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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 | 22200 | 0.6405 | 34,354 | 1374 | 0.6862 | |
| 2 | California State University-Northridge | 8200 | 22000 | 0.6264 | 32,846 | 1005 | 0.9176 | |
| 3 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 10100 | 41500 | 0.7567 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 4 | Eastern Illinois University | 11900 | 24300 | 0.5125 | 6,731 | 1020 | 0.7073 | |
| 5 | University of Illinois Chicago | 12100 | 30200 | 0.5993 | 24,260 | 1174 | 0.7576 | |
| 6 | Fort Valley State University | 12300 | 54800 | 0.7754 | 2,699 | 1025 | 0.6587 | |
| 7 | Delta State University | 13000 | 23200 | 0.4403 | 1,876 | 1040 | 1 | |
| 8 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 13700 | 61700 | 0.7774 | 39,193 | 1418 | 0.4081 | |
| 9 | Wayne State College | 14700 | 30200 | 0.5139 | 3,886 | 0 | 1 | |
| 10 | Chadron State College | 14900 | 21600 | 0.3106 | 1,691 | 0 | 0 | |
| 11 | Norfolk State University | 15200 | 40300 | 0.6232 | 5,411 | 935 | 0.8777 | |
| 12 | Jacksonville State University | 15600 | 27000 | 0.423 | 8,663 | 1069 | 0.7769 | |
| 12 | University of Maryland Eastern Shore | 15600 | 30100 | 0.4823 | 2,477 | 930 | 0.9641 | |
| 14 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania | 15800 | 28500 | 0.4463 | 7,425 | 1074 | 0.9147 | |
| 15 | Kansas State University | 15900 | 26400 | 0.3957 | 16,555 | 1163 | 0.875 | |
| 16 | Texas Tech University | 16300 | 27100 | 0.3984 | 34,021 | 1195 | 0.6906 | |
| 17 | Stephen F Austin State University | 16500 | 27800 | 0.4058 | 9,905 | 1055 | 0.8339 | |
| 18 | Southeastern Louisiana University | 16800 | 52600 | 0.6801 | 14,294 | 1125 | 0.915 | |
| 19 | California State University-Sacramento | 17600 | 30700 | 0.4265 | 28,619 | 1015 | 0.9357 | |
| 20 | Carson-Newman University | 17700 | 51900 | 0.6592 | 1,912 | 1075 | 0.6381 | |
| 21 | Morgan State University | 17800 | 42200 | 0.5786 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 22 | The University of Texas at Austin | 18000 | 28100 | 0.359 | 44,314 | 1356 | 0.2222 | |
| 23 | Central Washington University | 18400 | 22700 | 0.1892 | 10,033 | 1060 | 0.9061 | |
| 23 | Mississippi University for Women | 18400 | 23600 | 0.2205 | 1,962 | 1055 | 0.9031 | |
| 23 | North Carolina Central University | 18400 | 33000 | 0.4426 | 7,232 | 865 | 0.8605 | |
| 26 | Olivet Nazarene University | 18800 | 79300 | 0.7634 | 2,704 | 1104 | 0.5586 | |
| 27 | Alabama A & M University | 19500 | 51200 | 0.6189 | 6,370 | 915 | 0.5795 | |
| 28 | University of Houston | 19900 | 28400 | 0.2996 | 40,366 | 1224 | 0.7577 | |
| 29 | University of Northern Iowa | 20200 | 24800 | 0.1844 | 7,800 | 1115 | 0.9313 | |
| 30 | South Carolina State University | 20700 | 30000 | 0.3095 | 3,059 | 925 | 0.6797 | |
| 30 | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | 20700 | 48300 | 0.5715 | 1,817 | 905 | 0.4118 | |
| 32 | University of Montevallo | 21000 | 61300 | 0.6569 | 2,643 | 1124 | 0.5385 | |
| 33 | Iowa State University | 21100 | 25700 | 0.1794 | 26,346 | 1212 | 0.8793 | |
