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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 | Northwestern University | 6500 | 90200 | 0.9278 | 9,060 | 1533 | 0.0769 | |
| 2 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 6900 | 41500 | 0.8347 | 38,572 | 1455 | 0.3659 | |
| 3 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 8600 | 98000 | 0.9125 | 9,164 | 1535 | 0.0386 | |
| 4 | California State University-East Bay | 9000 | 45100 | 0.8008 | 9,909 | 940 | 0.9739 | |
| 5 | Lamar University | 9100 | 22900 | 0.6019 | 8,387 | 1040 | 0.8353 | |
| 6 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 10100 | 41500 | 0.7567 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 7 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | 10700 | 26000 | 0.5891 | 22,313 | 1341 | 0.2996 | |
| 8 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 11100 | 33800 | 0.6718 | 40,996 | 1399 | 0.4175 | |
| 9 | Texas A&M University-Commerce | 11300 | 39000 | 0.7105 | 9,666 | 1040 | 0.7498 | |
| 10 | Francis Marion University | 11800 | 31300 | 0.623 | 3,793 | 1015 | 0.9508 | |
| 11 | Brown University | 11900 | 94000 | 0.8733 | 7,951 | 1500 | 0.0634 | |
| 12 | University of Illinois Chicago | 12200 | 30200 | 0.5969 | 24,260 | 1174 | 0.7576 | |
| 13 | Wayne State University | 12400 | 32900 | 0.6228 | 16,390 | 1183 | 0.8359 | |
| 14 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus | 12900 | 26500 | 0.5126 | 13,039 | 1020 | 0.894 | |
| 15 | North Carolina A & T State University | 13000 | 17900 | 0.2745 | 12,497 | 1075 | 0.5125 | |
| 16 | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | 13200 | 21300 | 0.3801 | 18,667 | 1090 | 0.9711 | |
| 17 | Louisiana Tech University | 13300 | 42900 | 0.6899 | 11,071 | 1189 | 0.9073 | |
| 17 | Northern Illinois University | 13300 | 32100 | 0.5856 | 12,118 | 1070 | 0.7164 | |
| 19 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 13700 | 61700 | 0.7774 | 39,193 | 1418 | 0.4081 | |
| 20 | Youngstown State University | 14100 | 28400 | 0.5033 | 9,687 | 1120 | 0.9145 | |
| 21 | University of Wisconsin-Platteville | 14600 | 29200 | 0.4991 | 6,045 | 1193 | 0.8938 | |
| 22 | Texas State University | 15000 | 26700 | 0.4375 | 39,353 | 1080 | 0.9118 | |
| 22 | West Virginia University | 15000 | 73100 | 0.7945 | 18,206 | 1120 | 0.8514 | |
| 24 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville | 15200 | 25800 | 0.4099 | 5,386 | 995 | 0.9092 | |
| 25 | Florida State University | 15600 | 23000 | 0.322 | 34,271 | 1369 | 0.2383 | |
| 26 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | 15900 | 24200 | 0.3436 | 7,637 | 1115 | 0.1865 | |
| 27 | The University of Texas at El Paso | 16000 | 38700 | 0.5859 | 22,223 | 975 | 0.9994 | |
| 28 | North Carolina State University | 16100 | 28500 | 0.4348 | 29,340 | 1374 | 0.3954 | |
| 29 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | 16500 | 26500 | 0.3761 | 23,003 | 1164 | 0.7367 | |
| 30 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 16600 | 41200 | 0.5978 | 25,312 | 1134 | 0.7395 | |
| 31 | The University of Texas at Arlington | 16900 | 28100 | 0.3992 | 32,545 | 1129 | 0.799 | |
| 32 | University of Louisville | 17000 | 29100 | 0.4162 | 17,916 | 1134 | 0.7921 | |
| 33 | Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi | 17200 | 28900 | 0.4054 | 8,673 | 1095 | 0.9156 | |
| 34 | University of Miami | 17400 | 96300 | 0.8194 | 13,241 | 1408 | 0.1761 | |
| 35 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 17500 | 29900 | 0.4164 | 60,710 | 1278 | 0.5732 | |
