The Cheapest Colleges in Illinois by Out of State Tuition for 2023
If you're looking for an affordable university in Illinois but aren't a state resident, these are the least expensive out of state colleges to consider. Additionally, if you are a foreign citizen and cannot qualify for in-state tuition, these are the cheapest universities in Illinois for international students.
Affordable doesn't simply mean finding a school with a low published out of state tuition. It's important to research the typical financial aid package offered by a school, the average net price actually paid and most importantly the quality of education you receive for your tuition dollar. Sometimes a school which appears cheap based on list price can be a poor relative value if it can't award competitive financial aid or doesn't offer a quality education. The list below is a ranking on published out of state tuition with no consideration of actual average price paid or academic quality of the school. Please see the CollegeCalc best value colleges in Illinois list for a ranking which considers school quality and average net price.
The most affordable four year colleges in Illinois are listed by one year's out of state tuition list price for the 2021/2022 school year.
What is the cheapest college in Illinois? Leading the colleges list is Pacific College of Oriental Medicine Chicago in Chicago with an out of state tuition of $6,660.
Academic Rating is a CollegeCalc rating of a college's overall academics and effectiveness. The score ranges from zero to one hundred, with fifty being the median for all eligible colleges. Dollar value is a measure of a school's academic rating compared with the average price paid by students. Colleges which are ranked "n/a" didn't report sufficient data to formulate a score. Learn more about our rating methodology.
All price data are reprinted from the U.S. Department of Education's 2021/2022 IPEDS Survey and reflect reported costs for the 2021/2022 academic year.
| College | Out of State Tuition | Rating | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
#1 Pacific College of Oriental Medicine ChicagoChicago, Private For Profit |
$6,660 | NA | NA |
#2 Chicago State UniversityChicago, Public Not For Profit |
$7,488 | 38 | 72 |
#3 Southern Illinois University EdwardsvilleEdwardsville, Public Not For Profit |
$9,123 | 55 | 61 |
#4 Western Illinois UniversityMacomb, Public Not For Profit |
$9,238 | 53 | 61 |
#5 Northern Illinois UniversityDekalb, Public Not For Profit |
$9,606 | 57 | 80 |
#6 Southern Illinois University CarbondaleCarbondale, Public Not For Profit |
$9,638 | 59 | 81 |
#7 University of Phoenix Chicago CampusSchaumburg, Private For Profit |
$9,926 | NA | NA |
#8 National Louis UniversityChicago, Private Not For Profit |
$10,755 | NA | NA |
#9 Saint Augustine CollegeChicago, Private Not For Profit |
$11,720 | NA | NA |
#10 American InterContinental University OnlineHoffman Estates, Private For Profit |
$11,758 | NA | NA |
#11 Moody Bible InstituteChicago, Private Not For Profit |
$11,840 | NA | NA |
#12 Eastern Illinois UniversityCharleston, Public Not For Profit |
$11,840 | 46 | 51 |
#13 Hebrew Theological CollegeSkokie, Private Not For Profit |
$13,400 | NA | NA |
#14 Lincoln Christian UniversityLincoln, Private Not For Profit |
$14,520 | NA | NA |
#15 DeVry University IllinoisChicago, Private For Profit |
$15,835 | NA | NA |
#16 Telshe Yeshiva ChicagoChicago, Private Not For Profit |
$16,000 | NA | NA |
#17 Midstate CollegePeoria, Private For Profit |
$16,230 | NA | NA |
#18 Methodist College of NursingPeoria, Private Not For Profit |
$16,248 | NA | NA |
#19 The Illinois Institute of Art SchaumburgSchaumburg, Private For Profit |
$17,388 | NA | NA |
#20 Lincoln CollegeLincoln, Private Not For Profit |
$18,700 | 28 | 15 |
#21 Kendall CollegeChicago, Private For Profit |
$18,793 | NA | NA |
#22 Chamberlain College of Nursing IllinoisAddison, Private For Profit |
