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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 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 8300 | 97100 | 0.915 | 9,164 | 1535 | 0.0386 | |
| 2 | The University of Texas at El Paso | 11700 | 26900 | 0.5645 | 22,223 | 975 | 0.9994 | |
| 3 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 11900 | 25700 | 0.5363 | 46,627 | 1366 | 0.492 | |
| 4 | University of Houston | 12000 | 28400 | 0.5781 | 40,366 | 1224 | 0.7577 | |
| 5 | Lamar University | 12400 | 22900 | 0.458 | 8,387 | 1040 | 0.8353 | |
| 6 | Fort Hays State University | 12800 | 22600 | 0.4368 | 10,172 | 1075 | 0.9026 | |
| 6 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus | 12800 | 26500 | 0.5164 | 13,039 | 1020 | 0.894 | |
| 8 | University of Arizona | 12900 | 30900 | 0.5835 | 43,294 | 1186 | 0.8351 | |
| 8 | University of South Florida | 12900 | 17100 | 0.2454 | 39,093 | 1255 | 0.4071 | |
| 10 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 11 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 13700 | 63200 | 0.7838 | 39,193 | 1418 | 0.4081 | |
| 12 | Brown University | 13900 | 94000 | 0.8521 | 7,951 | 1500 | 0.0634 | |
| 13 | Francis Marion University | 14000 | 24100 | 0.4198 | 3,793 | 1015 | 0.9508 | |
| 14 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5048 | 12,118 | 1070 | 0.7164 | |
| 15 | Northwestern University | 14600 | 88300 | 0.8348 | 9,060 | 1533 | 0.0769 | |
| 15 | University of Wisconsin-Platteville | 14600 | 29200 | 0.4991 | 6,045 | 1193 | 0.8938 | |
| 17 | Northeastern University | 15000 | 89900 | 0.8331 | 22,456 | 1481 | 0.0562 | |
| 18 | Western Michigan University | 15400 | 31200 | 0.5059 | 13,714 | 1089 | 0.9121 | |
| 19 | Lehigh University | 15500 | 89600 | 0.8275 | 5,986 | 1436 | 0.2896 | |
| 20 | Florida State University | 15600 | 22900 | 0.3184 | 34,271 | 1369 | 0.2383 | |
| 21 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | 15800 | 24200 | 0.3478 | 7,637 | 1115 | 0.1865 | |
| 21 | Kansas State University | 15800 | 26100 | 0.3962 | 16,555 | 1163 | 0.875 | |
| 23 | West Virginia University | 16500 | 40900 | 0.5963 | 18,206 | 1120 | 0.8514 | |
| 24 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell | 16700 | 35700 | 0.5323 | 12,122 | 1283 | 0.8296 | |
| 25 | Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi | 17200 | 20700 | 0.169 | 8,673 | 1095 | 0.9156 | |
| 26 | University of Louisville | 17500 | 29100 | 0.399 | 17,916 | 1134 | 0.7921 | |
| 27 | Morgan State University | 17600 | 28500 | 0.3823 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 28 | University of Miami | 17700 | 95700 | 0.8149 | 13,241 | 1408 | 0.1761 | |
| 28 | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | 17700 | 17700 | 0 | 18,667 | 1090 | 0.9711 | |
| 30 | Texas Tech University | 18300 | 27100 | 0.3253 | 34,021 | 1195 | 0.6906 | |
| 31 | University of Rhode Island | 19200 | 33900 | 0.4337 | 14,466 | 1197 | 0.7456 | |
| 32 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 19300 | 29900 | 0.3538 | 60,710 | 1278 | 0.5732 | |
| 33 | Wichita State University | 19700 | 29800 | 0.3386 | 14,906 | 1065 | 0.7224 | |
| 34 | Youngstown State University | 19900 | 34000 | 0.4147 | 9,687 | 1120 | 0.9145 | |
| 35 | University of Southern California | 20000 | 75900 | 0.7369 | 20,768 | 1499 | 0.1119 | |
| 36 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 20200 | 38500 | 0.4738 | 25,141 | 1256 | 0.7613 | |
| 37 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 20400 | 23200 | 0.1207 | 20,786 | 1225 | 0.8689 | |
| 38 | North Dakota State University | 20800 | 25700 | 0.1902 | 9,762 | 1110 | 0.9496 | |
