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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 | 8100 | 22100 | 0.6333 | 34,354 | 1374 | 0.6862 | |
| 1 | California State University-Northridge | 8100 | 65100 | 0.8757 | 32,846 | 1005 | 0.9176 | |
| 3 | The University of Tennessee-Martin | 10700 | 24800 | 0.5691 | 7,393 | 1125 | 0.8968 | |
| 4 | Fort Valley State University | 12400 | 29700 | 0.5823 | 2,699 | 1025 | 0.6587 | |
| 5 | Eastern Illinois University | 12700 | 24300 | 0.4766 | 6,731 | 1020 | 0.7073 | |
| 6 | Delta State University | 13000 | 23500 | 0.4472 | 1,876 | 1040 | 1 | |
| 7 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 38400 | 0.6464 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 8 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 13700 | 61700 | 0.7784 | 39,193 | 1418 | 0.4081 | |
| 9 | University of Houston | 13800 | 21800 | 0.3669 | 40,366 | 1224 | 0.7577 | |
| 10 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28100 | 0.4927 | 12,118 | 1070 | 0.7164 | |
| 11 | University of Maryland Eastern Shore | 14600 | 55300 | 0.7355 | 2,477 | 930 | 0.9641 | |
| 12 | Stephen F Austin State University | 14700 | 23400 | 0.3714 | 9,905 | 1055 | 0.8339 | |
| 13 | Pittsburg State University | 14900 | 23900 | 0.376 | 4,561 | 1055 | 0.5487 | |
| 13 | Wayne State College | 14900 | 26400 | 0.4352 | 3,886 | 0 | 1 | |
| 15 | Chadron State College | 15300 | 25000 | 0.3886 | 1,691 | 0 | 0 | |
| 16 | Jacksonville State University | 15500 | 42900 | 0.638 | 8,663 | 1069 | 0.7769 | |
| 17 | Southeastern Louisiana University | 16500 | 52000 | 0.6832 | 14,294 | 1125 | 0.915 | |
| 18 | California State University-Long Beach | 16600 | 33300 | 0.5016 | 36,056 | 1135 | 0.4543 | |
| 18 | Norfolk State University | 16600 | 26700 | 0.3781 | 5,411 | 935 | 0.8777 | |
| 20 | Carson-Newman University | 17700 | 51900 | 0.6592 | 1,912 | 1075 | 0.6381 | |
| 21 | California State University-Sacramento | 17900 | 35700 | 0.4987 | 28,619 | 1015 | 0.9357 | |
| 22 | Mississippi University for Women | 18400 | 25100 | 0.2668 | 1,962 | 1055 | 0.9031 | |
| 23 | Alabama A & M University | 19500 | 51900 | 0.6242 | 6,370 | 915 | 0.5795 | |
| 24 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania | 19600 | 32300 | 0.3934 | 7,425 | 1074 | 0.9147 | |
| 24 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 19600 | 26900 | 0.2714 | 20,786 | 1225 | 0.8689 | |
| 26 | Olivet Nazarene University | 19700 | 79300 | 0.7523 | 2,704 | 1104 | 0.5586 | |
| 26 | University of Northern Iowa | 19700 | 24000 | 0.1786 | 7,800 | 1115 | 0.9313 | |
| 28 | Iowa State University | 19900 | 24200 | 0.179 | 26,346 | 1212 | 0.8793 | |
| 29 | South Carolina State University | 20700 | 30000 | 0.3095 | 3,059 | 925 | 0.6797 | |
| 29 | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | 20700 | 48300 | 0.5715 | 1,817 | 905 | 0.4118 | |
| 31 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 21800 | 37300 | 0.4156 | 26,490 | 1183 | 0.8863 | |
| 32 | Southern University and A & M College | 21900 | 41000 | 0.4659 | 6,713 | 930 | 0.3512 | |
