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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 | The University of Tennessee-Martin | 11300 | 24800 | 0.5449 | 6,817 | 1110 | 0.882 | |
| 3 | Northern Illinois University | 12400 | 29000 | 0.5718 | 11,349 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 4 | Brigham Young University | 12500 | 29000 | 0.5686 | 32,221 | 1374 | 0.6919 | |
| 5 | Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus | 12800 | 24500 | 0.4782 | 4,250 | 970 | 0.9166 | |
| 6 | California State University-Northridge | 12900 | 23200 | 0.4436 | 32,499 | 1005 | 0.9219 | |
| 7 | The University of Texas at Austin | 13200 | 30700 | 0.5697 | 43,165 | 1335 | 0.2664 | |
| 8 | Texas Tech University | 14000 | 27000 | 0.4813 | 32,580 | 1200 | 0.7265 | |
| 9 | Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville | 14400 | 41100 | 0.6502 | 8,975 | 1045 | 0.9721 | |
| 10 | Norfolk State University | 14500 | 26700 | 0.4568 | 5,510 | 950 | 0.8746 | |
| 10 | Pittsburg State University | 14500 | 25200 | 0.4241 | 4,491 | 1055 | 0.8727 | |
| 12 | Texas Woman's University | 14600 | 23200 | 0.3704 | 10,034 | 1055 | 0.9613 | |
| 13 | Wayne State College | 15600 | 26400 | 0.4096 | 3,902 | 1075 | 1 | |
| 14 | Chadron State College | 15700 | 25600 | 0.3868 | 1,785 | 0 | 0 | |
| 15 | Mississippi University for Women | 16000 | 21400 | 0.2527 | 1,995 | 1075 | 1 | |
| 16 | Delta State University | 16500 | 23400 | 0.2951 | 1,876 | 1040 | 1 | |
| 17 | Southeast Missouri State University | 16600 | 30300 | 0.4533 | 7,926 | 1080 | 0.6897 | |
| 17 | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | 16600 | 25200 | 0.3411 | 1,905 | 965 | 0.5754 | |
| 19 | Jacksonville State University | 16700 | 26600 | 0.3725 | 8,663 | 1065 | 0.7769 | |
| 20 | Sam Houston State University | 16900 | 23000 | 0.2652 | 17,787 | 1030 | 0.9026 | |
| 21 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 17200 | 27200 | 0.3671 | 44,170 | 1327 | 0.4979 | |
| 22 | Central Washington University | 17300 | 22700 | 0.2376 | 10,033 | 1060 | 0.9061 | |
| 23 | Eastern Illinois University | 17400 | 27700 | 0.3713 | 6,785 | 1020 | 0.6535 | |
| 24 | California State University-Sacramento | 17700 | 27200 | 0.3491 | 28,226 | 1015 | 0.9343 | |
| 24 | Morgan State University | 17700 | 19700 | 0.1017 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 26 | San Francisco State University | 17900 | 33300 | 0.4624 | 20,756 | 1035 | 0.9615 | |
| 27 | Kansas State University | 19000 | 31400 | 0.395 | 15,650 | 1164 | 0.8199 | |
| 28 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 19700 | 24500 | 0.1955 | 19,888 | 1209 | 0.8517 | |
| 29 | Carson-Newman University | 20000 | 51700 | 0.613 | 1,606 | 1110 | 0.9045 | |
| 29 | University of Wyoming | 20000 | 26700 | 0.2497 | 8,130 | 1159 | 0.9688 | |
| 31 | Iowa State University | 20100 | 24200 | 0.1701 | 25,628 | 1207 | 0.8866 | |
| 32 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 20200 | 43700 | 0.5382 | 31,035 | 1366 | 0.5499 | |
| 33 | Texas Southern University | 20300 | 25700 | 0.2104 | 6,619 | 920 | 0.9335 | |
| 34 | University of Montevallo | 20600 | 31500 | 0.3465 | 2,545 | 1124 | 0.5579 | |
| 35 | Western Illinois University | 20900 | 31000 | 0.3266 | 5,025 | 990 | 0.7496 | |
