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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 | Johns Hopkins University | 2700 | 92000 | 0.9704 | 6,356 | 1543 | 0.0644 | |
| 2 | University of Houston | 12000 | 28400 | 0.5781 | 39,257 | 1249 | 0.7392 | |
| 3 | Boston University | 12700 | 92800 | 0.8633 | 18,805 | 1475 | 0.1111 | |
| 4 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 5 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5047 | 11,348 | 1070 | 0.6979 | |
| 6 | Northwestern University | 14600 | 88300 | 0.8348 | 9,399 | 1527 | 0.0769 | |
| 7 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 15600 | 31000 | 0.4964 | 8,553 | 1045 | 0.8688 | |
| 8 | University of Central Missouri | 15700 | 26600 | 0.4094 | 7,584 | 1055 | 0.638 | |
| 9 | Sam Houston State University | 15800 | 30300 | 0.4782 | 17,787 | 1030 | 0.9026 | |
| 10 | University of Florida | 16400 | 22500 | 0.271 | 36,573 | 1399 | 0.242 | |
| 11 | Goshen College | 16500 | 55900 | 0.7045 | 780 | 995 | 0.8407 | |
| 11 | Wayne State University | 16500 | 32900 | 0.4982 | 16,012 | 1174 | 0.8116 | |
| 13 | The University of Texas at Austin | 16600 | 28000 | 0.4076 | 43,165 | 1356 | 0.2664 | |
| 14 | Ferris State University | 17000 | 31000 | 0.4523 | 8,991 | 1015 | 0.9139 | |
| 15 | SUNY at Fredonia | 17100 | 27800 | 0.3854 | 2,771 | 1258 | 0.777 | |
| 16 | Vermont State University | 17300 | 26900 | 0.3562 | 4,108 | 960 | 0.8167 | |
| 17 | University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh | 17800 | 22200 | 0.1986 | 11,994 | 1090 | 0.865 | |
| 18 | State University of New York at Oswego | 18200 | 27700 | 0.3428 | 5,517 | 1180 | 0.8055 | |
| 19 | Texas Tech University | 18300 | 27100 | 0.3253 | 32,580 | 1200 | 0.7265 | |
| 20 | State University of New York at Plattsburgh | 18800 | 32000 | 0.4129 | 3,825 | 1175 | 0.7841 | |
| 21 | Campbellsville University | 19100 | 43200 | 0.5573 | 6,848 | 1075 | 0.7974 | |
| 22 | California State University-Los Angeles | 19700 | 38000 | 0.4816 | 19,586 | 965 | 0.9125 | |
| 23 | Youngstown State University | 20000 | 34000 | 0.4118 | 9,400 | 1115 | 0.8445 | |
| 24 | San Diego State University | 20100 | 28900 | 0.3046 | 35,782 | 1208 | 0.3619 | |
| 25 | Lasell University | 20200 | 48500 | 0.5831 | 1,293 | 1095 | 0.8122 | |
| 26 | Alabama A & M University | 20300 | 28200 | 0.2798 | 6,370 | 915 | 0.5795 | |
| 27 | SUNY Buffalo State University | 20400 | 39900 | 0.489 | 5,255 | 1109 | 0.7295 | |
| 28 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 20500 | 23200 | 0.1164 | 20,444 | 1209 | 0.8499 | |
| 29 | Bowie State University | 20600 | 25600 | 0.1952 | 5,136 | 946 | 0.7241 | |
| 30 | Texas Southern University | 22100 | 25500 | 0.1335 | 6,844 | 915 | 0.9691 | |
| 31 | California State University-Chico | 22300 | 31000 | 0.2803 | 13,792 | 1075 | 0.9272 | |
| 32 | Murray State University | 22900 | 27600 | 0.1687 | 7,851 | 1115 | 0.8568 | |
| 33 | San Jose State University | 23000 | 41100 | 0.4405 | 28,008 | 1124 | 0.8461 | |
| 34 | Southwest Minnesota State University | 23100 | 25800 | 0.1029 | 7,735 | 1015 | 0.6218 | |
| 35 | University of Southern Indiana | 23500 | 27200 | 0.1342 | 7,600 | 1145 | 0.9581 | |
| 36 | Bradley University | 24100 | 49900 | 0.5161 | 3,596 | 1223 | 0.7676 | |
| 37 | Saint Ambrose University | 24200 | 55400 | 0.5628 | 1,939 | 1085 | 0.7733 | |
| 38 | Columbia College Chicago | 24300 | 63200 | 0.6158 | 5,422 | 0 | 0.8946 | |
| 38 | Southwestern Adventist University | 24300 | 43200 | 0.4376 | 758 | 1064 | 0.7836 | |
| 40 | Lewis University | 24700 | 57700 | 0.5718 | 4,326 | 1099 | 0.7129 | |
| 41 | Point Park University | 25200 | 57000 | 0.5582 | 2,337 | 1140 | 0.9691 | |
| 42 | Eastern Kentucky University | 25500 | 38400 | 0.3363 | 13,448 | 1110 | 0.7761 | |