| 33 | Freed-Hardeman University | 22000 | 35900 | 0.3872 | 1,873 | 1120 | 0.5968 | |
| 34 | Texas Southern University | 22100 | 25500 | 0.1335 | 6,844 | 915 | 0.9691 | |
| 35 | Montana State University | 23100 | 73500 | 0.6859 | 15,142 | 1184 | 0.9938 | |
| 36 | Tennessee Technological University | 24900 | 33700 | 0.2612 | 9,187 | 1163 | 0.7613 | |
| 37 | Meredith College | 25000 | 67400 | 0.6289 | 1,212 | 1239 | 0.7506 | |
| 38 | Illinois State University | 25100 | 36400 | 0.3118 | 19,513 | 1115 | 0.8555 | |
| 39 | Southeast Missouri State University | 25800 | 28600 | 0.0974 | 7,926 | 1070 | 0.6897 | |
| 40 | Henderson State University | 26100 | 36600 | 0.2869 | 1,461 | 1075 | 0.8192 | |
| 41 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 27500 | 43800 | 0.3725 | 18,028 | 1059 | 0.7996 | |
| 42 | Central Washington University | 27700 | 27900 | 0.0072 | 10,033 | 1060 | 0.9061 | |
| 43 | Morgan State University | 29100 | 41800 | 0.3038 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 44 | Oklahoma Baptist University | 30400 | 54700 | 0.4445 | 1,427 | 1025 | 0.4941 | |
| 45 | North Carolina Central University | 31200 | 40000 | 0.2199 | 7,232 | 865 | 0.8605 | |
| 46 | North Carolina A & T State University | 31400 | 36700 | 0.1443 | 12,497 | 1075 | 0.5125 | |
| 47 | Liberty University | 33200 | 44700 | 0.2573 | 52,961 | 1174 | 0.9898 | |
| 48 | Baylor University | 33500 | 70400 | 0.5244 | 14,183 | 1302 | 0.5222 | |
| 48 | Harding University | 33500 | 47800 | 0.299 | 3,536 | 1184 | 0.7052 | |
| 50 | Bridgewater College | 34200 | 42500 | 0.1953 | 1,412 | 1115 | 0.903 | |
| 51 | California Baptist University | 34500 | 69100 | 0.5009 | 8,707 | 1024 | 0.8139 | |
| 52 | Minnesota State University, Mankato | 35300 | 37600 | 0.0609 | 13,433 | 1145 | 0.8844 | |
| 53 | Texas Tech University | 35600 | 38900 | 0.0848 | 34,021 | 1195 | 0.6906 | |
| 54 | University of Montevallo | 36300 | 45300 | 0.1985 | 2,643 | 1124 | 0.5385 | |
| 55 | Auburn University | 36400 | 85500 | 0.5741 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 56 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 66600 | 0.4382 | 31,536 | 1366 | 0.5457 | |
| 57 | University of Central Arkansas | 38000 | 40200 | 0.0569 | 8,238 | 1110 | 0.9157 | |
| 58 | University of Wyoming | 40000 | 45300 | 0.1168 | 8,138 | 1163 | 0.9695 | |
| 59 | Kansas State University | 40600 | 41600 | 0.024 | 16,555 | 1163 | 0.875 | |
| 60 | Union University | 43800 | 66000 | 0.3375 | 1,856 | 1242 | 0.5857 | |
| 61 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48500 | 51200 | 0.0544 | 43,633 | 1342 | 0.4343 | |
| 62 | The University of Texas at Austin | 49800 | 58800 | 0.153 | 44,314 | 1356 | 0.2222 | |
| 63 | University of Kentucky | 51300 | 74100 | 0.3075 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 64 | University of Utah | 51400 | 53700 | 0.0426 | 29,335 | 1222 | 0.9015 | |
| 65 | The University of Alabama | 53700 | 66500 | 0.1925 | 35,621 | 1238 | 0.7117 | |
| 66 | Miami University-Oxford | 57300 | 57300 | 0 | 16,405 | 1284 | 0.74 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.