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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 | Northern Illinois University | 12500 | 29000 | 0.5679 | 11,349 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 3 | Eastern Illinois University | 12800 | 24500 | 0.4773 | 6,785 | 1020 | 0.6535 | |
| 3 | Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus | 12800 | 24500 | 0.4782 | 4,250 | 970 | 0.9166 | |
| 5 | California State University-Northridge | 13100 | 23200 | 0.4354 | 32,499 | 1005 | 0.9219 | |
| 6 | The University of Texas at Austin | 13200 | 30700 | 0.5697 | 43,165 | 1335 | 0.2664 | |
| 7 | Texas Tech University | 14000 | 27000 | 0.4813 | 32,580 | 1200 | 0.7265 | |
| 8 | Kansas State University | 14300 | 26100 | 0.4526 | 15,650 | 1164 | 0.8199 | |
| 9 | Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville | 14400 | 41100 | 0.6502 | 8,975 | 1045 | 0.9721 | |
| 10 | Pittsburg State University | 14600 | 25200 | 0.4229 | 4,491 | 1055 | 0.8727 | |
| 11 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 15200 | 35700 | 0.5744 | 26,500 | 1183 | 0.8857 | |
| 12 | Southeastern Louisiana University | 15400 | 28600 | 0.4621 | 13,206 | 1125 | 0.9387 | |
| 13 | California State University-Long Beach | 15500 | 25800 | 0.3993 | 35,843 | 1135 | 0.4628 | |
| 14 | Wayne State College | 15600 | 26400 | 0.4096 | 3,902 | 1075 | 1 | |
| 15 | Chadron State College | 15700 | 25600 | 0.3868 | 1,785 | 0 | 0 | |
| 16 | Mississippi University for Women | 16000 | 21400 | 0.2527 | 1,995 | 1075 | 1 | |
| 17 | Delta State University | 16500 | 23400 | 0.2951 | 1,876 | 1040 | 1 | |
| 17 | Southeast Missouri State University | 16500 | 30300 | 0.4537 | 7,926 | 1080 | 0.6897 | |
| 19 | University of Maryland Eastern Shore | 16600 | 26600 | 0.3766 | 2,233 | 930 | 0.9036 | |
| 20 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 17200 | 27200 | 0.3671 | 44,170 | 1327 | 0.4979 | |
| 21 | Illinois State University | 17700 | 29300 | 0.3982 | 19,107 | 1115 | 0.8815 | |
| 22 | Texas Southern University | 19000 | 42400 | 0.5514 | 6,619 | 920 | 0.9335 | |
| 23 | Brigham Young University | 19100 | 29000 | 0.3411 | 32,221 | 1374 | 0.6919 | |
| 24 | Carson-Newman University | 20000 | 51700 | 0.613 | 1,606 | 1110 | 0.9045 | |
| 25 | South Carolina State University | 20900 | 30000 | 0.3029 | 2,950 | 865 | 0.8262 | |
| 26 | Western Illinois University | 21100 | 31000 | 0.3205 | 5,025 | 990 | 0.7496 | |
| 27 | Olivet Nazarene University | 21200 | 88800 | 0.7612 | 2,704 | 1104 | 0.5586 | |
| 28 | Minnesota State University-Mankato | 21700 | 27100 | 0.1988 | 12,897 | 1110 | 0.9133 | |
| 29 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus | 22100 | 33900 | 0.3479 | 7,353 | 1085 | 0.9077 | |
| 30 | CUNY Queens College | 22500 | 29300 | 0.2318 | 13,464 | 1146 | 0.6434 | |
| 31 | Henderson State University | 23200 | 35900 | 0.3542 | 1,493 | 1075 | 0.8192 | |
| 32 | Fort Valley State University | 23400 | 38900 | 0.3982 | 2,558 | 940 | 0.628 | |
| 33 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 23700 | 24500 | 0.0326 | 19,888 | 1209 | 0.8517 | |
| 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 | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | 24700 | 42300 | 0.4158 | 1,905 | 965 | 0.5754 | |
| 39 | Montana State University | 24900 | 31400 | 0.207 | 15,053 | 1184 | 0.8214 | |
| 40 | Oklahoma Baptist University | 25000 | 51700 | 0.5162 | 1,409 | 1110 | 0.6327 | |
| 41 | Iowa State University | 25100 | 41400 | 0.3947 | 25,628 | 1207 | 0.8866 | |
| 42 | California State University-Fresno | 25300 | 35900 | 0.2951 | 21,430 | 995 | 0.9638 | |
| 43 | Southern University and A & M College | 26100 | 32900 | 0.207 | 6,571 | 960 | 0.4987 | |
| 44 | Norfolk State University | 26200 | 40300 | 0.3501 | 5,510 | 950 | 0.8746 | |
| 45 | Texas Woman's University | 26400 | 41300 | 0.3608 | 10,034 | 1055 | 0.9613 | |
| 46 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 27500 | 43800 | 0.3725 | 17,771 | 1044 | 0.7933 | |
| 47 | Central Washington University | 27600 | 27800 | 0.0072 | 10,033 | 1060 | 0.9061 | |
| 48 | Seattle Pacific University | 27700 | 62600 | 0.5576 | 1,776 | 1188 | 0.8339 | |
| 49 | Alabama A & M University | 28000 | 42800 | 0.3456 | 5,845 | 940 | 0.6622 | |
| 50 | Jacksonville State University | 28500 | 38200 | 0.2537 | 8,663 | 1069 | 0.7769 | |
| 51 | University of Utah | 29100 | 32000 | 0.0902 | 28,064 | 1237 | 0.8598 | |
| 52 | University of Houston | 30900 | 35200 | 0.1223 | 39,257 | 1249 | 0.7392 | |
| 53 | San Francisco State University | 31100 | 45200 | 0.3121 | 20,756 | 1035 | 0.9615 | |
| 54 | North Carolina A & T State University | 31700 | 36400 | 0.129 | 12,216 | 1020 | 0.4617 | |
| 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 | 32800 | 43900 | 0.2528 | 52,823 | 1181 | 0.9932 | |
| 58 | Stephen F Austin State University | 33700 | 42800 | 0.2126 | 9,129 | 1060 | 0.7445 | |
| 59 | California State University-Sacramento | 34300 | 44900 | 0.2362 | 28,226 | 1015 | 0.9343 | |
| 60 | 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 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 62000 | 0.3968 | 31,035 | 1366 | 0.5499 | |
| 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 | The University of Alabama | 48800 | 48800 | 0 | 34,389 | 1233 | 0.7665 | |
| 70 | University of Kentucky | 49000 | 56000 | 0.1236 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 71 | Auburn University | 55400 | 55400 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 |
School data is from 2022–2023 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.