Most Affordable Public Universities in Illinois
State-run four-year universities, ranked by net price after aid. In-state students usually pay far less than the published out-of-state rate.
12 public universities in Illinois are listed here, 12 of them reporting a net price. They run from $9,833 a year at University of Illinois Springfield to $19,398 at Illinois State University, with a middle of about $13,297.
The cheapest are University of Illinois Springfield, University of Illinois Chicago and Governors State University. A low average is not a low bill for everyone — aid depends on your family's income — but it is where to start.
Public universities in Illinois, cheapest first · 12
Average net price per year after grants and scholarships, with the share of students on federal Pell grants where reported. Schools publishing no net price are listed last.
- University of Illinois Springfield
- University of Illinois Chicago
- Governors State University
- Chicago State University
- Eastern Illinois University
- Western Illinois University
- Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
- Northern Illinois University
- Northeastern Illinois University
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
- Illinois State University
Questions families ask
- What is the most affordable public university in Illinois?
- By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is University of Illinois Springfield at about $9,833 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 do public universities in Illinois cost on average?
- Across the 12 public universities in Illinois that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $13,297 a year after aid, running from $9,833 to $19,398.
- 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 public universities listed here it runs from 23% to 58%, with a middle of about 39%. 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?
A list is a starting point, not an answer. Two minutes of questions gives you a shortlist ranked on cost, academics, size and location — with the reaches labelled honestly.
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