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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 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 3900 | 112100 | 0.9651 | 4,561 | 1542 | 0.0456 | |
| 2 | University of Pennsylvania | 4400 | 93100 | 0.9532 | 9,989 | 1535 | 0.0492 | |
| 3 | University of Notre Dame | 7900 | 86900 | 0.9096 | 8,950 | 1497 | 0.0938 | |
| 4 | Brigham Young University | 8100 | 22100 | 0.6333 | 34,354 | 1374 | 0.6862 | |
| 5 | Emory University | 8400 | 96200 | 0.9129 | 7,320 | 1499 | 0.103 | |
| 6 | Rice University | 9700 | 92600 | 0.895 | 4,807 | 1528 | 0.0801 | |
| 6 | Utah State University | 9700 | 26700 | 0.6361 | 26,629 | 1168 | 0.9212 | |
| 8 | University of California-Davis | 10100 | 49800 | 0.7964 | 31,695 | 1290 | 0.4435 | |
| 9 | Southeastern Oklahoma State University | 10300 | 42400 | 0.7566 | 3,224 | 1085 | 0.7643 | |
| 10 | University of California-Merced | 10400 | 46200 | 0.7756 | 8,234 | 1070 | 0.9704 | |
| 11 | University of Rochester | 10600 | 96300 | 0.8904 | 6,096 | 1448 | 0.4191 | |
| 12 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 11100 | 30900 | 0.6402 | 40,996 | 1399 | 0.4175 | |
| 13 | Eastern Washington University | 11400 | 31200 | 0.6347 | 7,640 | 1045 | 0.8526 | |
| 14 | Georgetown University | 11600 | 92700 | 0.8749 | 7,908 | 1470 | 0.1349 | |
| 15 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 12500 | 28100 | 0.5551 | 8,421 | 1054 | 0.9444 | |
| 15 | Wake Forest University | 12500 | 93800 | 0.867 | 5,595 | 1463 | 0.2076 | |
| 17 | Eastern Illinois University | 12700 | 24300 | 0.4766 | 6,731 | 1020 | 0.7073 | |
| 18 | Trinity University | 13500 | 67000 | 0.7982 | 2,423 | 1408 | 0.2488 | |
| 19 | The University of Texas at Dallas | 13600 | 19400 | 0.2988 | 23,007 | 1281 | 0.6909 | |
| 20 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28100 | 0.4927 | 12,118 | 1070 | 0.7164 | |
| 20 | Saginaw Valley State University | 14300 | 30100 | 0.5243 | 6,280 | 1050 | 0.7843 | |
| 22 | Salem State University | 14400 | 33900 | 0.5759 | 4,867 | 1075 | 0.9588 | |
| 23 | Arkansas Tech University | 14600 | 32500 | 0.5512 | 8,279 | 1055 | 0.9747 | |
| 24 | Bucknell University | 14700 | 92800 | 0.8413 | 3,928 | 1275 | 0.322 | |
| 25 | Troy University | 14800 | 39100 | 0.6211 | 10,130 | 1075 | 0.9535 | |
| 26 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Greater Allegheny | 15000 | 43300 | 0.6537 | 308 | 1144 | 0.9053 | |
| 27 | University of Kansas | 16000 | 34900 | 0.5417 | 22,544 | 1176 | 0.9258 | |
| 27 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | 16000 | 22300 | 0.2822 | 26,213 | 1209 | 0.7778 | |
| 29 | William Carey University | 16100 | 48400 | 0.668 | 3,052 | 1120 | 0.6029 | |
| 30 | University of Washington-Bothell Campus | 16600 | 34300 | 0.5162 | 5,753 | 1195 | 0.864 | |
| 31 | Boston College | 17100 | 122200 | 0.8597 | 9,677 | 1484 | 0.1422 | |
| 31 | University of Florida | 17100 | 22500 | 0.2399 | 37,283 | 1406 | 0.2033 | |
| 33 | Mid-America Christian University | 17200 | 36800 | 0.533 | 1,806 | 970 | 0.9176 | |
| 34 | University of St Francis | 17300 | 57200 | 0.6975 | 1,416 | 1030 | 0.6528 | |
| 35 | University of Miami | 17400 | 96300 | 0.8194 | 13,241 | 1408 | 0.1761 | |
