Illinois University | 17400 | 27700 | 0.3718 | 6,785 | 1020 | 0.6535 | |
| 19 | California State University-Sacramento | 17700 | 27200 | 0.3491 | 28,226 | 1015 | 0.9343 | |
| 19 | Illinois State University | 17700 | 29300 | 0.3982 | 19,107 | 1115 | 0.8815 | |
| 21 | Kansas State University | 19000 | 31400 | 0.3944 | 15,650 | 1164 | 0.8199 | |
| 22 | Brigham Young University | 19100 | 29000 | 0.3411 | 32,221 | 1374 | 0.6919 | |
| 23 | Carson-Newman University | 20000 | 51700 | 0.613 | 1,606 | 1110 | 0.9045 | |
| 24 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 20100 | 24500 | 0.1792 | 19,888 | 1209 | 0.8517 | |
| 25 | Texas Southern University | 20300 | 25700 | 0.2104 | 6,619 | 920 | 0.9335 | |
| 26 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 20400 | 43700 | 0.5336 | 31,035 | 1366 | 0.5499 | |
| 27 | Henderson State University | 20600 | 32700 | 0.3702 | 1,493 | 1075 | 0.8192 | |
| 27 | The University of Texas at Austin | 20600 | 26900 | 0.2341 | 43,165 | 1335 | 0.2664 | |
| 29 | Western Illinois University | 21100 | 31000 | 0.3205 | 5,025 | 990 | 0.7496 | |
| 30 | Olivet Nazarene University | 21200 | 88800 | 0.7612 | 2,704 | 1104 | 0.5586 | |
| 31 | Southern University and A & M College | 22000 | 27100 | 0.1884 | 6,571 | 960 | 0.4987 | |
| 32 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus | 22100 | 33900 | 0.3479 | 7,353 | 1085 | 0.9077 | |
| 33 | The University of Alabama | 23600 | 29900 | 0.211 | 34,389 | 1233 | 0.7665 | |
| 34 | Freed-Hardeman University | 24300 | 35100 | 0.308 | 1,878 | 1180 | 0.9061 | |
| 35 | East Central University | 24400 | 33300 | 0.2675 | 2,644 | 1055 | 0.5815 | |
| 36 | Miami University-Oxford | 24600 | 27200 | 0.0954 | 16,816 | 1299 | 0.754 | |
| 36 | The University of Tennessee-Martin | 24600 | 31500 | 0.2192 | 6,817 | 1110 | 0.882 | |
| 38 | Montana State University | 24900 | 31400 | 0.207 | 15,053 | 1184 | 0.8214 | |
| 39 | Oklahoma Baptist University | 25000 | 51700 | 0.5162 | 1,409 | 1110 | 0.6327 | |
| 40 | Iowa State University | 25100 | 41400 | 0.3947 | 25,628 | 1207 | 0.8866 | |
| 41 | California State University-Northridge | 25900 | 36600 | 0.2919 | 32,499 | 1005 | 0.9219 | |
| 42 | University of Maryland Eastern Shore | 26300 | 39000 | 0.3255 | 2,233 | 930 | 0.9036 | |
| 43 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 27500 | 43800 | 0.3725 | 17,771 | 1044 | 0.7933 | |
| 44 | Central Washington University | 27600 | 27800 | 0.0072 | 10,033 | 1060 | 0.9061 | |
| 45 | Seattle Pacific University | 27700 | 62600 | 0.5576 | 1,776 | 1188 | 0.8339 | |
| 46 | Alabama A & M University | 28000 | 42800 | 0.3456 | 5,845 | 940 | 0.6622 | |
| 46 | California State University-Long Beach | 28000 | 38400 | 0.2712 | 35,843 | 1135 | 0.4628 | |
| 48 | Jacksonville State University | 28500 | 38200 | 0.2537 | 8,663 | 1069 | 0.7769 | |
| 49 | University of Utah | 29100 | 32000 | 0.0902 | 28,064 | 1237 | 0.8598 | |
| 50 | South Carolina State University | 30300 | 41600 | 0.2716 | 2,950 | 865 | 0.8262 | |
| 51 | University of Houston | 30900 | 35200 | 0.1223 | 39,257 | 1249 | 0.7392 | |
| 52 | San Francisco State University | 31100 | 45200 | 0.3121 | 20,756 | 1035 | 0.9615 | |
| 52 | Southeastern Louisiana University | 31100 | 43700 | 0.2884 | 13,206 | 1125 | 0.9387 | |
| 54 | Auburn University | 31300 | 34400 | 0.0902 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 55 | Sam Houston State University | 32100 | 39900 | 0.1955 | 17,787 | 1030 | 0.9026 | |
| 56 | Bridgewater College | 32300 | 40200 | 0.1962 | 1,407 | 1174 | 0.9172 | |
| 57 | Liberty University | 32700 | 43900 | 0.2551 | 52,823 | 1181 | 0.9932 | |
| 58 | Stephen F Austin State University | 33700 | 42800 | 0.2126 | 9,129 | 1060 | 0.7445 | |
| 59 | Minnesota State University-Mankato | 34400 | 37200 | 0.0775 | 12,897 | 1110 | 0.9133 | |
| 59 | Morgan State University | 34400 | 37200 | 0.0753 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 61 | Baylor University | 34600 | 70800 | 0.511 | 14,915 | 1277 | 0.5128 | |
| 62 | Tennessee Technological University | 35300 | 37100 | 0.0508 | 8,838 | 1159 | 0.8316 | |
| 63 | University of Montevallo | 35800 | 46700 | 0.2333 | 2,545 | 1124 | 0.5579 | |
| 64 | University of Central Arkansas | 36500 | 38400 | 0.0491 | 8,268 | 1110 | 0.8949 | |
| 65 | CUNY Queens College | 38300 | 38300 | 0 | 13,464 | 1146 | 0.6434 | |
| 66 | University of Wyoming | 39000 | 43800 | 0.1114 | 8,130 | 1159 | 0.9688 | |
| 67 | SUNY Oneonta | 40500 | 45300 | 0.1059 | 4,681 | 1190 | 0.6959 | |
| 68 | Union University | 42200 | 64100 | 0.3415 | 1,934 | 1242 | 0.6016 | |
| 69 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 43300 | 46200 | 0.0624 | 44,170 | 1327 | 0.4979 | |
| 70 | University of Kentucky | 49000 | 56000 | 0.1241 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 71 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 57100 | 58900 | 0.032 | 26,500 | 1183 | 0.8857 |
School data is from 2022–2023 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.