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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 | Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus | 9900 | 21600 | 0.5416 | 4,250 | 970 | 0.9166 | |
| 3 | California State University-Fresno | 12000 | 19600 | 0.3869 | 21,430 | 995 | 0.9638 | |
| 4 | Northern Illinois University | 12500 | 29000 | 0.5679 | 11,349 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 5 | Eastern Illinois University | 12800 | 24500 | 0.4773 | 6,785 | 1020 | 0.6535 | |
| 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 | Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville | 14400 | 41100 | 0.6502 | 8,975 | 1045 | 0.9721 | |
| 9 | Pittsburg State University | 14600 | 25200 | 0.4229 | 4,491 | 1055 | 0.8727 | |
| 10 | Wayne State College | 15600 | 26400 | 0.4096 | 3,902 | 1075 | 1 | |
| 11 | Chadron State College | 15700 | 25600 | 0.3868 | 1,785 | 0 | 0 | |
| 12 | Mississippi University for Women | 16000 | 21400 | 0.2527 | 1,995 | 1075 | 1 | |
| 13 | Delta State University | 16500 | 23400 | 0.2951 | 1,876 | 1040 | 1 | |
| 13 | Southeast Missouri State University | 16500 | 30300 | 0.4537 | 7,926 | 1080 | 0.6897 | |
| 15 | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | 16600 | 25200 | 0.3411 | 1,905 | 965 | 0.5754 | |
| 16 | Central Washington University | 17100 | 22700 | 0.2464 | 10,033 | 1060 | 0.9061 | |
| 17 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 17200 | 27200 | 0.3671 | 44,170 | 1327 | 0.4979 | |
| 18 | Illinois State University | 17700 | 29300 | 0.3982 | 19,107 | 1115 | 0.8815 | |
| 19 | SUNY Oneonta | 18400 | 29300 | 0.372 | 4,681 | 1190 | 0.6959 | |
| 20 | Kansas State University | 19000 | 31400 | 0.3947 | 15,650 | 1164 | 0.8199 | |
| 20 | Texas Southern University | 19000 | 42400 | 0.5514 | 6,619 | 920 | 0.9335 | |
| 22 | Brigham Young University | 19100 | 29000 | 0.3411 | 32,221 | 1374 | 0.6919 | |
| 23 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 19800 | 24500 | 0.1915 | 19,888 | 1209 | 0.8517 | |
| 24 | Carson-Newman University | 20000 | 51700 | 0.613 | 1,606 | 1110 | 0.9045 | |
| 25 | University of Wyoming | 20200 | 26700 | 0.2426 | 8,130 | 1159 | 0.9688 | |
| 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 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus | 22100 | 33900 | 0.3479 | 7,353 | 1085 | 0.9077 | |
| 29 | Henderson State University | 23200 | 35900 | 0.3542 | 1,493 | 1075 | 0.8192 | |
| 30 | The University of Alabama | 23400 | 29900 | 0.2177 | 34,389 | 1233 | 0.7665 | |
| 31 | Fort Valley State University | 23500 | 32500 | 0.2769 | 2,558 | 940 | 0.628 | |
| 32 | Tennessee Technological University | 24200 | 32600 | 0.2574 | 8,838 | 1159 | 0.8316 | |
| 33 | Freed-Hardeman University | 24300 | 35100 | 0.308 | 1,878 | 1180 | 0.9061 | |
| 34 | East Central University | 24400 | 33300 | 0.2675 | 2,644 | 1055 | 0.5815 | |
| 35 | Miami University-Oxford | 24600 | 27200 | 0.0954 | 16,816 | 1299 | 0.754 | |
| 35 | The University of Tennessee-Martin | 24600 | 31500 | 0.2192 | 6,817 | 1110 | 0.882 | |
| 37 | Montana State University | 24900 | 31400 | 0.207 | 15,053 | 1184 | 0.8214 | |
| 38 | Oklahoma Baptist University | 25000 | 51700 | 0.5162 | 1,409 | 1110 | 0.6327 | |
| 39 | Iowa State University | 25100 | 41400 | 0.3947 | 25,628 | 1207 | 0.8866 | |
| 40 | California State University-Northridge | 25900 | 36600 | 0.2919 | 32,499 | 1005 | 0.9219 | |
| 41 | Southern University and A & M College | 26100 | 32900 | 0.207 | 6,571 | 960 | 0.4987 | |
| 42 | Norfolk State University | 26200 | 40300 | 0.3501 | 5,510 | 950 | 0.8746 | |
| 43 | University of Maryland Eastern Shore | 26300 | 39000 | 0.3255 | 2,233 | 930 | 0.9036 | |
| 44 | Texas Woman's University | 26400 | 41300 | 0.3608 | 10,034 | 1055 | 0.9613 | |
| 45 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 27500 | 43800 | 0.3725 | 17,771 | 1044 | 0.7933 | |
| 46 | Seattle Pacific University | 27700 | 62600 | 0.5576 | 1,776 | 1188 | 0.8339 | |
| 47 | Alabama A & M University | 28000 | 42800 | 0.3456 | 5,845 | 940 | 0.6622 | |
| 47 | California State University-Long Beach | 28000 | 38400 | 0.2712 | 35,843 | 1135 | 0.4628 | |
| 49 | Jacksonville State University | 28500 | 38200 | 0.2537 | 8,663 | 1069 | 0.7769 | |
| 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 | 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 | Minnesota State University-Mankato | 34400 | 37200 | 0.0775 | 12,897 | 1055 | 0.9133 | |
| 60 | Morgan State University | 34400 | 37200 | 0.0753 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 62 | Baylor University | 34600 | 70800 | 0.511 | 14,915 | 1277 | 0.5128 | |
| 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 | CUNY Queens College | 38300 | 38300 | 0 | 13,464 | 1146 | 0.6434 | |
| 67 | Union University | 42200 | 64100 | 0.3415 | 1,934 | 1242 | 0.6016 | |
| 68 | University of Kentucky | 49000 | 56000 | 0.1236 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 69 | University of Utah | 51800 | 53700 | 0.0351 | 28,064 | 1237 | 0.8598 | |
| 70 | Auburn University | 55400 | 55400 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 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.