| 36 | York College of Pennsylvania | 17900 | 58900 | 0.6966 | 3,369 | 1153 | 0.7374 | |
| 37 | Alma College | 18000 | 73200 | 0.7541 | 1,198 | 1040 | 0.6569 | |
| 38 | Holy Family University | 18300 | 69900 | 0.738 | 2,808 | 975 | 0.7456 | |
| 39 | La Roche University | 18500 | 87300 | 0.7883 | 1,972 | 990 | 0.6638 | |
| 40 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Hazleton | 18700 | 44600 | 0.5804 | 504 | 1200 | 0.9095 | |
| 41 | Quincy University | 18900 | 57900 | 0.6733 | 1,096 | 1115 | 0.551 | |
| 42 | Ouachita Baptist University | 19400 | 77000 | 0.748 | 1,715 | 1193 | 0.7072 | |
| 43 | Lewis University | 19500 | 57700 | 0.6619 | 4,914 | 1127 | 0.6916 | |
| 44 | Norwich University | 19600 | 76000 | 0.7417 | 2,626 | 1186 | 0.7444 | |
| 44 | Rutgers University-Newark | 19600 | 39200 | 0.5005 | 7,989 | 1159 | 0.7136 | |
| 46 | Illinois College | 19700 | 55200 | 0.6439 | 1,008 | 1059 | 0.7494 | |
| 46 | University of Northern Iowa | 19700 | 24000 | 0.1786 | 7,800 | 1115 | 0.9313 | |
| 48 | Piedmont University | 19800 | 47400 | 0.5826 | 1,154 | 1080 | 0.9054 | |
| 49 | University of Southern California | 19900 | 76200 | 0.7388 | 20,768 | 1499 | 0.1119 | |
| 50 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 20400 | 25500 | 0.2 | 31,845 | 1298 | 0.5651 | |
| 51 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Abington | 20700 | 48100 | 0.5694 | 2,710 | 1218 | 0.9374 | |
| 52 | University of Maryland-College Park | 21000 | 35000 | 0.4004 | 31,875 | 1456 | 0.4503 | |
| 53 | University of Arkansas at Little Rock | 21200 | 51900 | 0.5921 | 5,939 | 1065 | 0.5878 | |
| 54 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | 21300 | 28300 | 0.2477 | 31,127 | 1115 | 0.8679 | |
| 55 | Bradley University | 21800 | 59400 | 0.6334 | 3,258 | 1174 | 0.7459 | |
| 55 | Grand Canyon University | 21800 | 48300 | 0.5487 | 75,936 | 1075 | 0.7891 | |
| 55 | Stetson University | 21800 | 81100 | 0.7315 | 2,414 | 1089 | 0.7167 | |
| 58 | Grand Valley State University | 21900 | 36600 | 0.4016 | 19,154 | 1074 | 0.9271 | |
| 59 | Sterling College | 22200 | 77400 | 0.7129 | 649 | 1103 | 0.8759 | |
| 59 | Washburn University | 22200 | 29500 | 0.2478 | 5,427 | 1048 | 1 | |
| 61 | University of Houston | 22400 | 27800 | 0.1944 | 40,366 | 1224 | 0.7577 | |
| 62 | Faulkner University | 22500 | 60900 | 0.631 | 1,758 | 1025 | 0.7307 | |
| 63 | Newman University | 22800 | 55800 | 0.5917 | 2,529 | 1069 | 0.7398 | |
| 64 | University of North Alabama | 23200 | 37300 | 0.3781 | 8,078 | 1124 | 0.7054 | |
| 65 | Bridgewater State University | 23300 | 37300 | 0.3751 | 8,849 | 1143 | 0.8798 | |
| 65 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 23300 | 26900 | 0.1338 | 20,786 | 1225 | 0.8689 | |
| 67 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 23400 | 31100 | 0.2475 | 19,787 | 1197 | 0.8807 | |
| 68 | Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus | 23600 | 90700 | 0.7398 | 8,727 | 1055 | 0.9703 | |
| 69 | University of South Dakota | 23700 | 26000 | 0.088 | 7,515 | 1120 | 0.9884 | |
| 69 | Weber State University | 23700 | 31500 | 0.2479 | 31,672 | 1075 | 1 | |
| 71 | University of Dayton | 24100 | 94000 | 0.7436 | 7,252 | 1319 | 0.6659 | |
| 72 | Indiana State University | 24200 | 32400 | 0.2532 | 6,352 | 1015 | 0.9157 | |