| 39 | Louisiana Tech University | 21300 | 26100 | 0.1841 | 11,071 | 1189 | 0.9073 | |
| 40 | Bradley University | 21700 | 49900 | 0.5642 | 3,258 | 1174 | 0.7459 | |
| 41 | San Jose State University | 22900 | 41100 | 0.4429 | 29,890 | 1135 | 0.8039 | |
| 42 | Indiana Institute of Technology | 23000 | 48800 | 0.5288 | 1,650 | 1055 | 0.7039 | |
| 43 | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | 23100 | 28400 | 0.1863 | 2,216 | 1268 | 0.7987 | |
| 44 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 23200 | 34500 | 0.3279 | 8,513 | 1160 | 0.9261 | |
| 45 | Saint Ambrose University | 24100 | 55400 | 0.5646 | 1,884 | 1065 | 0.8006 | |
| 45 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 24100 | 39300 | 0.3873 | 24,019 | 1404 | 0.5989 | |
| 47 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College | 24200 | 41300 | 0.4141 | 3,211 | 1243 | 0.9594 | |
| 48 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 24600 | 40500 | 0.3927 | 21,388 | 1369 | 0.5945 | |
| 49 | Iowa State University | 26000 | 42800 | 0.3914 | 26,346 | 1212 | 0.8793 | |
| 50 | St. Mary's University | 26300 | 59800 | 0.5604 | 2,330 | 1060 | 0.9508 | |
| 51 | University of Arkansas | 26600 | 28900 | 0.0793 | 29,252 | 1179 | 0.7388 | |
| 52 | Oakland University | 26700 | 39300 | 0.3205 | 12,770 | 1039 | 0.8897 | |
| 53 | Colorado State University Pueblo | 26800 | 30100 | 0.1094 | 3,893 | 1015 | 0.9839 | |
| 54 | University of Minnesota Duluth | 27300 | 31300 | 0.1274 | 8,706 | 1230 | 0.8906 | |
| 55 | Texas State University | 27900 | 28000 | 0.0036 | 39,353 | 1080 | 0.9118 | |
| 56 | Colorado Christian University | 28000 | 64000 | 0.5624 | 8,200 | 1110 | 1 | |
| 57 | Clemson University | 29000 | 37100 | 0.2179 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 | |
| 58 | California State University-East Bay | 29400 | 45100 | 0.3483 | 9,909 | 940 | 0.9739 | |
| 58 | Texas A&M University-Commerce | 29400 | 36500 | 0.1945 | 9,666 | 1040 | 0.7498 | |
| 60 | Montana State University | 29500 | 31900 | 0.0751 | 15,142 | 1184 | 0.9938 | |
| 61 | Methodist University | 29700 | 65800 | 0.5484 | 1,467 | 1185 | 0.7516 | |
| 61 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | 29700 | 31600 | 0.0601 | 7,088 | 1100 | 0.7448 | |
| 63 | Gannon University | 30400 | 52900 | 0.4257 | 2,768 | 1174 | 0.7416 | |
| 64 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 30600 | 78100 | 0.608 | 14,267 | 1363 | 0.6693 | |
| 65 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | 30900 | 43100 | 0.2833 | 22,313 | 1341 | 0.2996 | |
| 66 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 31200 | 48800 | 0.361 | 21,028 | 1450 | 0.1334 | |
| 66 | Kent State University at Kent | 31200 | 37500 | 0.1678 | 21,144 | 1104 | 0.7603 | |
| 68 | South Carolina State University | 31400 | 41600 | 0.2452 | 3,059 | 925 | 0.6797 | |
| 69 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 31500 | 41200 | 0.2357 | 25,312 | 1134 | 0.7395 | |
| 69 | North Carolina A & T State University | 31500 | 36700 | 0.1416 | 12,497 | 1075 | 0.5125 | |
| 71 | SUNY Maritime College | 31700 | 41600 | 0.2378 | 1,401 | 1164 | 0.785 | |
| 72 | Lawrence Technological University | 32200 | 71900 | 0.552 | 2,661 | 1149 | 0.8101 | |
| 73 | North Carolina State University | 32700 | 54800 | 0.4033 | 29,340 | 1374 | 0.3954 | |
| 74 | Liberty University | 33200 | 44600 | 0.2556 | 52,961 | 1174 | 0.9898 | |
| 75 | Auburn University | 33700 | 34100 | 0.0117 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 76 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | 33800 | 41000 | 0.1744 | 23,003 | 1164 | 0.7367 | |
