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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 | Bates College | 6400 | 92900 | 0.9309 | 1,736 | 1412 | 0.1483 | |
| 2 | University of Richmond | 9500 | 88400 | 0.8926 | 3,052 | 1472 | 0.2224 | |
| 3 | Mississippi Valley State University | 9600 | 26300 | 0.6345 | 2,013 | 845 | 0.9238 | |
| 4 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 12500 | 28100 | 0.5551 | 8,421 | 1054 | 0.9444 | |
| 5 | Pitzer College | 12700 | 94100 | 0.8652 | 1,193 | 1279 | 0.2685 | |
| 6 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 13600 | 34600 | 0.6076 | 8,945 | 1099 | 0.975 | |
| 6 | Trinity University | 13600 | 69600 | 0.805 | 2,423 | 1408 | 0.2488 | |
| 8 | University of California-Merced | 14000 | 41900 | 0.666 | 8,234 | 1070 | 0.9704 | |
| 9 | Northern Illinois University | 14300 | 28800 | 0.5048 | 12,118 | 1070 | 0.7164 | |
| 10 | Ferris State University | 16500 | 31000 | 0.4685 | 8,980 | 1015 | 0.8237 | |
| 11 | Northern State University | 16800 | 23300 | 0.2784 | 3,177 | 1085 | 0.96 | |
| 12 | Whitman College | 17400 | 85500 | 0.796 | 1,468 | 1397 | 0.4016 | |
| 13 | University of Pittsburgh-Bradford | 18300 | 33300 | 0.4505 | 1,094 | 1109 | 0.8917 | |
| 14 | University of Nebraska at Kearney | 18500 | 26300 | 0.2965 | 4,056 | 1090 | 0.4151 | |
| 15 | Jackson State University | 19300 | 28000 | 0.3102 | 4,967 | 940 | 0.9602 | |
| 16 | University of Mississippi | 19400 | 27000 | 0.2814 | 22,939 | 1172 | 0.9738 | |
| 17 | Illinois College | 19700 | 55200 | 0.6439 | 1,008 | 1059 | 0.7494 | |
| 18 | Bethel University | 19800 | 54500 | 0.6365 | 1,065 | 1030 | 0.9766 | |
| 19 | Youngstown State University | 19900 | 34000 | 0.4147 | 9,687 | 1120 | 0.9145 | |
| 20 | Coe College | 20100 | 76500 | 0.7374 | 1,204 | 1214 | 0.6336 | |
| 21 | East Tennessee State University | 23500 | 30600 | 0.2318 | 10,829 | 1124 | 0.8619 | |
| 22 | Bowling Green State University-Main Campus | 23700 | 34400 | 0.311 | 15,273 | 1115 | 0.8089 | |
| 22 | University of Kentucky | 23700 | 36400 | 0.3479 | 25,535 | 1193 | 0.9294 | |
| 24 | Sul Ross State University | 24800 | 37300 | 0.3352 | 1,890 | 1020 | 0.9871 | |
| 25 | University of Minnesota-Morris | 24900 | 31900 | 0.219 | 982 | 1168 | 0.741 | |
| 26 | Scripps College | 25300 | 94900 | 0.7338 | 1,103 | 1472 | 0.3988 | |
| 27 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 27500 | 43800 | 0.3725 | 18,028 | 1059 | 0.7996 | |
| 28 | Syracuse University | 27900 | 83100 | 0.6641 | 16,149 | 1374 | 0.4879 | |
| 29 | Elmhurst University | 28200 | 67000 | 0.5793 | 3,170 | 1133 | 0.7501 | |
| 30 | University of Utah | 28700 | 32000 | 0.1028 | 29,335 | 1222 | 0.9015 | |
| 31 | University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown | 32800 | 49500 | 0.3377 | 1,829 | 1149 | 0.945 | |
| 32 | Drake University | 33600 | 68500 | 0.5091 | 2,504 | 1226 | 0.6494 | |
| 33 | University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg | 33700 | 48800 | 0.3092 | 1,312 | 1145 | 0.9298 | |
| 34 | Rhode Island College | 33800 | 45100 | 0.2505 | 5,695 | 995 | 0.8557 | |
| 35 | University of Montevallo | 35400 | 44900 | 0.2118 | 2,643 | 1124 | 0.5385 | |
| 36 | DePaul University | 37800 | 66000 | 0.4275 | 14,338 | 1258 | 0.878 | |
| 37 | Clark Atlanta University | 38600 | 73600 | 0.4757 | 3,618 | 990 | 0.6422 | |
| 38 | University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth | 39500 | 53200 | 0.2576 | 5,986 | 1110 | 0.8916 | |
| 39 | University of Central Florida | 39700 | 39700 | 0 | 60,083 | 1289 | 0.428 | |
| 40 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 41600 | 55200 | 0.2463 | 21,388 | 1369 | 0.5945 | |
| 41 | Oglethorpe University | 41800 | 68600 | 0.3908 | 1,338 | 1205 | 0.898 | |
| 42 | Old Dominion University | 42300 | 47700 | 0.1132 | 17,504 | 1205 | 0.9135 | |
| 43 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania | 42400 | 42400 | 0 | 14,657 | 1190 | 0.7583 | |
| 44 | Boise State University | 42800 | 50000 | 0.144 | 25,308 | 1025 | 0.8389 | |
| 45 | Georgia College & State University | 45000 | 52400 | 0.1412 | 6,250 | 1165 | 0.8466 | |
| 46 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 49800 | 62200 | 0.1995 | 38,572 | 1455 | 0.3659 | |
| 47 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 53200 | 61000 | 0.1293 | 42,565 | 1339 | 0.7887 | |
| 48 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 53300 | 53300 | 0 | 34,447 | 1273 | 0.8804 | |
| 49 | Pepperdine University | 60400 | 94600 | 0.3615 | 3,459 | 1347 | 0.694 | |
| 50 | Clemson University | 61400 | 63700 | 0.036 | 23,401 | 1343 | 0.3834 | |
| 51 | University of California-Berkeley | 70800 | 76100 | 0.0697 | 33,513 | 1407 | 0.1145 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.