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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 | College of the Ozarks | 6600 | 38400 | 0.8291 | 1,500 | 1130 | 0.1097 | |
| 2 | Stephen F Austin State University | 10000 | 27800 | 0.6392 | 9,905 | 1055 | 0.8339 | |
| 3 | Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte | 11200 | 18400 | 0.392 | 1,184 | 1015 | 0.7989 | |
| 4 | Boston University | 12300 | 92800 | 0.8676 | 18,289 | 1475 | 0.1283 | |
| 5 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 12500 | 28100 | 0.5551 | 8,421 | 1054 | 0.9444 | |
| 6 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 12600 | 12600 | 0 | 25,312 | 1134 | 0.7395 | |
| 6 | Missouri State University-Springfield | 12600 | 25700 | 0.5097 | 21,138 | 1134 | 0.9039 | |
| 6 | University of the Virgin Islands | 12600 | 22800 | 0.4467 | 1,650 | 900 | 0.9936 | |
| 9 | Eastern Illinois University | 12700 | 24300 | 0.4766 | 6,731 | 1020 | 0.7073 | |
| 10 | University of South Florida | 12900 | 17100 | 0.2454 | 39,093 | 1255 | 0.4071 | |
| 11 | University of North Alabama | 13000 | 28200 | 0.5393 | 8,078 | 1124 | 0.7054 | |
| 12 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | 13200 | 49100 | 0.7312 | 29,727 | 990 | 0.9229 | |
| 13 | Livingstone College | 13300 | 29900 | 0.5558 | 925 | 890 | 0.5925 | |
| 14 | University of Delaware | 13500 | 34500 | 0.608 | 19,287 | 1302 | 0.6924 | |
| 15 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 16 | Arkansas Tech University | 14300 | 34400 | 0.5844 | 8,279 | 1055 | 0.9747 | |
| 16 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5048 | 12,118 | 1070 | 0.7164 | |
| 18 | Northwestern State University of Louisiana | 14400 | 37400 | 0.6144 | 7,501 | 1055 | 0.9467 | |
| 19 | Central Michigan University | 14500 | 37800 | 0.6157 | 10,238 | 1099 | 0.9104 | |
| 20 | Florida Gulf Coast University | 14800 | 22500 | 0.3418 | 14,434 | 1125 | 0.6344 | |
| 21 | University of Maryland Eastern Shore | 15300 | 26900 | 0.4309 | 2,477 | 930 | 0.9641 | |
| 22 | California State University-East Bay | 15500 | 30100 | 0.4857 | 9,909 | 940 | 0.9739 | |
| 23 | Appalachian State University | 15800 | 19500 | 0.1899 | 19,732 | 1174 | 0.9388 | |
| 23 | University of North Texas | 15800 | 26100 | 0.3953 | 34,414 | 1094 | 0.7089 | |
| 25 | University of North Texas at Dallas | 16000 | 25000 | 0.3601 | 2,953 | 975 | 0.8445 | |
| 26 | California State University-Long Beach | 16100 | 25800 | 0.3761 | 36,056 | 1135 | 0.4543 | |
| 27 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania | 16300 | 28200 | 0.4215 | 7,425 | 1074 | 0.9147 | |
| 28 | Eastern Michigan University | 16500 | 36100 | 0.5431 | 10,034 | 1055 | 0.7772 | |
| 28 | Ferris State University | 16500 | 31000 | 0.4685 | 8,980 | 1015 | 0.8237 | |
| 30 | West Virginia University | 16800 | 40900 | 0.589 | 18,206 | 1120 | 0.8514 | |
| 31 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 16900 | 26300 | 0.3574 | 19,787 | 1197 | 0.8807 | |
| 31 | Western Carolina University | 16900 | 19400 | 0.1289 | 10,268 | 1140 | 0.7076 | |