| 77 | Milwaukee School of Engineering | 34000 | 70200 | 0.516 | 2,836 | 1283 | 0.6711 | |
| 77 | University of Indianapolis | 34000 | 60700 | 0.4397 | 3,394 | 1080 | 0.728 | |
| 79 | University of Vermont | 34500 | 66300 | 0.4799 | 12,159 | 1372 | 0.7304 | |
| 80 | Temple University | 35900 | 56400 | 0.3636 | 21,031 | 1172 | 0.8622 | |
| 81 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 36300 | 53100 | 0.3162 | 32,041 | 1324 | 0.4358 | |
| 82 | Hofstra University | 36400 | 76900 | 0.5266 | 6,599 | 1369 | 0.7267 | |
| 83 | University of Connecticut | 37100 | 53600 | 0.3081 | 20,056 | 1329 | 0.5239 | |
| 84 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville | 37300 | 41600 | 0.1031 | 5,386 | 995 | 0.9092 | |
| 85 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 66300 | 0.436 | 31,536 | 1366 | 0.5457 | |
| 86 | University of Southern Maine | 37500 | 37500 | 0 | 5,549 | 1139 | 0.8241 | |
| 87 | Kettering University | 37600 | 71800 | 0.4763 | 1,212 | 1204 | 0.7867 | |
| 88 | University of Illinois Chicago | 38200 | 50600 | 0.2451 | 24,260 | 1174 | 0.7576 | |
| 89 | Western New England University | 38700 | 69200 | 0.4409 | 2,616 | 1199 | 0.8348 | |
| 90 | Mississippi State University | 39100 | 53400 | 0.2675 | 19,093 | 1205 | 0.8363 | |
| 91 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 39700 | 50000 | 0.2062 | 35,248 | 1289 | 0.6939 | |
| 91 | University of Central Florida | 39700 | 39700 | 0 | 60,083 | 1289 | 0.428 | |
| 93 | Wayne State University | 40500 | 46200 | 0.1234 | 16,390 | 1183 | 0.8359 | |
| 94 | University of San Diego | 41500 | 85900 | 0.517 | 6,049 | 1298 | 0.5358 | |
| 95 | University at Buffalo | 43300 | 46700 | 0.0728 | 21,192 | 1309 | 0.8059 | |
| 96 | Quinnipiac University | 44800 | 79200 | 0.4343 | 6,610 | 1250 | 0.7031 | |
| 97 | Oregon State University | 44900 | 61900 | 0.2752 | 31,253 | 1272 | 0.773 | |
| 98 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 46200 | 86300 | 0.4644 | 5,833 | 1440 | 0.6725 | |
| 99 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 47100 | 59700 | 0.2124 | 37,985 | 1390 | 0.5815 | |
| 100 | The University of Texas at Arlington | 48000 | 55800 | 0.1398 | 32,545 | 1129 | 0.799 | |
| 101 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48500 | 51200 | 0.0544 | 43,633 | 1342 | 0.4343 | |
| 102 | University of Alabama in Huntsville | 48600 | 48600 | 0 | 6,743 | 1266 | 0.6292 | |
| 103 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 49800 | 62200 | 0.1995 | 38,572 | 1455 | 0.3659 | |
| 104 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 50300 | 83600 | 0.3982 | 5,461 | 1292 | 0.6189 | |
| 105 | Binghamton University | 50500 | 52800 | 0.0433 | 14,559 | 1404 | 0.3731 | |
| 105 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 50500 | 58800 | 0.1411 | 25,054 | 1225 | 0.7762 | |
| 107 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 50800 | 84700 | 0.4003 | 35,358 | 1448 | 0.1642 | |
| 108 | University of Iowa | 52100 | 54400 | 0.0421 | 23,407 | 1203 | 0.799 | |
| 109 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 53200 | 61000 | 0.1293 | 42,565 | 1339 | 0.7887 | |
| 110 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 58100 | 63200 | 0.0806 | 40,996 | 1399 | 0.4175 | |
| 111 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 58200 | 64100 | 0.092 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 112 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | 63700 | 63700 | 0 | 9,827 | 1329 | 0.6737 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.