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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 | Savannah State University | 6900 | 29000 | 0.7616 | 2,966 | 925 | 0.4614 | |
| 2 | California Institute of Technology | 7500 | 91800 | 0.9183 | 987 | 1557 | 0.0257 | |
| 3 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 8300 | 97100 | 0.915 | 9,164 | 1535 | 0.0399 | |
| 4 | Southeastern Oklahoma State University | 9800 | 20400 | 0.5201 | 3,224 | 1085 | 0.7643 | |
| 5 | Valdosta State University | 10500 | 24800 | 0.5775 | 7,166 | 1015 | 0.7229 | |
| 6 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 12500 | 28100 | 0.5551 | 8,553 | 1045 | 0.8688 | |
| 7 | University of Michigan-Flint | 13000 | 46300 | 0.719 | 5,011 | 1109 | 0.7046 | |
| 8 | East Texas A&M University | 13200 | 30000 | 0.5601 | 9,992 | 1045 | 0.9224 | |
| 8 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | 13200 | 19400 | 0.3197 | 14,416 | 1210 | 0.8851 | |
| 10 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 11 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 13700 | 50700 | 0.7294 | 38,040 | 1418 | 0.452 | |
| 12 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Greater Allegheny | 14200 | 40600 | 0.6496 | 352 | 1180 | 0.9647 | |
| 13 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5047 | 11,348 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 14 | Dickinson State University | 14400 | 25000 | 0.4259 | 1,339 | 990 | 0.3702 | |
| 14 | Northwestern State University of Louisiana | 14400 | 37400 | 0.6144 | 7,622 | 1075 | 0.9254 | |
| 16 | Northwestern University | 14600 | 88300 | 0.8348 | 9,399 | 1527 | 0.0769 | |
| 17 | Wayne State College | 15100 | 20300 | 0.2561 | 3,902 | 0 | 0 | |
| 18 | Coastal Carolina University | 15400 | 27200 | 0.4339 | 10,811 | 1145 | 0.7527 | |
| 19 | Alabama State University | 15500 | 24300 | 0.3632 | 3,521 | 945 | 0.9755 | |
| 20 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville | 15600 | 25800 | 0.3938 | 5,386 | 1050 | 0.9092 | |
| 21 | University of California-Riverside | 15900 | 36500 | 0.564 | 22,600 | 1199 | 0.7639 | |
| 21 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 15900 | 38500 | 0.5862 | 37,140 | 1406 | 0.4237 | |
| 23 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Beaver | 16000 | 38700 | 0.5863 | 482 | 1195 | 0.9565 | |
| 24 | University of Nebraska at Omaha | 16100 | 23400 | 0.3124 | 11,756 | 1124 | 0.8698 | |
| 25 | Grove City College | 16400 | 39700 | 0.5876 | 2,341 | 1266 | 0.7232 | |
| 26 | Goshen College | 16500 | 55900 | 0.7045 | 780 | 995 | 0.8407 | |
| 26 | Wayne State University | 16500 | 32900 | 0.4982 | 16,012 | 1174 | 0.8116 | |
| 28 | Southern University at New Orleans | 16600 | 31000 | 0.4639 | 2,179 | 950 | 0.789 | |
| 29 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 16700 | 64800 | 0.7418 | 20,885 | 1420 | 0.1534 | |
| 30 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Mont Alto | 17200 | 43500 | 0.6041 | 581 | 1132 | 0.9821 | |
| 31 | Wright State University-Main Campus | 17600 | 26600 | 0.3387 | 7,505 | 1073 | 0.9633 | |