| 33 | Salem State University | 17500 | 28500 | 0.3859 | 4,867 | 1075 | 0.9588 | |
| 34 | Morgan State University | 17600 | 28500 | 0.3823 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 34 | University of Nevada-Las Vegas | 17600 | 27400 | 0.3575 | 27,963 | 1090 | 0.8395 | |
| 36 | College of Charleston | 18000 | 33900 | 0.4696 | 10,596 | 1234 | 0.73 | |
| 37 | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | 18100 | 25300 | 0.285 | 1,817 | 905 | 0.4118 | |
| 38 | Delaware State University | 18700 | 42200 | 0.5563 | 4,581 | 930 | 0.4658 | |
| 39 | State University of New York at Plattsburgh | 18800 | 32000 | 0.4129 | 3,825 | 1175 | 0.7841 | |
| 40 | Grand Canyon University | 18900 | 33700 | 0.4392 | 75,936 | 1075 | 0.7891 | |
| 41 | University of New Orleans | 19200 | 27200 | 0.2941 | 5,419 | 1040 | 0.7431 | |
| 41 | University of South Alabama | 19200 | 22400 | 0.1431 | 9,530 | 1140 | 0.9455 | |
| 41 | Virginia State University | 19200 | 29500 | 0.3488 | 5,124 | 955 | 0.8863 | |
| 44 | University of Mississippi | 19400 | 27000 | 0.2814 | 22,939 | 1172 | 0.9738 | |
| 45 | Saint Xavier University | 19500 | 53300 | 0.6329 | 3,100 | 1050 | 0.843 | |
| 46 | Central Connecticut State University | 19800 | 29500 | 0.3286 | 9,463 | 1020 | 0.793 | |
| 46 | Columbia College | 19800 | 35800 | 0.447 | 1,566 | 950 | 0.966 | |
| 48 | Iowa State University | 19900 | 24200 | 0.179 | 26,346 | 1212 | 0.8793 | |
| 48 | Youngstown State University | 19900 | 34000 | 0.4147 | 9,687 | 1120 | 0.9145 | |
| 50 | Bay Path University | 20100 | 55400 | 0.637 | 1,178 | 1110 | 0.8514 | |
| 50 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 20100 | 45200 | 0.5559 | 31,536 | 1366 | 0.5457 | |
| 52 | Bellevue University | 20200 | 36400 | 0.4445 | 11,037 | 0 | 1 | |
| 52 | Lasell University | 20200 | 48500 | 0.5831 | 1,347 | 1095 | 0.7457 | |
| 52 | SUNY Buffalo State University | 20200 | 29400 | 0.3124 | 5,196 | 1050 | 0.8422 | |
| 55 | Husson University | 20600 | 58700 | 0.6493 | 2,865 | 1174 | 0.8143 | |
| 56 | Northern Michigan University | 21300 | 33100 | 0.3565 | 6,650 | 1100 | 0.8505 | |
| 57 | Bradley University | 21700 | 49900 | 0.5642 | 3,258 | 1174 | 0.7459 | |
| 58 | South Dakota State University | 21900 | 25200 | 0.1305 | 10,883 | 1115 | 0.9618 | |
| 59 | Montana State University | 22300 | 27100 | 0.1769 | 15,142 | 1184 | 0.9938 | |
| 60 | Florida State University | 22400 | 32400 | 0.3091 | 34,271 | 1369 | 0.2383 | |
| 60 | New York University | 22400 | 91800 | 0.7556 | 29,471 | 1520 | 0.0906 | |
| 62 | Brigham Young University-Hawaii | 22600 | 25400 | 0.1104 | 2,907 | 1125 | 0.4696 | |
| 63 | East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania | 22700 | 31300 | 0.2751 | 5,130 | 1099 | 0.8645 | |
| 64 | Saint Cloud State University | 22900 | 36800 | 0.3775 | 8,209 | 1079 | 0.948 | |
| 64 | San Jose State University | 22900 | 41100 | 0.4429 | 29,890 | 1135 | 0.8039 | |
| 66 | Southern Connecticut State University | 23000 | 41000 | 0.4392 | 7,252 | 965 | 0.9482 | |
| 66 | Southwest Minnesota State University | 23000 | 25800 | 0.1083 | 7,290 | 1015 | 0.6409 | |