| 72 | Texas Wesleyan University | 24200 | 64500 | 0.6247 | 1,796 | 1060 | 0.6916 | |
| 74 | Susquehanna University | 24500 | 122200 | 0.7998 | 2,220 | 1199 | 0.7908 | |
| 75 | Augustana College | 24700 | 72800 | 0.6602 | 2,536 | 1157 | 0.6628 | |
| 76 | The University of Findlay | 25000 | 84900 | 0.7059 | 4,132 | 1090 | 0.6748 | |
| 77 | Ball State University | 25400 | 25400 | 0 | 15,950 | 1185 | 0.8625 | |
| 77 | Saint Leo University | 25400 | 50000 | 0.4918 | 7,519 | 1110 | 0.7877 | |
| 79 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | 25600 | 80500 | 0.6823 | 17,848 | 1470 | 0.1565 | |
| 79 | Walla Walla University | 25600 | 51700 | 0.5047 | 1,314 | 1159 | 0.604 | |
| 81 | Northwood University | 25800 | 75700 | 0.6596 | 2,045 | 1055 | 0.6451 | |
| 81 | Otterbein University | 25800 | 81000 | 0.6814 | 2,292 | 1126 | 0.8388 | |
| 83 | Iowa State University | 26000 | 42800 | 0.3914 | 26,346 | 1212 | 0.8793 | |
| 84 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg | 26100 | 50000 | 0.4777 | 4,047 | 1219 | 0.976 | |
| 85 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 26400 | 40600 | 0.3497 | 42,604 | 1336 | 0.6056 | |
| 86 | Benedictine University | 26500 | 48900 | 0.4581 | 2,082 | 1124 | 0.9576 | |
| 87 | William Paterson University of New Jersey | 26600 | 33000 | 0.1937 | 6,647 | 1153 | 0.9008 | |
| 88 | Wright State University-Main Campus | 26700 | 43300 | 0.3837 | 7,747 | 1073 | 0.9617 | |
| 89 | Rider University | 26800 | 60200 | 0.5551 | 3,052 | 1214 | 0.7741 | |
| 89 | University of Arkansas | 26800 | 52400 | 0.4888 | 29,252 | 1179 | 0.7388 | |
| 91 | St. Francis College | 26900 | 39400 | 0.3177 | 1,719 | 1035 | 1 | |
| 91 | University of Central Arkansas | 26900 | 31200 | 0.1373 | 8,238 | 1110 | 0.9157 | |
| 93 | Saint Norbert College | 27000 | 63000 | 0.571 | 1,970 | 1193 | 0.8574 | |
| 94 | Cornell College | 27400 | 74800 | 0.6336 | 1,094 | 1243 | 0.799 | |
| 95 | University of Nebraska at Omaha | 27600 | 27600 | 0 | 11,756 | 1124 | 0.8727 | |
| 96 | Creighton University | 27700 | 67900 | 0.5916 | 4,833 | 1328 | 0.9216 | |
| 97 | Roosevelt University | 28500 | 47600 | 0.4017 | 2,868 | 1049 | 0.9716 | |
| 98 | New York University | 29000 | 92100 | 0.6851 | 29,471 | 1520 | 0.0906 | |
| 99 | Ferrum College | 29200 | 49500 | 0.41 | 726 | 990 | 0.8898 | |
| 99 | University of Connecticut | 29200 | 53200 | 0.4512 | 20,056 | 1329 | 0.5239 | |
| 101 | Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia | 29300 | 77600 | 0.6222 | 4,999 | 1258 | 0.9296 | |
| 102 | California Lutheran University | 29600 | 109800 | 0.7307 | 2,160 | 1218 | 0.7631 | |
| 103 | Southern Adventist University | 29700 | 46900 | 0.3666 | 2,946 | 1142 | 0.7163 | |
| 103 | Southern Methodist University | 29700 | 88100 | 0.6632 | 7,545 | 1427 | 0.4764 | |
| 103 | William Peace University | 29700 | 50200 | 0.409 | 778 | 1150 | 0.8633 | |
| 106 | University of Iowa | 29800 | 32100 | 0.0714 | 23,407 | 1203 | 0.799 | |
| 107 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Mont Alto | 30500 | 44300 | 0.3112 | 586 | 1140 | 0.9577 | |
| 108 | University of Toledo | 30700 | 42000 | 0.269 | 10,726 | 1134 | 0.8889 | |
| 109 | Jacksonville University | 30800 | 73200 | 0.579 | 2,916 | 1210 | 0.5748 | |