| 32 | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | 17700 | 17700 | 0 | 18,288 | 1090 | 0.9068 | |
| 33 | Boston College | 17900 | 97600 | 0.8164 | 10,314 | 1490 | 0.1643 | |
| 33 | University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown | 17900 | 35300 | 0.4926 | 1,813 | 1109 | 0.9484 | |
| 35 | College of Staten Island CUNY | 18000 | 54300 | 0.6684 | 10,051 | 1064 | 0.9234 | |
| 35 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 18000 | 39000 | 0.5397 | 37,985 | 1390 | 0.5815 | |
| 37 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | 18100 | 25200 | 0.2812 | 6,835 | 1090 | 0.7147 | |
| 38 | The University of Texas Permian Basin | 18200 | 28600 | 0.3634 | 4,218 | 1030 | 0.9489 | |
| 39 | SUNY Brockport | 18400 | 26200 | 0.2972 | 5,816 | 1195 | 0.7068 | |
| 40 | University of South Alabama | 19300 | 22400 | 0.1387 | 9,241 | 1140 | 0.7096 | |
| 41 | University of Houston-Victoria | 19400 | 35800 | 0.4583 | 2,627 | 1095 | 0.959 | |
| 42 | Rutgers University-Newark | 19500 | 38000 | 0.4866 | 7,989 | 1159 | 0.7136 | |
| 42 | Saint Xavier University | 19500 | 53300 | 0.6329 | 3,098 | 1050 | 0.843 | |
| 44 | Norwich University | 19600 | 73800 | 0.7342 | 2,626 | 1186 | 0.7444 | |
| 45 | Pennsylvania Western University | 19700 | 29000 | 0.3212 | 7,586 | 1045 | 0.9433 | |
| 46 | Central Connecticut State University | 19800 | 29500 | 0.3286 | 8,170 | 1075 | 0.7333 | |
| 47 | University of Wisconsin-Green Bay | 20100 | 22800 | 0.1184 | 10,632 | 1075 | 0.8859 | |
| 48 | Dakota State University | 20400 | 22500 | 0.0912 | 3,066 | 1192 | 0.8805 | |
| 48 | SUNY Buffalo State University | 20400 | 39900 | 0.489 | 5,255 | 1109 | 0.7295 | |
| 50 | Saint Mary's University of Minnesota | 20800 | 57800 | 0.6408 | 1,932 | 1193 | 0.9278 | |
| 51 | Tarleton State University | 21000 | 23000 | 0.087 | 15,254 | 1080 | 0.8955 | |
| 52 | Albright College | 21200 | 49300 | 0.5699 | 1,230 | 1050 | 0.7633 | |
| 53 | Luther College | 21400 | 71900 | 0.7019 | 1,384 | 1226 | 0.7154 | |
| 54 | Grand Valley State University | 22100 | 35900 | 0.3849 | 19,002 | 1084 | 0.8302 | |
| 55 | Virginia Commonwealth University | 22200 | 33600 | 0.339 | 21,210 | 1148 | 0.9262 | |
| 56 | Lenoir-Rhyne University | 22400 | 53000 | 0.5768 | 1,472 | 1075 | 0.8459 | |
| 57 | New Mexico Highlands University | 22500 | 27200 | 0.1726 | 1,603 | 0 | 0 | |
| 58 | Brigham Young University-Hawaii | 22600 | 25400 | 0.1104 | 2,906 | 1125 | 0.4696 | |
| 59 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Hazleton | 22900 | 45900 | 0.5015 | 502 | 1189 | 0.9641 | |
| 60 | San Jose State University | 23000 | 41100 | 0.4405 | 28,008 | 1124 | 0.8461 | |
| 61 | Florida Memorial University | 23100 | 42000 | 0.4495 | 1,206 | 0 | 0.8526 | |
| 62 | Houghton University | 23200 | 44300 | 0.4763 | 1,162 | 1277 | 0.8866 | |
| 63 | Robert Morris University | 23300 | 58000 | 0.5988 | 4,325 | 1145 | 0.8989 | |
| 64 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 23600 | 24900 | 0.0522 | 30,187 | 1292 | 0.6015 | |
| 65 | Dominican University | 24000 | 56000 | 0.5716 | 2,690 | 1005 | 0.9032 | |
| 66 | Bradley University | 24100 | 49900 | 0.5161 | 3,596 | 1223 | 0.7676 | |