| 68 | Robert Morris University | 23100 | 58000 | 0.6012 | 4,325 | 1145 | 0.8989 | |
| 69 | Central Washington University | 23400 | 27900 | 0.1615 | 10,033 | 1060 | 0.9061 | |
| 69 | York College of Pennsylvania | 23400 | 45800 | 0.4895 | 3,369 | 1153 | 0.7374 | |
| 71 | Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus | 23600 | 90700 | 0.7398 | 8,727 | 1055 | 0.9703 | |
| 71 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 23600 | 24900 | 0.0522 | 31,845 | 1298 | 0.5651 | |
| 73 | University of Kentucky | 23700 | 36400 | 0.3479 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 74 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 24100 | 39300 | 0.3873 | 24,019 | 1404 | 0.5989 | |
| 75 | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi | 24500 | 36300 | 0.3247 | 2,881 | 1040 | 0.89 | |
| 76 | Eastern Kentucky University | 24800 | 38400 | 0.3545 | 13,448 | 1075 | 0.9683 | |
| 77 | Lewis University | 25100 | 57700 | 0.5649 | 4,914 | 1127 | 0.6916 | |
| 78 | Saint Leo University | 25300 | 50000 | 0.4938 | 7,519 | 1110 | 0.7877 | |
| 79 | Ball State University | 25500 | 25500 | 0 | 15,950 | 1185 | 0.8625 | |
| 80 | Southeast Missouri State University | 25800 | 28600 | 0.0974 | 7,926 | 1070 | 0.6897 | |
| 81 | Fort Hays State University | 25900 | 36100 | 0.2847 | 10,172 | 1075 | 0.9026 | |
| 82 | Northern Arizona University | 26300 | 43200 | 0.3921 | 22,203 | 1129 | 0.8961 | |
| 83 | University of Southern Mississippi | 26500 | 26500 | 0 | 10,371 | 1181 | 0.926 | |
| 84 | College of Coastal Georgia | 26600 | 36000 | 0.2612 | 3,609 | 1005 | 0.9885 | |
| 85 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 26700 | 41500 | 0.3564 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 86 | Northwood University | 26800 | 54500 | 0.5087 | 2,045 | 1055 | 0.6451 | |
| 86 | Troy University | 26800 | 34700 | 0.2277 | 10,130 | 1075 | 0.9535 | |
| 86 | Western Kentucky University | 26800 | 41800 | 0.3588 | 13,732 | 1090 | 0.9145 | |
| 89 | Keystone College | 26900 | 50500 | 0.4678 | 676 | 1020 | 0.7385 | |
| 90 | California State University-Northridge | 27000 | 36500 | 0.2597 | 32,846 | 1005 | 0.9176 | |
| 90 | Kansas State University | 27000 | 31400 | 0.1412 | 16,555 | 1163 | 0.875 | |
| 92 | Kennesaw State University | 27400 | 27400 | 0 | 46,069 | 1119 | 0.7944 | |
| 93 | Lackawanna College | 27700 | 35500 | 0.2195 | 2,211 | 0 | 0.8619 | |
| 93 | North Dakota State University | 27700 | 30400 | 0.0886 | 9,762 | 1110 | 0.9496 | |
| 93 | University of Wisconsin-Stout | 27700 | 30000 | 0.0763 | 6,227 | 1184 | 0.9171 | |
| 96 | Mitchell College | 27800 | 66600 | 0.5826 | 442 | 817 | 0.9466 | |
| 97 | Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus | 28100 | 69300 | 0.5943 | 2,012 | 1174 | 0.9631 | |
| 98 | Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science | 28200 | 50700 | 0.4452 | 927 | 1010 | 0.7653 | |
| 99 | Roosevelt University | 28500 | 47600 | 0.4017 | 2,868 | 1049 | 0.9716 | |
| 100 | North Carolina Central University | 28600 | 40000 | 0.2849 | 7,232 | 865 | 0.8605 | |