| 36 | Olivet Nazarene University | 21100 | 88800 | 0.7623 | 2,704 | 1104 | 0.5586 | |
| 37 | Freed-Hardeman University | 21600 | 35100 | 0.385 | 1,878 | 1180 | 0.9061 | |
| 38 | Minnesota State University, Mankato | 21800 | 27100 | 0.1981 | 12,897 | 1110 | 0.9133 | |
| 39 | Southern University and A & M College | 22000 | 27100 | 0.1884 | 6,571 | 960 | 0.4987 | |
| 40 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus | 22100 | 33900 | 0.3479 | 7,353 | 1085 | 0.9077 | |
| 41 | Henderson State University | 22900 | 35900 | 0.3625 | 1,493 | 990 | 0.8192 | |
| 42 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 23000 | 27500 | 0.1618 | 17,771 | 1044 | 0.7933 | |
| 43 | Fort Valley State University | 23500 | 38900 | 0.3956 | 2,558 | 940 | 0.628 | |
| 44 | East Central University | 24400 | 33300 | 0.2675 | 2,644 | 1055 | 0.5815 | |
| 45 | Montana State University | 24900 | 31400 | 0.207 | 15,053 | 1184 | 0.8214 | |
| 45 | Oklahoma Baptist University | 24900 | 51700 | 0.5179 | 1,409 | 1110 | 0.6327 | |
| 47 | Illinois State University | 25100 | 35200 | 0.2877 | 19,107 | 1115 | 0.8815 | |
| 48 | California State University-Fresno | 25300 | 35900 | 0.2951 | 21,430 | 995 | 0.9638 | |
| 49 | University of Maryland Eastern Shore | 26300 | 39000 | 0.3255 | 2,233 | 930 | 0.9036 | |
| 50 | Seattle Pacific University | 27700 | 62600 | 0.5576 | 1,776 | 1188 | 0.8339 | |
| 51 | California State University-Long Beach | 28000 | 38400 | 0.2712 | 35,843 | 1135 | 0.4628 | |
| 52 | Alabama A & M University | 28100 | 42800 | 0.3433 | 5,845 | 940 | 0.6622 | |
| 53 | University of Utah | 28900 | 32000 | 0.0961 | 28,064 | 1237 | 0.8598 | |
| 54 | South Carolina State University | 30300 | 41600 | 0.2716 | 2,950 | 865 | 0.8262 | |
| 55 | University of Houston | 30900 | 35200 | 0.1223 | 39,257 | 1249 | 0.7392 | |
| 56 | Southeastern Louisiana University | 31100 | 43700 | 0.2884 | 13,206 | 1125 | 0.9387 | |
| 57 | North Carolina A & T State University | 31700 | 36400 | 0.129 | 12,216 | 1020 | 0.4617 | |
| 58 | Bridgewater College | 32100 | 40200 | 0.2009 | 1,407 | 1174 | 0.9172 | |
| 59 | Liberty University | 32800 | 43900 | 0.2528 | 52,823 | 1181 | 0.9932 | |
| 60 | Stephen F Austin State University | 33700 | 42800 | 0.2126 | 9,129 | 1060 | 0.7445 | |
| 61 | Auburn University | 34400 | 34400 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 62 | Baylor University | 34600 | 70800 | 0.511 | 14,915 | 1277 | 0.5128 | |
| 63 | University of Central Arkansas | 36300 | 38400 | 0.0541 | 8,268 | 1110 | 0.8949 | |
| 64 | Tennessee Technological University | 36400 | 38500 | 0.0539 | 8,838 | 1159 | 0.8316 | |
| 65 | CUNY Queens College | 38300 | 38300 | 0 | 13,464 | 1146 | 0.6434 | |
| 66 | SUNY Oneonta | 40500 | 45300 | 0.1059 | 4,681 | 1190 | 0.6959 | |
| 67 | Union University | 42000 | 64100 | 0.3445 | 1,934 | 1242 | 0.6016 | |
| 68 | The University of Alabama | 48800 | 48800 | 0 | 34,389 | 1233 | 0.7665 | |
| 69 | University of Kentucky | 51000 | 56000 | 0.0893 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 70 | Miami University-Oxford | 56100 | 56100 | 0 | 16,816 | 1299 | 0.754 | |
| 71 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 56900 | 58900 | 0.0352 | 26,500 | 1183 | 0.8857 |
School data is from 2022–2023 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.