Cost comparison
Affordable colleges in Illinois
CampusPin lists 150 colleges in Illinois. The 40 below are ordered by lowest published in-state tuition, with a median of $4,545 and a median average net price of $5,392 among those reporting it. Tuition, total cost, and net price are three different numbers — the table keeps them separate.
Illinois college costs by the numbers
- Lowest published in-state tuition
- Elgin Community College ($3,252)
- Median in-state tuition (40 reporting)
- $4,545
- Median net price after aid (40 reporting)
- $5,392
- Highest graduation rate
- Rend Lake College (63%)
- Most selective
- Elgin Community College (100% acceptance)
- Largest by enrollment
- College of DuPage (26,224 students)
Illinois colleges by published in-state tuition
Lowest published in-state tuition first. Every figure is as reported by the institution to federal data collections; blank cells are unreported values, not zeros.
| College | In-state tuition | Out-of-state tuition | Avg. net price | Graduation rate | Acceptance rate | Public/private | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elgin Community College | $3,252 | $9,516 | $6,026 | 41% | Open admission | Public | Elgin, IL |
| Waubonsee Community College | $3,504 | $10,477 | $6,113 | 39% | Open admission | Public | Sugar Grove, IL |
| Lincoln Land Community College | $3,744 | $10,464 | $4,299 | 48% | Open admission | Public | Springfield, IL |
| Moraine Valley Community College | $3,822 | $9,846 | $1,771 | 40% | Open admission | Public | Palos Hills, IL |
| William Rainey Harper College | $3,894 | $11,874 | $6,186 | 48% | Open admission | Public | Palatine, IL |
| Southwestern Illinois College | $3,960 | $6,720 | $7,210 | 36% | Open admission | Public | Belleville, IL |
| Oakton College | $3,985 | $12,462 | $5,183 | 37% | Open admission | Public | Des Plaines, IL |
| McHenry County College | $4,162 | $14,399 | $7,042 | 37% | Open admission | Public | Crystal Lake, IL |
| Prairie State College | $4,176 | $11,064 | $4,738 | 21% | Open admission | Public | Chicago Heights, IL |
| Illinois Valley Community College | $4,200 | $16,385 | $3,957 | 42% | Open admission | Public | Oglesby, IL |
| Parkland College | $4,284 | $13,266 | $8,048 | 32% | Open admission | Public | Champaign, IL |
| Rock Valley College | $4,334 | $7,379 | $5,242 | 37% | Open admission | Public | Rockford, IL |
| Lewis and Clark Community College | $4,340 | $7,840 | $3,349 | 44% | Open admission | Public | Godfrey, IL |
| Frontier Community College | $4,390 | $12,340 | $10,611 | 53% | Not reported | Public | Fairfield, IL |
| Lincoln Trail College | $4,390 | $12,340 | $8,719 | 47% | Not reported | Public | Robinson, IL |
| Wabash Valley College | $4,390 | $12,340 | $8,134 | 59% | Not reported | Public | Mount Carmel, IL |
| Lake Land College | $4,415 | $14,301 | $2,254 | 58% | Open admission | Public | Mattoon, IL |
| Danville Area Community College | $4,440 | $7,440 | $2,943 | 45% | Open admission | Public | Danville, IL |
| Rend Lake College | $4,500 | $7,800 | $9,187 | 63% | Open admission | Public | Ina, IL |
| Joliet Junior College | $4,530 | $13,800 | $5,741 | 21% | Open admission | Public | Joliet, IL |
| College of DuPage | $4,560 | $12,750 | $7,401 | 25% | Open admission | Public | Glen Ellyn, IL |
| Kishwaukee College | $4,560 | $13,680 | $4,574 | 45% | Open admission | Public | Malta, IL |
| Southeastern Illinois College | $4,560 | $6,780 | $5,571 | 55% | Open admission | Public | Harrisburg, IL |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College | $4,590 | $15,150 | $2,974 | 26% | Open admission | Public | Chicago, IL |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Harry S Truman College | $4,590 | $15,150 | $3,816 | 32% | Open admission | Public | Chicago, IL |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College | $4,590 | $15,150 | $4,902 | 31% | Open admission | Public | Chicago, IL |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College | $4,590 | $15,150 | $3,729 | 18% | Open admission | Public | Chicago, IL |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Olive-Harvey College | $4,590 | $15,150 | $5,749 | 21% | Open admission | Public | Chicago, IL |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College | $4,590 | $15,150 | $3,166 | 27% | Open admission | Public | Chicago, IL |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College | $4,590 | $15,150 | $2,651 | 31% | Open admission | Public | Chicago, IL |
| John A Logan College | $4,630 | $7,540 | $5,541 | 46% | Open admission | Public | Carterville, IL |