| 66 | Stockton University | 24100 | 32100 | 0.2491 | 7,565 | 1135 | 0.8894 | |
| 68 | Ramapo College of New Jersey | 24200 | 36300 | 0.3337 | 5,444 | 1220 | 0.7064 | |
| 68 | Westfield State University | 24200 | 39000 | 0.3791 | 3,868 | 1085 | 0.8141 | |
| 70 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | 24400 | 30600 | 0.2026 | 10,200 | 1325 | 0.6507 | |
| 71 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 24600 | 40500 | 0.3927 | 25,900 | 1375 | 0.5808 | |
| 72 | Emporia State University | 24900 | 32000 | 0.2218 | 2,396 | 1075 | 0.9771 | |
| 73 | Doane University | 25300 | 71000 | 0.644 | 1,315 | 1125 | 0.9801 | |
| 74 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine | 25800 | 37500 | 0.3124 | 1,236 | 1193 | 0.9811 | |
| 75 | Bethune-Cookman University | 25900 | 32700 | 0.208 | 2,738 | 910 | 0.8824 | |
| 75 | Fort Hays State University | 25900 | 36100 | 0.2836 | 10,172 | 1075 | 0.9026 | |
| 77 | Minnesota State University Moorhead | 26100 | 28300 | 0.076 | 3,375 | 1090 | 0.5876 | |
| 77 | Stony Brook University | 26100 | 33200 | 0.2129 | 18,263 | 1410 | 0.4904 | |
| 79 | Bowling Green State University-Main Campus | 26400 | 36800 | 0.2828 | 14,783 | 1124 | 0.8096 | |
| 79 | Columbia College | 26400 | 46900 | 0.4371 | 5,207 | 1145 | 0.4714 | |
| 81 | Benedictine University | 26500 | 48900 | 0.4581 | 1,972 | 1161 | 0.9523 | |
| 82 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 26700 | 41500 | 0.3564 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 83 | Northwood University | 26800 | 54500 | 0.5087 | 2,045 | 1055 | 0.6451 | |
| 84 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg | 27200 | 37700 | 0.2788 | 4,047 | 1219 | 0.976 | |
| 85 | Kennesaw State University | 27400 | 27400 | 0 | 42,760 | 1120 | 0.6919 | |
| 85 | University of North Georgia | 27400 | 38600 | 0.2905 | 18,322 | 1100 | 0.6794 | |
| 87 | University of Maryland-Baltimore County | 27600 | 27600 | 0 | 10,767 | 1326 | 0.7243 | |
| 88 | Syracuse University | 27700 | 83100 | 0.6665 | 15,957 | 1363 | 0.4592 | |
| 89 | George Fox University | 28300 | 69400 | 0.5925 | 3,354 | 1193 | 0.9351 | |
| 90 | University of Akron Main Campus | 28600 | 32300 | 0.1145 | 11,160 | 1069 | 0.5967 | |
| 91 | Elmhurst University | 28700 | 67000 | 0.5719 | 3,213 | 1148 | 0.7364 | |
| 92 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | 28800 | 36700 | 0.2151 | 28,674 | 980 | 0.9419 | |
| 93 | University of Louisiana at Monroe | 28900 | 42400 | 0.3187 | 6,761 | 1105 | 0.8475 | |
| 93 | University of North Texas | 28900 | 37400 | 0.2271 | 34,458 | 1114 | 0.7223 | |
| 95 | Jacksonville State University | 29100 | 38200 | 0.2381 | 8,663 | 1069 | 0.7769 | |
| 96 | University of Toledo | 29500 | 32600 | 0.0966 | 11,013 | 1229 | 0.9202 | |
| 97 | Morgan State University | 29700 | 41900 | 0.2914 | 9,027 | 965 | 0.8223 | |
| 98 | Fairmont State University | 29800 | 32200 | 0.0746 | 3,088 | 970 | 0.9862 | |
| 98 | University of South Carolina-Upstate | 29800 | 39700 | 0.2495 | 4,487 | 1115 | 0.6726 | |
| 100 | Grambling State University | 30100 | 35300 | 0.1474 | 4,313 | 950 | 0.4486 | |
