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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 | East Central University | 10700 | 24700 | 0.5673 | 2,644 | 1055 | 0.5815 | |
| 3 | The University of Tennessee-Martin | 11200 | 24800 | 0.5489 | 6,809 | 1110 | 0.882 | |
| 4 | University of Houston | 12000 | 28400 | 0.5781 | 39,257 | 1249 | 0.7392 | |
| 5 | California State University-Northridge | 12100 | 22000 | 0.4496 | 32,756 | 1005 | 0.9345 | |
| 6 | Fort Valley State University | 12400 | 29700 | 0.5823 | 2,699 | 1025 | 0.6587 | |
| 7 | Eastern Illinois University | 12500 | 24300 | 0.4844 | 6,785 | 985 | 0.6535 | |
| 7 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 12500 | 28100 | 0.5551 | 8,553 | 1045 | 0.8688 | |
| 9 | North Carolina A & T State University | 12800 | 17900 | 0.2857 | 12,497 | 1075 | 0.499 | |
| 10 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 11 | Delta State University | 14000 | 23200 | 0.3971 | 1,876 | 1040 | 1 | |
| 12 | Texas Woman's University | 14100 | 23200 | 0.3916 | 10,039 | 1035 | 0.9612 | |
| 13 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5048 | 11,348 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 14 | Stephen F Austin State University | 14700 | 23400 | 0.3714 | 9,129 | 1075 | 0.9399 | |
| 15 | Wayne State College | 15100 | 20300 | 0.2561 | 3,902 | 0 | 0 | |
| 16 | Chadron State College | 15200 | 25000 | 0.3926 | 1,690 | 0 | 0 | |
| 17 | Southeastern Louisiana University | 15500 | 26800 | 0.4211 | 13,192 | 1075 | 0.9931 | |
| 18 | Jacksonville State University | 16000 | 27000 | 0.4081 | 8,663 | 1069 | 0.7769 | |
| 18 | Mississippi University for Women | 16000 | 21400 | 0.2527 | 1,962 | 1055 | 0.9031 | |
| 20 | California State University-Long Beach | 16100 | 25800 | 0.3761 | 36,082 | 1135 | 0.4627 | |
| 21 | California State University-Sacramento | 16200 | 27600 | 0.4134 | 28,820 | 1035 | 0.9399 | |
| 22 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus | 16400 | 28200 | 0.4179 | 7,353 | 1085 | 0.9077 | |
| 23 | Norfolk State University | 16600 | 26700 | 0.3781 | 5,410 | 935 | 0.8777 | |
| 24 | Texas Tech University | 18300 | 27100 | 0.3253 | 32,580 | 1200 | 0.7265 | |
| 25 | Central Washington University | 18400 | 22700 | 0.1892 | 10,317 | 1045 | 0.9062 | |
| 26 | Carson-Newman University | 19500 | 51900 | 0.6245 | 1,596 | 1110 | 0.9045 | |
| 27 | Southeast Missouri State University | 19600 | 30600 | 0.3606 | 7,926 | 945 | 0.7352 | |
| 28 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 20400 | 23200 | 0.1207 | 20,444 | 1209 | 0.8499 | |
| 29 | South Carolina State University | 20700 | 30000 | 0.3095 | 2,950 | 930 | 0.8262 | |
| 29 | University of Northern Iowa | 20700 | 24000 | 0.1366 | 7,711 | 1129 | 0.9274 | |
| 29 | Western Illinois University | 20700 | 31000 | 0.3332 | 4,525 | 1015 | 0.7118 | |
| 32 | Henderson State University | 21100 | 30600 | 0.31 | 1,461 | 990 | 0.8192 | |
| 33 | Texas Southern University | 22100 | 25500 | 0.1335 | 6,844 | 915 | 0.9691 | |
| 34 | The University of Alabama | 22600 | 31000 | 0.2708 | 34,389 | 1284 | 0.7665 | |