| 109 | Wheaton College | 30800 | 86200 | 0.6425 | 2,181 | 1357 | 0.8491 | |
| 111 | Ohio Northern University | 31500 | 63500 | 0.505 | 2,706 | 1203 | 0.7384 | |
| 112 | Farmingdale State College | 31700 | 37800 | 0.1612 | 10,062 | 1125 | 0.6166 | |
| 112 | Hamline University | 31700 | 79000 | 0.5991 | 1,852 | 1175 | 0.9013 | |
| 114 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 32000 | 54400 | 0.4117 | 35,248 | 1289 | 0.6939 | |
| 115 | Belmont University | 32400 | 69900 | 0.5372 | 7,174 | 1273 | 0.9367 | |
| 115 | University of Scranton | 32400 | 78700 | 0.5879 | 3,689 | 1245 | 0.8006 | |
| 117 | McKendree University | 32500 | 52900 | 0.3848 | 1,757 | 1098 | 0.7172 | |
| 118 | Saint Ambrose University | 33000 | 57700 | 0.4283 | 1,884 | 1065 | 0.8006 | |
| 119 | Belmont Abbey College | 33600 | 39000 | 0.1383 | 1,300 | 1094 | 0.7465 | |
| 119 | Drake University | 33600 | 68500 | 0.5091 | 2,504 | 1226 | 0.6494 | |
| 121 | Lee University | 34200 | 37800 | 0.0952 | 3,425 | 1154 | 0.7138 | |
| 122 | George Washington University | 34300 | 81800 | 0.5808 | 11,495 | 1436 | 0.4713 | |
| 123 | Lenoir-Rhyne University | 34500 | 62800 | 0.4506 | 1,495 | 1075 | 0.8761 | |
| 124 | Valparaiso University | 34900 | 62700 | 0.4428 | 2,056 | 1183 | 0.8994 | |
| 125 | New York Institute of Technology | 35400 | 83600 | 0.577 | 3,646 | 1298 | 0.8102 | |
| 126 | New Jersey City University | 35600 | 39800 | 0.1056 | 3,871 | 1015 | 0.9838 | |
| 127 | Curry College | 35700 | 105900 | 0.6626 | 1,808 | 1140 | 0.8765 | |
| 128 | University of Montevallo | 36300 | 45300 | 0.1985 | 2,643 | 1124 | 0.5385 | |
| 129 | Florida International University | 36500 | 36800 | 0.0081 | 46,249 | 1180 | 0.6085 | |
| 130 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona | 36900 | 47900 | 0.2294 | 2,280 | 1224 | 0.9675 | |
| 131 | Hardin-Simmons University | 37300 | 49700 | 0.2496 | 1,291 | 1110 | 0.862 | |
| 132 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 37400 | 66600 | 0.4382 | 31,536 | 1366 | 0.5457 | |
| 133 | Chaminade University of Honolulu | 37500 | 57700 | 0.3502 | 1,732 | 1108 | 0.9117 | |
| 133 | Xavier University | 37500 | 107200 | 0.6501 | 3,744 | 1286 | 0.848 | |
| 135 | DePaul University | 37700 | 66400 | 0.432 | 14,338 | 1258 | 0.878 | |
| 136 | University of St Thomas | 38000 | 74700 | 0.4914 | 6,270 | 1299 | 0.8548 | |
| 137 | Manhattan University | 38500 | 73700 | 0.4776 | 2,378 | 1174 | 0.8216 | |
| 138 | University of Illinois Chicago | 38900 | 51300 | 0.2417 | 24,260 | 1174 | 0.7576 | |
| 139 | Cumberland University | 39200 | 47500 | 0.1747 | 2,745 | 1055 | 0.6733 | |
| 139 | University of Charleston | 39200 | 51200 | 0.2342 | 2,348 | 1075 | 0.5975 | |
| 141 | Saint Vincent College | 39300 | 64600 | 0.3916 | 1,157 | 1140 | 0.7863 | |
| 142 | Drexel University | 39600 | 107600 | 0.6318 | 12,318 | 1354 | 0.699 | |
| 143 | Saint Anselm College | 39800 | 76800 | 0.4818 | 2,094 | 1195 | 0.7805 | |
| 144 | University of Wyoming | 40000 | 45300 | 0.1168 | 8,138 | 1163 | 0.9695 | |
| 145 | Pace University | 40500 | 75500 | 0.4636 | 5,520 | 1273 | 0.7827 | |
| 146 | Saint Louis University | 41700 | 81100 | 0.4859 | 9,331 | 1250 | 0.7499 | |