| 36 | Morgan State University | 17800 | 42200 | 0.5786 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 36 | University of Arkansas | 17800 | 28500 | 0.3772 | 29,252 | 1179 | 0.7388 | |
| 38 | Northeastern University | 17900 | 90000 | 0.801 | 22,456 | 1481 | 0.0562 | |
| 39 | San Jose State University | 18200 | 41100 | 0.5567 | 29,890 | 1135 | 0.8039 | |
| 40 | Lehigh University | 19200 | 89800 | 0.7863 | 5,986 | 1436 | 0.2896 | |
| 41 | University of Houston | 19900 | 28400 | 0.2996 | 40,366 | 1224 | 0.7577 | |
| 42 | University of Rhode Island | 20000 | 47400 | 0.5782 | 14,466 | 1197 | 0.7456 | |
| 42 | University of Southern California | 20000 | 76400 | 0.7387 | 20,768 | 1499 | 0.1119 | |
| 44 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 20300 | 40600 | 0.5011 | 37,985 | 1390 | 0.5815 | |
| 45 | Bradley University | 20400 | 59500 | 0.6564 | 3,258 | 1174 | 0.7459 | |
| 46 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 20700 | 30600 | 0.3258 | 43,633 | 1342 | 0.4343 | |
| 46 | South Carolina State University | 20700 | 30000 | 0.3095 | 3,059 | 925 | 0.6797 | |
| 48 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College | 21300 | 41300 | 0.4843 | 3,211 | 1243 | 0.9594 | |
| 49 | St. Mary's University | 21400 | 82100 | 0.7396 | 2,330 | 1060 | 0.9508 | |
| 50 | Indiana Institute of Technology | 21600 | 48800 | 0.5575 | 1,650 | 1055 | 0.7039 | |
| 51 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 22500 | 22500 | 0 | 20,786 | 1225 | 0.8689 | |
| 52 | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | 22800 | 28400 | 0.196 | 2,216 | 1268 | 0.7987 | |
| 53 | SUNY Maritime College | 22900 | 59200 | 0.6135 | 1,401 | 1164 | 0.785 | |
| 54 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 24000 | 38500 | 0.3764 | 24,019 | 1404 | 0.5989 | |
| 55 | Montana State University | 24400 | 24400 | 0 | 15,142 | 1184 | 0.9938 | |
| 56 | Fort Hays State University | 24700 | 28500 | 0.1355 | 10,172 | 1075 | 0.9026 | |
| 56 | University of South Florida | 24700 | 36500 | 0.3229 | 39,093 | 1255 | 0.4071 | |
| 58 | Oakland University | 26700 | 39600 | 0.3258 | 12,770 | 1039 | 0.8897 | |
| 59 | Saint Ambrose University | 27100 | 57700 | 0.5306 | 1,884 | 1065 | 0.8006 | |
| 59 | University of Minnesota Duluth | 27100 | 31300 | 0.1362 | 8,706 | 1230 | 0.8906 | |
| 61 | North Dakota State University | 27400 | 30400 | 0.0976 | 9,762 | 1110 | 0.9496 | |
| 62 | Methodist University | 28000 | 87900 | 0.6812 | 1,467 | 1185 | 0.7516 | |
| 63 | Iowa State University | 28700 | 45200 | 0.3663 | 26,346 | 1212 | 0.8793 | |
| 64 | Clemson University | 28800 | 37100 | 0.2253 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 | |
| 64 | Oregon State University | 28800 | 36700 | 0.2171 | 31,253 | 1272 | 0.773 | |
| 66 | Lawrence Technological University | 30000 | 99100 | 0.6976 | 2,661 | 1149 | 0.8101 | |
| 67 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 30100 | 78300 | 0.6157 | 14,267 | 1363 | 0.6693 | |
| 67 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | 30100 | 33200 | 0.0932 | 7,088 | 1100 | 0.7448 | |
| 69 | Gannon University | 30500 | 52900 | 0.4238 | 2,768 | 1174 | 0.7416 | |
| 70 | Kent State University at Kent | 30900 | 37500 | 0.1751 | 21,144 | 1104 | 0.7603 | |
| 71 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 31100 | 50300 | 0.3816 | 21,028 | 1450 | 0.1334 | |
| 72 | Western Michigan University | 31200 | 31200 | 0 | 13,714 | 1089 | 0.9121 | |
| 73 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 31900 | 35200 | 0.0938 | 32,041 | 1324 | 0.4358 | |
| 74 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 32000 | 54400 | 0.4117 | 35,248 | 1289 | 0.6939 | |