| 101 | Flagler College | 28700 | 61200 | 0.5309 | 2,359 | 1175 | 0.787 | |
| 102 | California State University-Monterey Bay | 29400 | 34000 | 0.1352 | 7,402 | 1054 | 0.9684 | |
| 103 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | 29700 | 31600 | 0.0601 | 7,088 | 1100 | 0.7448 | |
| 104 | Lipscomb University | 29800 | 57800 | 0.4841 | 3,327 | 1214 | 0.6774 | |
| 105 | Southern Utah University | 29900 | 40800 | 0.2673 | 13,176 | 1140 | 0.9998 | |
| 106 | University of West Florida | 30000 | 38000 | 0.2104 | 9,971 | 1120 | 0.5822 | |
| 107 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus | 30500 | 39200 | 0.2222 | 13,039 | 1020 | 0.894 | |
| 108 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 30600 | 78100 | 0.608 | 14,267 | 1363 | 0.6693 | |
| 109 | San Francisco State University | 30800 | 47700 | 0.3544 | 19,444 | 1035 | 0.9644 | |
| 110 | Kent State University at Kent | 31200 | 37500 | 0.1678 | 21,144 | 1104 | 0.7603 | |
| 111 | San Diego State University | 31300 | 36100 | 0.1329 | 36,196 | 1208 | 0.3741 | |
| 112 | University of Pittsburgh-Bradford | 32300 | 48400 | 0.3328 | 1,094 | 1109 | 0.8917 | |
| 113 | Belmont University | 32400 | 69900 | 0.5372 | 7,174 | 1273 | 0.9367 | |
| 114 | Framingham State University | 33200 | 38100 | 0.1286 | 2,782 | 1190 | 0.8366 | |
| 114 | Liberty University | 33200 | 44600 | 0.2556 | 52,961 | 1174 | 0.9898 | |
| 116 | Wilkes University | 33400 | 61900 | 0.4597 | 2,055 | 1188 | 0.9397 | |
| 117 | Warner University | 33500 | 41000 | 0.183 | 803 | 931 | 0.4281 | |
| 118 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | 33800 | 41000 | 0.1744 | 23,003 | 1164 | 0.7367 | |
| 119 | Colorado Mesa University | 33900 | 40000 | 0.1533 | 9,459 | 1050 | 0.8314 | |
| 119 | Meredith College | 33900 | 64200 | 0.4721 | 1,212 | 1239 | 0.7506 | |
| 121 | Charleston Southern University | 34200 | 48400 | 0.295 | 3,126 | 1060 | 0.9646 | |
| 122 | Southeastern University | 34400 | 60500 | 0.4312 | 11,981 | 1110 | 0.4247 | |
| 123 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | 34700 | 38700 | 0.1034 | 14,865 | 1175 | 0.9113 | |
| 124 | Stockton University | 34800 | 44500 | 0.2181 | 7,583 | 1134 | 0.901 | |
| 125 | Culinary Institute of America | 35000 | 69900 | 0.4995 | 2,935 | 1050 | 0.9486 | |
| 126 | Mount Mercy University | 35400 | 61200 | 0.4216 | 1,139 | 1110 | 0.8248 | |
| 127 | New Jersey City University | 35600 | 39800 | 0.1056 | 3,871 | 1015 | 0.9838 | |
| 128 | Temple University | 35900 | 56400 | 0.3636 | 21,031 | 1172 | 0.8622 | |
| 129 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 36300 | 53100 | 0.3162 | 32,041 | 1324 | 0.4358 | |
| 130 | Florida International University | 36500 | 36800 | 0.0081 | 46,249 | 1180 | 0.6085 | |
| 131 | Georgia State University | 36600 | 45400 | 0.1939 | 26,785 | 1089 | 0.5722 | |
| 132 | East Carolina University | 36900 | 42700 | 0.1356 | 21,693 | 1065 | 0.9003 | |
| 133 | Concordia University Ann Arbor | 37200 | 57000 | 0.3472 | 755 | 1163 | 0.6925 | |
| 134 | St. Thomas Aquinas College | 37300 | 64400 | 0.4211 | 2,138 | 1148 | 0.9469 | |