| Shawnee Community College | $4,650 | $7,500 | $4,162 | 60% | Open admission | Public | Ullin, IL |
| Richland Community College | $4,680 | $17,070 | $3,741 | 60% | Open admission | Public | Decatur, IL |
| College of Lake County | $4,788 | $14,400 | $7,607 | 37% | Open admission | Public | Grayslake, IL |
| Illinois Central College | $4,800 | $12,150 | $12,961 | 49% | Open admission | Public | East Peoria, IL |
| Kaskaskia College | $4,800 | $12,570 | $6,477 | 49% | Open admission | Public | Centralia, IL |
| Black Hawk College | $4,920 | $8,100 | $6,944 | 40% | Open admission | Public | Moline, IL |
| Highland Community College | $4,936 | $7,360 | $10,388 | 45% | Open admission | Public | Freeport, IL |
| Triton College | $5,070 | $15,330 | $4,138 | 29% | Open admission | Public | River Grove, IL |
| South Suburban College | $5,093 | $12,683 | $3,242 | 28% | Open admission | Public | South Holland, IL |
“Open admission” means the college reports an open-admission policy to the federal IPEDS survey (2024-25), or reported admitting every applicant. Programs such as nursing can still have their own entry requirements, so confirm with the college.
What the Illinois cost data shows
- Elgin Community College has the lowest published in-state tuition on this page at $3,252 per year. Published tuition is the sticker price and excludes housing, food, books, and fees.
- Median average net price is $5,392 across the 40 colleges here that report it. Net price includes housing and other costs, so it can exceed tuition alone.
How this list was built
This page lists colleges CampusPin holds for Illinois, sorted by published in-state tuition, lowest first. That sort is the only ranking applied — there is no CampusPin score, no editorial ordering, and no “#1 cheapest” claim.
Published tuition is the sticker price for instruction. Total cost of attendance adds housing, food, books, and fees. Average net price is what students actually paid on average after grant and scholarship aid, reported to federal collections for a prior entering class. Net price is an average across a whole cohort and varies substantially by family income, so treat it as a comparison tool between colleges rather than a prediction of your own bill.
Figures come from the institution’s federal reporting (150 of 150 Illinois institutions report in-state tuition). Always confirm current costs with the college’s financial aid office before making a decision.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest college in Illinois?
- Of the 40 Illinois colleges on this page, Elgin Community College in Elgin reports the lowest published in-state tuition at $3,252 per year. That is the sticker price before aid and before housing and food; the college's net price after grants may rank differently.
- Is tuition the same as the total cost of college?
- No. Published tuition covers instruction only. Total cost of attendance adds housing, food, books, transportation, and fees. Net price is what students actually paid on average after grant and scholarship aid was applied, and across the 40 Illinois colleges reporting it here the median is $5,392. Compare all three before deciding a college is or isn't affordable.
- Will I personally pay these amounts at a Illinois college?
- Almost certainly not exactly. Net price varies widely by family income, and the figures here are averages across a previous entering class reported to federal collections. Use them to compare colleges against each other, then run the numbers for your own situation with the net price estimator and confirm with each financial aid office.
More Midwest states
Keep going on CampusPin
Narrow this list with the full filter set, or put any two colleges side by side.
Costs change every academic year. Report a data issue.
Data sources & methodology
Cost, aid, and outcome figures for Illinois colleges are compiled from federal datasets and each institution's own reporting.
Sources used across this page
Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.
IPEDS / NCES College Navigator
Federal enrollment, admissions, tuition, retention, and program data. Released annually with a 1–2 year lag.
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
Net price by income band, post-graduation earnings, and federal aid context.
Institutional websites
Each school's official admissions, registrar, and financial-aid pages are the authoritative source for current details.
Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.
Suggested citation
CampusPin. Affordable Colleges in Illinois. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/affordable-colleges/illinois