College Costs in Illinois
Illinois Colleges, Cost and Affordability for 2027
How much does it cost to attend college in Illinois? The average annual in-state college tuition in Illinois was $21,049 for the 2024-2025 academic year. This is $3,239 higher than the U.S. average and ranks Illinois amongst the costliest as the 12th most expensive state or district to attend college. This is a change of $1,520 from the 2022-2023 average of $19,529 and represents a 7.78% annual increase in tuition costs. The list of Illinois colleges below provides school specific cost and value rating.
This analysis surveyed tuition data from the 119 colleges and universities in Illinois, the most popular being University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with 49,610 full time students and an in-state tuition list price of $16,004. University of Chicago is the most expensive in Illinois with an in-state tuition of $70,662.
All price data are reprinted from the U.S. Department of Education's IPEDS 2025 survey and reflect reported costs for academic year 2024/2025.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
- Public 4 Year
- Edwardsville, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- $12,922 tuition
- May 1 application deadline
SIUE is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and education. The large wooded campus sits in the St. Louis metro area.
- SAT Range 950-1190
- Avg GPA 3.54
- Acceptance Rate 97%
- Net Price $17,115
Elmhurst University
- Private 4 Year
- Elmhurst, IL
-
3.0 | 1 reviews
- $42,955 tuition
Elmhurst is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The campus sits in a residential suburb west of Chicago.
- SAT Range 990-1260
- Avg GPA 3.59
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $24,629
Western Illinois University
- Public 4 Year
- Macomb, IL
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
- $15,264 tuition
Western Illinois is a public university known for undergraduate criminal justice, education, and agriculture. The residential campus sits in the small college town of Macomb.
- SAT Range 880-1090
- Avg GPA 3.45
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $14,208
North Central College
- Private 4 Year
- Naperville, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- $45,726 tuition
- Apr 15 application deadline
North Central is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate business, education, and the sciences. The residential campus sits in suburban Naperville, west of Chicago.
- SAT Range 1055-1310
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $23,276
William Rainey Harper College
- Public 2 Year
- Palatine, IL
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- $10,062 tuition
Harper College is a public community college known for undergraduate nursing and health sciences. The suburban campus sits in Palatine in the northwest Chicago suburbs.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 2.94
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $12,145
Eastern Illinois University
- Public 4 Year
- Charleston, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- $13,679 tuition
Eastern Illinois is a mid-sized public university known for undergraduate teacher education and business. The residential campus sits in the college town of Charleston in east-central Illinois.
- SAT Range 880-1090
- Avg GPA 3.39
- Acceptance Rate 65%
- Net Price $13,787
Joliet Junior College
- Public 2 Year
- Joliet, IL
-
1.0 | 2 reviews
- $12,750 tuition
- Aug 16 application deadline
Joliet Junior College is a public community college known for undergraduate nursing and agriculture programs. It was founded as the nation's first public community college, with its main campus in Joliet southwest of Chicago.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $3,090
University of Illinois Springfield
- Public 4 Year
- Springfield, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- $12,252 tuition
UIS is a public university known for undergraduate public affairs, political science, and computer science. The campus is in Springfield, Illinois's state capital.
- SAT Range 940-1200
- Avg GPA 3.46
- Acceptance Rate 86%
- Net Price $10,809
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
- Private 4 Year
- Chicago, IL
-
2.0 | 2 reviews
- $56,420 tuition
- Nov 15 application deadline
SAIC is a private art and design college known for undergraduate fine arts, design, and contemporary art practice. The urban downtown campus is connected to the Art Institute of Chicago museum.
- SAT Range 1048-1260
- Avg GPA 3.51
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $55,631
Dominican University
- Private 4 Year
- River Forest, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- $38,978 tuition
- Aug 31 application deadline
Dominican is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate education, nursing, and business. The suburban River Forest campus sits just west of Chicago.
- SAT Range 880-1100
- Avg GPA 3.74
- Acceptance Rate 90%
- Net Price $13,402
Roosevelt University
- Private 4 Year
- Chicago, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- $21,315 tuition
Roosevelt is a private university known for undergraduate performing arts and business. The urban campus includes the historic Auditorium Building in downtown Chicago.
- SAT Range 895-1175
- Avg GPA 3.13
- Acceptance Rate 97%
- Net Price $22,366
North Park University
- Private 4 Year
- Chicago, IL
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
- $36,710 tuition
North Park is a private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing, music, and business. The compact urban campus sits in Chicago's North Park neighborhood on the city's North Side.
- SAT Range 890-1162
- Avg GPA 3.14
- Acceptance Rate 69%
- Net Price $20,372
Millikin University
- Private 4 Year
- Decatur, IL
-
3.7 | 3 reviews
- $26,892 tuition
Millikin is a private university known for undergraduate music, theatre, and business. The residential campus is in Decatur in central Illinois.
- SAT Range 860-1130
- Avg GPA 3.4
- Acceptance Rate 67%
- Net Price $22,813
Illinois Wesleyan University
- Private 4 Year
- Bloomington, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- $57,704 tuition
Illinois Wesleyan is a private liberal arts university known for undergraduate music, nursing, and the sciences. Most students live on a residential campus in Bloomington in central Illinois.
- SAT Range 1120-1340
- Avg GPA 3.86
- Acceptance Rate 39%
- Net Price $28,644
Parkland College
- Public 2 Year
- Champaign, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- $9,642 tuition
Parkland is a community college known for undergraduate nursing and health sciences programs. Most students commute to the campus in Champaign.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $7,681
City Colleges of Chicago Malcolm X College
- Public 2 Year
- Chicago, IL
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- $12,090 tuition
Malcolm X College is a public community college known for undergraduate nursing and allied health programs. The urban campus is part of the City Colleges of Chicago system on the city's Near West Side.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $7,623
McKendree University
- Private 4 Year
- Lebanon, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- $34,740 tuition
McKendree is a small private university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and education. The historic campus in Lebanon is Illinois's oldest college and sits near the St. Louis metro area.
- SAT Range 871-1277
- Avg GPA 3.38
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $22,444
Illinois Central College
- Public 2 Year
- East Peoria, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- $10,230 tuition
- Aug 22 application deadline
Illinois Central is a public community college known for associate programs in nursing and technical career fields. The main East Peoria campus overlooks the Illinois River.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $12,570