| 135 | DePaul University | 37800 | 66000 | 0.4275 | 14,338 | 1258 | 0.878 | |
| 136 | University of South Carolina Beaufort | 37900 | 38500 | 0.0156 | 2,162 | 1025 | 0.725 | |
| 137 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Abington | 38100 | 38100 | 0 | 2,710 | 1218 | 0.9374 | |
| 137 | Washington State University | 38100 | 53900 | 0.2932 | 21,400 | 1131 | 0.861 | |
| 139 | Baldwin Wallace University | 39000 | 66100 | 0.4102 | 2,532 | 1210 | 0.7739 | |
| 140 | University of Denver | 39200 | 76900 | 0.4905 | 5,766 | 1292 | 0.8538 | |
| 141 | University of San Francisco | 39300 | 84800 | 0.5364 | 5,171 | 1333 | 0.7176 | |
| 142 | Nichols College | 39600 | 59600 | 0.3359 | 1,163 | 1135 | 0.8084 | |
| 143 | University of Central Florida | 39700 | 39700 | 0 | 60,083 | 1289 | 0.428 | |
| 144 | Endicott College | 40300 | 64200 | 0.3722 | 3,195 | 1275 | 0.7121 | |
| 144 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette | 40300 | 44100 | 0.0862 | 13,432 | 1225 | 0.8701 | |
| 146 | Johnson & Wales University-Providence | 40400 | 66000 | 0.3875 | 3,908 | 1050 | 0.8844 | |
| 147 | Webber International University | 40600 | 44400 | 0.0855 | 833 | 950 | 0.694 | |
| 148 | Concordia University-Wisconsin | 41200 | 57000 | 0.2774 | 2,401 | 1209 | 0.7819 | |
| 149 | Middle Tennessee State University | 41400 | 46000 | 0.0999 | 18,042 | 1140 | 0.6909 | |
| 150 | Montclair State University | 41600 | 46600 | 0.1073 | 19,048 | 1005 | 0.894 | |
| 151 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | 42600 | 56200 | 0.2421 | 10,900 | 1222 | 0.8914 | |
| 152 | Merrimack College | 43500 | 78800 | 0.4479 | 4,123 | 1124 | 0.6927 | |
| 153 | Campbell University | 44000 | 68700 | 0.3606 | 2,699 | 1120 | 0.872 | |
| 154 | Florida Atlantic University | 44400 | 44400 | 0 | 25,626 | 1150 | 0.5497 | |
| 155 | St. John's University-New York | 44500 | 78000 | 0.4292 | 15,640 | 1249 | 0.8343 | |
| 156 | Oregon State University | 44900 | 61900 | 0.2752 | 31,253 | 1272 | 0.773 | |
| 157 | James Madison University | 45200 | 45200 | 0 | 21,358 | 1259 | 0.6879 | |
| 158 | Drexel University | 47700 | 83900 | 0.4315 | 12,318 | 1354 | 0.699 | |
| 159 | Michigan State University | 49200 | 56200 | 0.1245 | 41,415 | 1212 | 0.8324 | |
| 160 | University of Georgia | 49700 | 51600 | 0.0368 | 32,824 | 1348 | 0.3425 | |
| 161 | Lynn University | 51800 | 66000 | 0.2151 | 3,020 | 1135 | 0.7425 | |
| 162 | The University of Alabama | 55700 | 58500 | 0.0478 | 35,621 | 1238 | 0.7117 | |
| 163 | Dallas Baptist University | 55800 | 63400 | 0.1199 | 2,938 | 1073 | 0.9131 | |
| 164 | Auburn University | 58500 | 58500 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 165 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 58900 | 61200 | 0.0374 | 26,490 | 1183 | 0.8863 | |
| 166 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Berks | 64200 | 64200 | 0 | 1,709 | 1218 | 0.9653 | |
| 167 | Mercyhurst University | 66000 | 68000 | 0.0294 | 2,214 | 1203 | 0.775 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.