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Illinois · Cost after aid

Cheapest colleges in Illinois after financial aid

Updated College Scorecard, 2024-25

The short answer

The cheapest four-year colleges in Illinois after financial aid are Chicago State University ($7,273 a year), University of Illinois Springfield ($7,528 a year in-state) and Northeastern Illinois University ($9,377 a year in-state), by the average price students with federal aid paid in 2024-25.

Sticker price isn't what most families pay. This list sorts by the average a student who got federal aid paid for a year after grants and scholarships. At public colleges it covers in-state students. Out-of-state students pay more, so those rows also show an out-of-state estimate: the in-state figure plus the extra tuition.

The list (25 of 51)

Four-year colleges in Illinois with 500 or more undergraduates, lowest average price after grants first. The list shows 25 of the 51 colleges with a price on file. Prices: College Scorecard, 2024-25.

  1. Chicago State University $7,273 a year Chicago, IL · Families earning under $30,000 paid $7,266 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  2. University of Illinois Springfield $7,528 a year in-state Springfield, IL · Out of state: about $17,683 · Families earning under $30,000 paid $5,392 in-state Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  3. Northeastern Illinois University $9,377 a year in-state Chicago, IL · Out of state: about $19,215 · Families earning under $30,000 paid $9,795 in-state Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  4. University of Illinois Chicago $9,540 a year in-state Chicago, IL · Out of state: about $25,642 · Families earning under $30,000 paid $9,536 in-state Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  5. Western Illinois University $10,018 a year Macomb, IL · Families earning under $30,000 paid $3,427 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  6. Saint Xavier University $10,171 a year Chicago, IL · Families earning under $30,000 paid $7,369 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  7. National Louis University $10,364 a year Chicago, IL · Families earning under $30,000 paid $10,179 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  8. Southern Illinois University-Carbondale $12,554 a year Carbondale, IL · Families earning under $30,000 paid $10,536 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  9. Eastern Illinois University $12,717 a year in-state Charleston, IL · Out of state: about $15,324 · Families earning under $30,000 paid $9,813 in-state Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  10. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign $13,042 a year in-state Champaign, IL · Out of state: about $33,394 · Families earning under $30,000 paid $871 in-state Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  11. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville $13,111 a year Edwardsville, IL · Families earning under $30,000 paid $7,865 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  12. Dominican University $14,013 a year River Forest, IL · Families earning under $30,000 paid $13,313 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  13. Northern Illinois University $14,505 a year Dekalb, IL · Families earning under $30,000 paid $12,319 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  14. Trinity Christian College $15,155 a year Palos Heights, IL · Families earning under $30,000 paid $15,327 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  15. Governors State University $15,833 a year University Park, IL · Families earning under $30,000 paid $13,403 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  16. North Park University $15,949 a year Chicago, IL · Families earning under $30,000 paid $13,979 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  17. University of St Francis $15,961 a year Joliet, IL · Families earning under $30,000 paid $13,468 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  18. Millikin University $16,652 a year Decatur, IL · Families earning under $30,000 paid $15,394 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  19. University of Chicago $16,776 a year Chicago, IL · Families earning under $30,000 paid $394 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  20. Concordia University-Chicago $17,217 a year River Forest, IL · Families earning under $30,000 paid $15,658 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  21. Lewis University $17,318 a year Romeoville, IL · Families earning under $30,000 paid $16,244 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  22. Monmouth College $17,612 a year Monmouth, IL · Families earning under $30,000 paid $16,848 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  23. Illinois State University $17,829 a year in-state Normal, IL · Out of state: about $29,895 · Families earning under $30,000 paid $12,040 in-state Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  24. McKendree University $18,457 a year Lebanon, IL · Families earning under $30,000 paid $17,238 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  25. Illinois College $18,763 a year Jacksonville, IL · Families earning under $30,000 paid $11,937 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
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What are the cheapest colleges in Illinois after financial aid?

The cheapest four-year colleges in Illinois after financial aid are Chicago State University ($7,273 a year), University of Illinois Springfield ($7,528 a year in-state) and Northeastern Illinois University ($9,377 a year in-state), by the average price students with federal aid paid in 2024-25.

Which are cheapest for families earning under $30,000?

Of the colleges listed, UChicago ($394), Illinois ($871) and Western Illinois University ($3,427) had the lowest average yearly price for students from families earning under $30,000, in 2024-25.

What does price after aid mean here?

It's what a student who got federal aid paid for a year of tuition, fees, housing, food and books after grants and scholarships, before loans. It comes from the College Scorecard, which the U.S. Department of Education publishes.

Numbers change each year when colleges and the Department of Education publish new data. Confirm costs and admission rules with the college before you apply.

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