| 100 | Mercy University | 30100 | 44500 | 0.3237 | 6,774 | 1135 | 0.8584 | |
| 100 | Northern Kentucky University | 30100 | 32100 | 0.0623 | 10,163 | 1090 | 0.6765 | |
| 103 | Oklahoma Baptist University | 30500 | 54700 | 0.4419 | 1,427 | 1025 | 0.4941 | |
| 104 | Central College | 30600 | 36800 | 0.1686 | 1,084 | 1145 | 0.8617 | |
| 104 | Lincoln University | 30600 | 34500 | 0.1129 | 1,926 | 0 | 0 | |
| 104 | University of Northwestern-St Paul | 30600 | 54600 | 0.4387 | 3,163 | 1165 | 0.9347 | |
| 107 | Frostburg State University | 31000 | 43000 | 0.2792 | 3,422 | 1095 | 0.8918 | |
| 107 | Indiana University-Indianapolis | 31000 | 33200 | 0.0648 | 14,504 | 1149 | 0.7637 | |
| 109 | University of North Florida | 31300 | 33000 | 0.0516 | 13,735 | 1150 | 0.5324 | |
| 110 | Hampton University | 31400 | 54800 | 0.427 | 3,728 | 947 | 0.6225 | |
| 111 | Angelo State University | 31700 | 35400 | 0.1031 | 9,702 | 1055 | 0.8301 | |
| 112 | Saint Michael's College | 31900 | 68500 | 0.5346 | 1,120 | 1240 | 0.8451 | |
| 113 | McKendree University | 32000 | 52200 | 0.3872 | 1,757 | 1098 | 0.7172 | |
| 114 | Washington Adventist University | 32300 | 37800 | 0.1457 | 513 | 995 | 0.4618 | |
| 115 | University of Scranton | 32500 | 78700 | 0.5874 | 3,613 | 1250 | 0.8123 | |
| 116 | Suffolk University | 32900 | 70300 | 0.5319 | 4,326 | 1209 | 0.8233 | |
| 117 | State University of New York at Oswego | 33000 | 40200 | 0.1792 | 5,517 | 1180 | 0.8055 | |
| 118 | Cleveland State University | 33500 | 37300 | 0.1019 | 9,482 | 1069 | 0.913 | |
| 119 | George Washington University | 33700 | 81800 | 0.5881 | 11,677 | 1430 | 0.4709 | |
| 120 | Immaculata University | 33900 | 47500 | 0.2861 | 1,652 | 1245 | 0.8576 | |
| 121 | LeTourneau University | 34000 | 54800 | 0.3798 | 3,187 | 1178 | 0.3801 | |
| 121 | Thomas Jefferson University | 34000 | 68100 | 0.501 | 3,772 | 1255 | 0.8097 | |
| 123 | Salisbury University | 34100 | 41700 | 0.1821 | 6,288 | 1250 | 0.8747 | |
| 123 | SUNY at Fredonia | 34100 | 39600 | 0.1391 | 2,771 | 1258 | 0.777 | |
| 125 | Charleston Southern University | 34300 | 48400 | 0.2921 | 3,126 | 1060 | 0.9646 | |
| 126 | University of South Florida | 35000 | 35000 | 0 | 38,525 | 1239 | 0.4319 | |
| 127 | California Lutheran University | 35100 | 70000 | 0.4988 | 2,297 | 1254 | 0.7567 | |
| 128 | Adelphi University | 35200 | 63300 | 0.4445 | 5,325 | 1237 | 0.6591 | |
| 129 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell | 35300 | 56700 | 0.3775 | 12,122 | 1283 | 0.8304 | |
| 130 | Averett University | 35400 | 57200 | 0.3813 | 1,244 | 1054 | 0.5659 | |
| 131 | Missouri University of Science and Technology | 36200 | 56300 | 0.3578 | 5,552 | 1305 | 0.7255 | |
| 132 | Colorado State University Pueblo | 36700 | 39900 | 0.079 | 5,086 | 1124 | 0.949 | |
| 132 | Furman University | 36700 | 82900 | 0.5571 | 2,383 | 1359 | 0.4295 | |
| 132 | Loyola University Maryland | 36700 | 78800 | 0.5343 | 3,881 | 1303 | 0.7549 | |
| 135 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Abington | 36900 | 38100 | 0.0315 | 2,884 | 1175 | 0.9677 | |