$19,117 | NA | NA |
#23 University of Illinois at SpringfieldSpringfield, Public Not For Profit |
$19,118 | 64 | 92 |
#24 Northeastern Illinois UniversityChicago, Public Not For Profit |
$20,182 | 47 | 35 |
#25 East West UniversityChicago, Private Not For Profit |
$21,600 | NA | NA |
#26 Illinois State UniversityNormal, Public Not For Profit |
$23,048 | 54 | 40 |
#27 Trinity College of Nursing and Health SciencesRock Island, Private Not For Profit |
$24,989 | NA | NA |
#28 University of Illinois at ChicagoChicago, Public Not For Profit |
$25,126 | 69 | 89 |
#29 Blackburn CollegeCarlinville, Private Not For Profit |
$25,570 | 46 | 58 |
#30 Aurora UniversityAurora, Private Not For Profit |
$26,400 | 34 | 22 |
#31 Columbia College ChicagoChicago, Private Not For Profit |
$26,610 | NA | NA |
#32 Eureka CollegeEureka, Private Not For Profit |
$27,450 | 41 | 19 |
#33 VanderCook College of MusicChicago, Private Not For Profit |
$27,670 | NA | NA |
#34 MacMurray CollegeJacksonville, Private Not For Profit |
$27,740 | NA | NA |
#35 Judson UniversityElgin, Private Not For Profit |
$28,840 | 53 | 84 |
#36 Greenville UniversityGreenville, Private Not For Profit |
$29,260 | 44 | 38 |
#37 Robert Morris University IllinoisChicago, Private Not For Profit |
$29,400 | NA | NA |
#38 University of Illinois at Urbana ChampaignChampaign, Public Not For Profit |
$29,704 | 79 | 94 |
#39 Quincy UniversityQuincy, Private Not For Profit |
$31,160 | 48 | 77 |
#40 Roosevelt UniversityChicago, Private Not For Profit |
$31,493 | 55 | 56 |
#41 McKendree UniversityLebanon, Private Not For Profit |
$31,700 | 49 | 56 |
#42 North Park UniversityChicago, Private Not For Profit |
$32,380 | 53 | 60 |
#43 Trinity International UniversityDeerfield, Private Not For Profit |
$32,398 | 44 | 49 |
#44 Benedictine UniversityLisle, Private Not For Profit |
$32,700 | 54 | 36 |
#45 Trinity Christian CollegePalos Heights, Private Not For Profit |
$32,800 | 61 | 68 |
#46 Concordia University ChicagoRiver Forest, Private Not For Profit |
$33,310 | 44 | 61 |
#47 Rockford UniversityRockford, Private Not For Profit |
$33,750 | 40 | 16 |
#48 Saint Xavier UniversityChicago, Private Not For Profit |
$33,960 | 43 | 72 |
#49 Illinois CollegeJacksonville, Private Not For Profit |
$34,752 | 40 | 55 |
#50 Dominican UniversityRiver Forest, Private Not For Profit |
$34,950 | 64 | 86 |
#51 University of St FrancisJoliet, Private Not For Profit |
$35,000 | 54 | 83 |
#52 Lewis UniversityRomeoville, Private Not For Profit |
$35,262 | 61 | 79 |
#53 American Academy of ArtChicago, Private For Profit |
$35,800 | NA | NA |
#54 Bradley UniversityPeoria, Private Not For Profit |
$35,940 | 69 | 78 |
#55 Olivet Nazarene UniversityBourbonnais, Private Not For Profit |
$36,450 | 51 | 73 |
#56 Millikin UniversityDecatur, Private Not For Profit |
$38,800 | 59 | 83 |
#57 Elmhurst CollegeElmhurst, Private Not For Profit |
$39,100 | 65 | 86 |
#58 Wheaton CollegeWheaton, Private Not For Profit |
$40,570 | 74 | 81 |
#59 Monmouth CollegeMonmouth, Private Not For Profit |
$41,240 | 61 | 92 |
#60 DePaul UniversityChicago, Private Not For Profit |
$41,361 | NA | NA |
#61 North Central CollegeNaperville, Private Not For Profit |
$42,026 | 60 | 65 |
#62 Augustana CollegeRock Island, Private Not For Profit |
$46,039 | NA | NA |
#63 Loyola University ChicagoChicago, Private Not For Profit |
$46,410 | 70 | 44 |
#64 Illinois Institute of TechnologyChicago, Private Not For Profit |
$48,670 | 72 | 89 |
#65 Lake Forest CollegeLake Forest, Private Not For Profit |
$50,100 | 66 | 84 |
#66 Knox CollegeGalesburg, Private Not For Profit |
$50,784 | 64 | 88 |
#67 School of the Art Institute of ChicagoChicago, Private Not For Profit |
$52,200 | 57 | 3 |
#68 Illinois Wesleyan UniversityBloomington, Private Not For Profit |
$52,308 | 74 | 77 |
#69 University of ChicagoChicago, Private Not For Profit |
$59,256 | 98 | 95 |
#70 Northwestern UniversityEvanston, Private Not For Profit |
$60,276 | 96 | 97 |