| 35 | Miami University-Oxford | 24300 | 27500 | 0.1165 | 16,816 | 1299 | 0.754 | |
| 36 | Tennessee Technological University | 24900 | 33700 | 0.2609 | 9,187 | 1163 | 0.7613 | |
| 37 | University of Maryland Eastern Shore | 25700 | 39700 | 0.3527 | 2,476 | 930 | 0.9641 | |
| 38 | Seattle Pacific University | 25800 | 70000 | 0.6314 | 1,776 | 1180 | 0.834 | |
| 39 | Iowa State University | 26000 | 42800 | 0.3912 | 25,628 | 1207 | 0.8866 | |
| 39 | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | 26000 | 34900 | 0.2549 | 1,817 | 905 | 0.4118 | |
| 41 | Kansas State University | 27000 | 31400 | 0.1414 | 15,650 | 1164 | 0.8169 | |
| 42 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 27500 | 43800 | 0.3725 | 17,450 | 1044 | 0.9518 | |
| 43 | Freed-Hardeman University | 27700 | 35900 | 0.2284 | 1,873 | 1120 | 0.5968 | |
| 44 | Alabama A & M University | 28200 | 37700 | 0.2518 | 6,370 | 915 | 0.5795 | |
| 45 | Southern University and A & M College | 28600 | 32900 | 0.1309 | 6,713 | 930 | 0.3512 | |
| 46 | Pittsburg State University | 29100 | 36200 | 0.1959 | 4,472 | 1055 | 0.8942 | |
| 47 | Montana State University | 29600 | 31900 | 0.072 | 15,046 | 1184 | 0.8214 | |
| 47 | Morgan State University | 29600 | 41900 | 0.2938 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 49 | Oklahoma Baptist University | 30400 | 54700 | 0.4443 | 1,427 | 1025 | 0.4941 | |
| 50 | San Francisco State University | 30800 | 47700 | 0.3544 | 19,444 | 1035 | 0.9644 | |
| 51 | Baylor University | 31900 | 70300 | 0.546 | 14,915 | 1321 | 0.5128 | |
| 51 | Bridgewater College | 31900 | 40200 | 0.206 | 1,407 | 1174 | 0.9172 | |
| 53 | Liberty University | 33200 | 44600 | 0.2556 | 52,961 | 1174 | 0.9898 | |
| 54 | Meredith College | 33900 | 64200 | 0.4721 | 1,206 | 1237 | 0.7418 | |
| 55 | Minnesota State University, Mankato | 34000 | 37200 | 0.0881 | 13,433 | 1145 | 0.8844 | |
| 56 | University of Montevallo | 35400 | 44900 | 0.2118 | 2,642 | 1124 | 0.5385 | |
| 57 | California State University-Fresno | 36900 | 43800 | 0.1577 | 21,954 | 995 | 0.9526 | |
| 58 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 66300 | 0.436 | 31,035 | 1366 | 0.5478 | |
| 59 | University of Central Arkansas | 38000 | 40200 | 0.0567 | 8,268 | 1110 | 0.8949 | |
| 60 | Illinois State University | 43800 | 49100 | 0.1076 | 19,107 | 1120 | 0.8815 | |
| 61 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48500 | 51200 | 0.0543 | 44,819 | 1327 | 0.4987 | |
| 62 | University of Kentucky | 49000 | 58000 | 0.1551 | 25,534 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 63 | The University of Texas at Austin | 49700 | 59400 | 0.1633 | 43,165 | 1356 | 0.2664 | |
| 64 | University of Utah | 51400 | 53700 | 0.0425 | 28,064 | 1237 | 0.8598 | |
| 65 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 52900 | 61200 | 0.1353 | 26,221 | 1204 | 0.8854 | |
| 66 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 53200 | 61000 | 0.1291 | 41,303 | 1338 | 0.7975 | |
| 67 | Auburn University | 58500 | 58500 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4592 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.