| 147 | Old Dominion University | 42300 | 50500 | 0.1624 | 17,504 | 1205 | 0.9135 | |
| 148 | Bryant University | 42500 | 96800 | 0.5612 | 3,511 | 1255 | 0.6484 | |
| 148 | Seattle University | 42500 | 85100 | 0.5004 | 4,370 | 1299 | 0.7313 | |
| 150 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | 42600 | 57200 | 0.2552 | 10,900 | 1222 | 0.8914 | |
| 151 | Western Washington University | 42700 | 51300 | 0.1675 | 13,609 | 1199 | 0.9371 | |
| 152 | Arkansas State University | 43300 | 45100 | 0.0399 | 11,189 | 1080 | 0.7818 | |
| 153 | Illinois State University | 43800 | 49100 | 0.1078 | 19,513 | 1115 | 0.8555 | |
| 154 | LeTourneau University | 44600 | 55000 | 0.1891 | 2,903 | 1242 | 0.4879 | |
| 155 | Oregon State University | 44900 | 61900 | 0.2752 | 31,253 | 1272 | 0.773 | |
| 156 | Duquesne University | 45200 | 70500 | 0.3587 | 5,382 | 1252 | 0.8639 | |
| 157 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 47100 | 59800 | 0.2121 | 37,985 | 1390 | 0.5815 | |
| 158 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 47200 | 53300 | 0.1144 | 34,447 | 1273 | 0.8804 | |
| 159 | University of Southern Maine | 48200 | 63100 | 0.236 | 5,549 | 1139 | 0.8241 | |
| 160 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 48500 | 51200 | 0.0544 | 43,633 | 1342 | 0.4343 | |
| 161 | Stevens Institute of Technology | 48700 | 86200 | 0.4349 | 4,206 | 1430 | 0.5068 | |
| 162 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Schuylkill | 49300 | 61100 | 0.1932 | 653 | 1145 | 0.7972 | |
| 163 | University of Utah | 51400 | 53700 | 0.0426 | 29,335 | 1222 | 0.9015 | |
| 164 | Savannah College of Art and Design | 52700 | 67000 | 0.2136 | 15,552 | 1174 | 0.8298 | |
| 165 | George Mason University | 53700 | 61400 | 0.1255 | 28,862 | 1271 | 0.8647 | |
| 165 | The University of Alabama | 53700 | 66500 | 0.1925 | 35,621 | 1238 | 0.7117 | |
| 167 | Elon University | 54300 | 69600 | 0.2198 | 6,191 | 1283 | 0.6326 | |
| 168 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 54500 | 66200 | 0.1767 | 38,572 | 1455 | 0.3659 | |
| 169 | University of California-San Diego | 55700 | 90100 | 0.3818 | 35,442 | 1375 | 0.2856 | |
| 170 | Hofstra University | 59000 | 83400 | 0.2925 | 6,599 | 1369 | 0.7267 | |
| 171 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 59300 | 61600 | 0.0372 | 25,141 | 1256 | 0.7613 | |
| 172 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 60200 | 64800 | 0.0709 | 8,513 | 1160 | 0.9261 | |
| 173 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine | 60600 | 65000 | 0.0677 | 1,078 | 1217 | 0.9646 | |
| 174 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Beaver | 63600 | 63600 | 0 | 475 | 1195 | 0.9418 | |
| 175 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College | 63700 | 63700 | 0 | 3,211 | 1243 | 0.9594 | |
| 176 | Loyola Marymount University | 63800 | 118300 | 0.4608 | 7,187 | 1347 | 0.4821 | |
| 177 | Mercyhurst University | 66000 | 76400 | 0.136 | 2,214 | 1203 | 0.775 | |
| 178 | Stonehill College | 68600 | 85800 | 0.2005 | 2,569 | 1150 | 0.6628 | |
| 179 | Auburn University | 75300 | 85500 | 0.1193 | 27,907 | 1324 | 0.4593 | |
| 180 | The Catholic University of America | 82500 | 82500 | 0 | 3,294 | 1229 | 0.7328 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.