| 43 | Northern Arizona University | 25600 | 43200 | 0.4082 | 22,990 | 1090 | 0.8961 | |
| 44 | Western Kentucky University | 25900 | 41800 | 0.3803 | 14,151 | 970 | 0.9387 | |
| 45 | Westminster College | 26000 | 57600 | 0.5486 | 1,137 | 1149 | 0.9256 | |
| 46 | University of La Verne | 26800 | 67300 | 0.6015 | 3,050 | 1109 | 0.7117 | |
| 47 | Troy University | 26900 | 34700 | 0.2248 | 10,222 | 1090 | 0.9604 | |
| 48 | California State University-Northridge | 27100 | 36500 | 0.2586 | 32,756 | 1005 | 0.9345 | |
| 49 | Capital University | 27200 | 62400 | 0.564 | 1,609 | 1084 | 0.7022 | |
| 50 | Rowan University | 27500 | 41300 | 0.3345 | 16,100 | 1219 | 0.7766 | |
| 51 | Chicago State University | 27600 | 37800 | 0.2702 | 1,501 | 885 | 0.4326 | |
| 52 | Syracuse University | 27700 | 83100 | 0.6665 | 15,957 | 1363 | 0.4592 | |
| 53 | Texas State University | 28000 | 28000 | 0 | 36,236 | 1100 | 0.8932 | |
| 54 | University of Akron Main Campus | 28600 | 32300 | 0.1145 | 11,160 | 1069 | 0.5967 | |
| 55 | University of North Texas | 28900 | 37400 | 0.2271 | 34,458 | 1114 | 0.7223 | |
| 56 | Cornerstone University | 29100 | 40800 | 0.2857 | 1,354 | 1110 | 0.7777 | |
| 57 | California State University-Monterey Bay | 29400 | 34000 | 0.1352 | 6,907 | 1060 | 0.974 | |
| 57 | Huntington University | 29400 | 44300 | 0.3362 | 1,588 | 1055 | 0.7564 | |
| 57 | Montclair State University | 29400 | 36300 | 0.1902 | 18,712 | 1058 | 0.8789 | |
| 60 | University of Northwestern-St Paul | 30600 | 54600 | 0.4387 | 3,163 | 1165 | 0.9347 | |
| 61 | San Francisco State University | 30800 | 47700 | 0.3544 | 19,444 | 1035 | 0.9644 | |
| 62 | Rider University | 31400 | 60600 | 0.4816 | 3,145 | 1233 | 0.7864 | |
| 63 | Missouri Baptist University | 31700 | 53800 | 0.4116 | 4,958 | 843 | 0.686 | |
| 64 | Ithaca College | 32100 | 72500 | 0.5571 | 4,268 | 1314 | 0.6901 | |
| 65 | University of Pittsburgh-Bradford | 32600 | 48400 | 0.3266 | 1,009 | 1115 | 0.8854 | |
| 66 | Suffolk University | 32900 | 70300 | 0.5319 | 4,326 | 1209 | 0.8233 | |
| 67 | Adrian College | 33600 | 70200 | 0.5207 | 1,673 | 1045 | 0.7253 | |
| 68 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 33900 | 36100 | 0.0609 | 33,033 | 1264 | 0.8529 | |
| 69 | Southeastern University | 34400 | 60500 | 0.4312 | 10,172 | 1110 | 0.5298 | |
| 70 | Trevecca Nazarene University | 34700 | 50900 | 0.3175 | 1,903 | 1085 | 0.6944 | |
| 71 | University of Montevallo | 35400 | 44900 | 0.2118 | 2,642 | 1124 | 0.5385 | |
| 72 | Temple University | 35600 | 56400 | 0.3689 | 21,457 | 1135 | 0.8041 | |
| 73 | Hofstra University | 38200 | 76900 | 0.5032 | 6,581 | 1328 | 0.6808 | |
| 74 | Long Island University | 38800 | 60000 | 0.3535 | 12,072 | 1229 | 0.8616 | |
| 75 | California State University-Fullerton | 39300 | 41500 | 0.0518 | 38,760 | 1090 | 0.9052 | |
| 76 | University of Central Florida | 39700 | 39700 | 0 | 59,552 | 1280 | 0.4011 | |
| 77 | Appalachian State University | 40600 | 40600 | 0 | 19,560 | 1190 | 0.9014 | |
| 78 | Susquehanna University | 42000 | 76800 | 0.4533 | 2,246 | 1204 | 0.8143 | |
| 79 | Campbell University | 44100 | 68700 | 0.3586 | 2,699 | 1120 | 0.8718 | |
| 80 | New England Institute of Technology | 44600 | 68200 | 0.3458 | 1,796 | 1030 | 0.6673 | |
| 81 | Ashland University | 44900 | 56400 | 0.204 | 2,977 | 1125 | 0.764 | |
| 82 | University of Kentucky | 49100 | 58000 | 0.1535 | 25,534 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 83 | Savannah College of Art and Design | 54600 | 66400 | 0.1777 | 15,552 | 1174 | 0.8298 | |
| 84 | Elon University | 56400 | 68900 | 0.1815 | 6,452 | 1215 | 0.6635 | |
| 85 | Howard University | 60000 | 66500 | 0.0978 | 11,519 | 1208 | 0.4134 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.