13 colleges in Illinois with an average net price under $15,000 a year, ranked by what families actually pay after aid. Cheapest: Chicago State University at $7,273.
Net price is the average a family pays after grant aid — not the published sticker price. Figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard. Schools granting only associate degrees are excluded, so a community college appears here only if it also awards bachelor's degrees.
Compare these on the map| # | College | Net price / yr | Graduates | Accepted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago State University Chicago, IL |
$7,273$23,493 | 15% | 43% |
| 2 | University of Illinois Springfield Springfield, IL |
$7,528$24,774 | 53% | 86% |
| 3 | Northeastern Illinois University Chicago, IL |
$9,377$23,570 | 25% | 75% |
| 4 | University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL |
$9,540$25,887 | 61% | 77% |
| 5 | Western Illinois University Macomb, IL |
$10,018$28,915 | 49% | 71% |
| 6 | Saint Xavier University Chicago, IL |
$10,171$44,271 | 55% | 84% |
| 7 | National Louis University Chicago, IL |
$10,364$21,785 | 32% | 95% |
| 8 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale, IL |
$12,554$28,511 | 59% | 87% |
| 9 | Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL |
$12,717$26,962 | 50% | 65% |
| 10 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL |
$13,042$34,226 | 86% | 42% |
| 11 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Edwardsville, IL |
$13,111$27,314 | 56% | 98% |
| 12 | Dominican University River Forest, IL |
$14,013$45,684 | 61% | 90% |
| 13 | Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL |
$14,505$29,642 | 48% | 70% |