| 135 | University of Arkansas at Little Rock | 36900 | 37100 | 0.0054 | 5,939 | 1065 | 0.5878 | |
| 137 | East Carolina University | 37000 | 42700 | 0.1324 | 21,445 | 1160 | 0.8921 | |
| 138 | DePaul University | 37800 | 66000 | 0.4275 | 14,188 | 1254 | 0.7589 | |
| 139 | Christopher Newport University | 38000 | 51000 | 0.2551 | 4,369 | 1189 | 0.8604 | |
| 140 | University of Illinois Chicago | 38300 | 50600 | 0.2431 | 22,495 | 1252 | 0.7735 | |
| 141 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 38600 | 53100 | 0.2729 | 30,564 | 1302 | 0.416 | |
| 142 | SUNY Polytechnic Institute | 38900 | 38900 | 0 | 1,973 | 1189 | 0.8135 | |
| 143 | Pace University | 40700 | 74800 | 0.4558 | 8,038 | 1260 | 0.7592 | |
| 144 | University of Mount Olive | 42300 | 50400 | 0.1617 | 1,944 | 1075 | 0.7575 | |
| 145 | University of Maryland-College Park | 43000 | 53600 | 0.1979 | 31,133 | 1463 | 0.4479 | |
| 146 | Western Oregon University | 43400 | 43400 | 0 | 3,167 | 1040 | 0.981 | |
| 147 | Merrimack College | 43500 | 78800 | 0.4474 | 4,102 | 1115 | 0.7002 | |
| 148 | Radford University | 43600 | 45700 | 0.047 | 6,161 | 1070 | 0.8953 | |
| 149 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 43900 | 57100 | 0.2305 | 23,329 | 1239 | 0.766 | |
| 150 | James Madison University | 45200 | 45200 | 0 | 20,973 | 1260 | 0.7152 | |
| 150 | Mercer University | 45200 | 65400 | 0.3085 | 4,690 | 1273 | 0.6889 | |
| 152 | Towson University | 45500 | 46400 | 0.0194 | 16,264 | 1098 | 0.8197 | |
| 153 | University of Houston-Clear Lake | 46400 | 46600 | 0.0043 | 6,139 | 1070 | 0.9052 | |
| 154 | University of Colorado Boulder | 47000 | 57700 | 0.1842 | 32,244 | 1351 | 0.7808 | |
| 155 | Wentworth Institute of Technology | 47900 | 67900 | 0.2945 | 3,965 | 1229 | 0.9121 | |
| 156 | The University of Texas at Arlington | 48000 | 55800 | 0.1398 | 32,545 | 1129 | 0.799 | |
| 157 | Drexel University | 48800 | 83900 | 0.4184 | 13,309 | 1339 | 0.7944 | |
| 158 | University of Kentucky | 49100 | 58000 | 0.1535 | 25,534 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 159 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 50900 | 84700 | 0.3991 | 34,454 | 1435 | 0.1564 | |
| 160 | University of Utah | 51600 | 53700 | 0.04 | 28,064 | 1237 | 0.8598 | |
| 161 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 53000 | 61200 | 0.1332 | 26,221 | 1204 | 0.8854 | |
| 162 | Rowan University | 53600 | 53600 | 0 | 16,100 | 1219 | 0.7766 | |
| 163 | Dallas Baptist University | 56400 | 63400 | 0.1104 | 2,785 | 1109 | 0.8884 | |
| 164 | Molloy University | 59800 | 62300 | 0.0402 | 3,240 | 1199 | 0.8174 | |
| 165 | Thiel College | 60600 | 69100 | 0.123 | 833 | 1065 | 0.7155 | |
| 166 | College of Charleston | 61200 | 61200 | 0 | 10,880 | 1255 | 0.6003 | |
| 167 | Clemson University | 61500 | 63700 | 0.0338 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 | |
| 168 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Berks | 62000 | 64200 | 0.0343 | 1,880 | 1185 | 0.9867 | |
| 169 | Fordham University | 69900 | 95100 | 0.2649 | 10,582 | 1406 | 0.5931 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.