| 75 | Liberty University | 32500 | 44700 | 0.2729 | 52,961 | 1174 | 0.9898 | |
| 76 | Wichita State University | 32600 | 42200 | 0.2269 | 14,906 | 1065 | 0.7224 | |
| 77 | Milwaukee School of Engineering | 33000 | 72600 | 0.5451 | 2,836 | 1283 | 0.6711 | |
| 78 | University of Indianapolis | 33700 | 60700 | 0.4442 | 3,394 | 1080 | 0.728 | |
| 79 | University of Vermont | 34300 | 66300 | 0.4821 | 12,159 | 1372 | 0.7304 | |
| 80 | Western New England University | 35500 | 70600 | 0.4969 | 2,616 | 1199 | 0.8348 | |
| 81 | Temple University | 35600 | 57200 | 0.3774 | 21,031 | 1172 | 0.8622 | |
| 81 | Texas Tech University | 35600 | 41000 | 0.1318 | 34,021 | 1195 | 0.6906 | |
| 83 | Colorado State University Pueblo | 36300 | 39900 | 0.0894 | 3,893 | 1015 | 0.9839 | |
| 84 | University of Connecticut | 36900 | 66200 | 0.4429 | 20,056 | 1329 | 0.5239 | |
| 85 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 66700 | 0.4394 | 31,536 | 1366 | 0.5457 | |
| 86 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 37500 | 40100 | 0.064 | 25,054 | 1225 | 0.7762 | |
| 86 | University of Southern Maine | 37500 | 37500 | 0 | 5,549 | 1139 | 0.8241 | |
| 88 | Kettering University | 37700 | 98700 | 0.6183 | 1,212 | 1204 | 0.7867 | |
| 89 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell | 38000 | 55500 | 0.3156 | 12,122 | 1283 | 0.8296 | |
| 90 | Mississippi State University | 38900 | 53400 | 0.2726 | 19,093 | 1205 | 0.8363 | |
| 91 | Kansas State University | 40900 | 41900 | 0.0239 | 16,555 | 1163 | 0.875 | |
| 92 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 41500 | 55300 | 0.2497 | 21,388 | 1369 | 0.5945 | |
| 92 | University of San Diego | 41500 | 85900 | 0.517 | 6,049 | 1298 | 0.5358 | |
| 94 | University of Central Florida | 42100 | 42800 | 0.0164 | 60,083 | 1289 | 0.428 | |
| 95 | University of Arizona | 42500 | 48600 | 0.1254 | 43,294 | 1186 | 0.8351 | |
| 96 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 42900 | 88100 | 0.5129 | 35,358 | 1448 | 0.1642 | |
| 97 | Colorado Christian University | 45300 | 63600 | 0.2879 | 8,200 | 1110 | 1 | |
| 98 | University at Buffalo | 46400 | 46400 | 0 | 21,192 | 1309 | 0.8059 | |
| 99 | University of Alabama in Huntsville | 47500 | 47500 | 0 | 6,743 | 1266 | 0.6292 | |
| 100 | Quinnipiac University | 49000 | 79700 | 0.3854 | 6,610 | 1250 | 0.7031 | |
| 101 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 50100 | 85400 | 0.4135 | 5,461 | 1292 | 0.6189 | |
| 102 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 50200 | 64400 | 0.2205 | 46,627 | 1366 | 0.492 | |
| 103 | Binghamton University | 50300 | 52800 | 0.0486 | 14,559 | 1404 | 0.3731 | |
| 104 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 50600 | 63800 | 0.2065 | 42,565 | 1339 | 0.7887 | |
| 105 | University of Iowa | 51800 | 54400 | 0.0472 | 23,407 | 1203 | 0.799 | |
| 106 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 52600 | 86300 | 0.3905 | 5,833 | 1440 | 0.6725 | |
| 107 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 58300 | 63600 | 0.0834 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 108 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 58800 | 62100 | 0.0531 | 8,513 | 1160 | 0.9261 | |
| 109 | Hofstra University | 59100 | 83300 | 0.2906 | 6,599 | 1369 | 0.7267 | |
| 109 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 59100 | 61600 | 0.0416 | 25,141 | 1256 | 0.7613 | |
| 111 | Auburn University | 59400 | 59400 | 0 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 112 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | 61300 | 66900 | 0.0837 | 9,827 | 1329 | 0.6737 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.