2026 Cheapest Illinois College Costs Rankings
Among Illinois colleges, Governors State University has the cheapest tuition & fees ($12,004) and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has the second lowest tuition & fees ($12,092) based on academic year 2024-2025 college costs data.
Below table ranks and compares the Cheapest Illinois College Costs having lowest tuition & fees (based on undergraduate rate). For the ranking, we only include 4-year colleges that more than 1,500 students have enrolled in.
Cheapest Illinois College Costs
| Rank | College Name | Undergraduate Tuition & Fees | Graduate Tuition & Fees | SAT Score | Acceptance Rate | Population | Graduation Rate | Student to Faculty Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Governors State University University Park, IL | $12,004 | $10,666 | - | 48.3% | 4,397 | 22% | 11 to 1 |
| 2 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Edwardsville, IL | $12,092 | $10,488 | 1,070 | 97.5% | 11,893 | 57% | 15 to 1 |
| 3 | Chicago State University Chicago, IL | $12,757 | $16,162 | - | 43.3% | 2,238 | 15% | 9 to 1 |
| 4 | Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL | $13,060 | $9,176 | - | 69.8% | 15,414 | 49% | 15 to 1 |
| 5 | National Louis University Chicago, IL | $13,245 | $13,453 | - | 95.1% | 8,915 | 30% | 17 to 1 |
| 6 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale, IL | $13,334 | $31,122 | 1,040 | 86.9% | 11,790 | 62% | 11 to 1 |
| 7 | Western Illinois University Macomb, IL | $14,572 | $13,683 | - | 71.2% | 6,332 | 45% | 12 to 1 |
| 8 | Moody Bible Institute Chicago, IL | $15,786 | $9,702 | - | 82.7% | 2,202 | 62% | 14 to 1 |
| 9 | Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL | $15,859 | $23,214 | 1,000 | 65.4% | 8,505 | 47% | 14 to 1 |
| 10 | DeVry University-Illinois Lisle, IL | $17,008 | $9,832 | 860 | 98.4% | 31,296 | 37% | 43 to 1 |
Qualified Illinois Colleges in Core Admission Stats
