What is the most affordable college in Illinois?

By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is Joliet Junior College at about $1,672 a year. That is an average across all students there; your own cost depends on your family's income, so check the school's net price calculator.

What is the difference between sticker price and net price?

Sticker price is the published tuition before any aid. Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted — not loans, which you pay back. Net price is usually far lower, and at expensive private colleges the gap can be tens of thousands a year, which is why every figure on this page is net price rather than tuition.

How much does college in Illinois cost on average?

Across the 103 colleges in Illinois that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $12,786 a year after aid, running from $1,672 to $49,790.

Are community colleges cheaper in Illinois?

On this data, yes. The typical two-year college in Illinois has a net price around $6,944 a year, against about $19,398 at the typical four-year school — a difference of roughly $12,454 a year. Credits often transfer, so two years at a community college can cut the cost of a four-year degree substantially.

What does the Pell grant percentage mean?

It is the share of undergraduates at that school receiving a federal Pell grant — need-based aid that does not have to be repaid. A higher share usually means the school enrols more students from lower-income families. Across the colleges listed here it runs from 11% to 75%, with a middle of about 33%. It is the only aid figure the Department of Education publishes per school, so it is the only one shown.

Affordable Colleges in Illinois

All 103 colleges in Illinois, ordered by average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships, not the sticker price on the brochure.

The most affordable is Joliet Junior College at about $1,672 a year; the costliest here is School of the Art Institute of Chicago at $49,790. A typical Illinois school on this list lands near $12,786.

Cheapest first, that means Joliet Junior College, Illinois Valley Community College and Lake Land College. A low average is not a low bill for everyone — aid depends on your family's income — but it is the right place to start looking.

Narrow it down

Every college in Illinois, cheapest first · 103

Ranked by average net price per year after grants and scholarships — the figure beside each name, with the share of students on federal Pell grants where the school reports it. Schools that report no net price are listed last.

Questions families ask

What is the most affordable college in Illinois?: By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is Joliet Junior College at about $1,672 a year. That is an average across all students there; your own cost depends on your family's income, so check the school's net price calculator.
What is the difference between sticker price and net price?: Sticker price is the published tuition before any aid. Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted — not loans, which you pay back. Net price is usually far lower, and at expensive private colleges the gap can be tens of thousands a year, which is why every figure on this page is net price rather than tuition.
How much does college in Illinois cost on average?: Across the 103 colleges in Illinois that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $12,786 a year after aid, running from $1,672 to $49,790.
Are community colleges cheaper in Illinois?: On this data, yes. The typical two-year college in Illinois has a net price around $6,944 a year, against about $19,398 at the typical four-year school — a difference of roughly $12,454 a year. Credits often transfer, so two years at a community college can cut the cost of a four-year degree substantially.
What does the Pell grant percentage mean?: It is the share of undergraduates at that school receiving a federal Pell grant — need-based aid that does not have to be repaid. A higher share usually means the school enrols more students from lower-income families. Across the colleges listed here it runs from 11% to 75%, with a middle of about 33%. It is the only aid figure the Department of Education publishes per school, so it is the only one shown.

Which of these actually fits you?

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