| 34 | Texas Southern University | 21400 | 38900 | 0.4499 | 6,844 | 915 | 0.9691 | |
| 35 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 21800 | 37300 | 0.4156 | 26,490 | 1183 | 0.8863 | |
| 36 | Freed-Hardeman University | 22000 | 35900 | 0.3872 | 1,873 | 1120 | 0.5968 | |
| 37 | Southern University and A & M College | 22200 | 41600 | 0.466 | 6,713 | 930 | 0.3512 | |
| 38 | Meredith College | 22500 | 67400 | 0.666 | 1,212 | 1239 | 0.7506 | |
| 38 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 22500 | 22500 | 0 | 20,786 | 1225 | 0.8689 | |
| 40 | Montana State University | 24400 | 24400 | 0 | 15,142 | 1184 | 0.9938 | |
| 41 | Tennessee Technological University | 24600 | 33700 | 0.2693 | 9,187 | 1163 | 0.7613 | |
| 42 | Illinois State University | 24800 | 36400 | 0.3193 | 19,513 | 1115 | 0.8555 | |
| 43 | The University of Tennessee-Martin | 25300 | 32800 | 0.229 | 7,393 | 1125 | 0.8968 | |
| 44 | Southeast Missouri State University | 25600 | 28600 | 0.107 | 7,926 | 1070 | 0.6897 | |
| 45 | Henderson State University | 26100 | 30600 | 0.1469 | 1,461 | 1075 | 0.8192 | |
| 46 | California State University-Long Beach | 27300 | 38800 | 0.2963 | 36,056 | 1135 | 0.4543 | |
| 47 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 27500 | 43800 | 0.3725 | 18,028 | 1059 | 0.7996 | |
| 48 | Oklahoma Baptist University | 30100 | 54700 | 0.4495 | 1,427 | 1025 | 0.4941 | |
| 49 | Pittsburg State University | 31300 | 37100 | 0.1564 | 4,561 | 1055 | 0.5487 | |
| 50 | Liberty University | 32500 | 44700 | 0.2729 | 52,961 | 1174 | 0.9898 | |
| 51 | Harding University | 33200 | 47800 | 0.3047 | 3,536 | 1184 | 0.7052 | |
| 52 | Baylor University | 33500 | 70400 | 0.5244 | 14,183 | 1302 | 0.5222 | |
| 53 | Bridgewater College | 33900 | 42500 | 0.2018 | 1,412 | 1115 | 0.903 | |
| 54 | California Baptist University | 34300 | 69800 | 0.5084 | 8,707 | 1024 | 0.8139 | |
| 55 | Auburn University | 35000 | 35000 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 55 | Minnesota State University, Mankato | 35000 | 37600 | 0.0683 | 13,433 | 1145 | 0.8844 | |
| 57 | North Carolina A & T State University | 36500 | 36700 | 0.0054 | 12,497 | 1075 | 0.5125 | |
| 58 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 66700 | 0.4394 | 31,536 | 1366 | 0.5457 | |
| 59 | University of Central Arkansas | 37700 | 40200 | 0.0637 | 8,238 | 1110 | 0.9157 | |
| 60 | University of Wyoming | 39700 | 45300 | 0.1229 | 8,138 | 1163 | 0.9695 | |
| 61 | Union University | 43500 | 66000 | 0.3417 | 1,856 | 1242 | 0.5857 | |
| 62 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48200 | 51200 | 0.0598 | 43,633 | 1342 | 0.4343 | |
| 63 | University of Kentucky | 48400 | 59900 | 0.1912 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 64 | University of Utah | 51100 | 53700 | 0.0478 | 29,335 | 1222 | 0.9015 | |
| 65 | The University of Alabama | 53700 | 58000 | 0.0741 | 35,621 | 1238 | 0.7117 | |
| 66 | Miami University-Oxford | 57400 | 57400 | 0 | 16,405 | 1284 | 0.74 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.