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 $4,515 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)
- $4,515
- 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 (16,114 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% | 100% | Public | Elgin, IL |
| Waubonsee Community College | $3,504 | $10,477 | $6,113 | 39% | 100% | Public | Sugar Grove, IL |
| Lincoln Land Community College | $3,744 | $10,464 | $4,299 | 48% | 100% | Public | Springfield, IL |
| Moraine Valley Community College | $3,822 | $9,846 | $1,771 | 40% | 100% | Public | Palos Hills, IL |
| William Rainey Harper College | $3,894 | $11,874 | $6,186 | 48% | 100% | Public | Palatine, IL |
| Southwestern Illinois College | $3,960 | $6,720 | $7,210 | 36% | 100% | Public | Belleville, IL |
| Oakton College | $3,985 | $12,462 | $5,183 | 37% | 100% | Public | Des Plaines, IL |
| Highland Community College | $4,116 | $4,116 | $10,388 | 39% | 100% | Public | Freeport, IL |
| McHenry County College | $4,162 | $14,399 | $7,042 | 37% | 100% | Public | Crystal Lake, IL |
| Prairie State College | $4,176 | $11,064 | $4,738 | 21% | 100% | Public | Chicago Heights, IL |
| Illinois Valley Community College | $4,200 | $16,385 | $3,957 | 42% | 100% | Public | Oglesby, IL |
| Parkland College | $4,284 | $13,266 | $8,048 | 32% | 100% | Public | Champaign, IL |
| Rock Valley College | $4,334 | $21,344 | $5,242 | 37% | 100% | Public | Rockford, IL |
| Lewis and Clark Community College | $4,340 | $7,840 | $3,349 | 44% | 100% | Public | Godfrey, IL |
| Frontier Community College | $4,390 | $12,340 | $10,611 | 53% | 100% | Public | Fairfield, IL |
| Lincoln Trail College | $4,390 | $12,340 | $8,719 | 47% | 100% | Public | Robinson, IL |
| Wabash Valley College | $4,390 | $12,340 | $8,134 | 59% | 100% | Public | Mount Carmel, IL |
| Lake Land College | $4,415 | $14,301 | $2,254 | 58% | 100% | Public | Mattoon, IL |
| Danville Area Community College | $4,440 | $7,440 | $2,943 | 45% | 100% | Public | Danville, IL |
| Rend Lake College | $4,500 | $7,800 | $9,187 | 63% | 100% | Public | Ina, IL |
| Joliet Junior College | $4,530 | $13,800 | $5,741 | 21% | 100% | Public | Joliet, IL |
| College of DuPage | $4,560 | $12,750 | $7,401 | 25% | 100% | Public | Glen Ellyn, IL |
| Kishwaukee College | $4,560 | $13,680 | $4,574 | 45% | 100% | Public | Malta, IL |
| Southeastern Illinois College | $4,560 | $6,780 | $5,571 | 55% | 100% | Public | Harrisburg, IL |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College | $4,590 | $15,150 | $2,974 | 26% | 100% | Public | Chicago, IL |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Harry S Truman College | $4,590 | $15,150 | $3,816 | 32% | 100% | Public | Chicago, IL |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College | $4,590 | $15,150 | $4,902 | 31% | 100% | Public | Chicago, IL |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College | $4,590 | $15,150 | $3,729 | 18% | 100% | Public | Chicago, IL |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Olive-Harvey College | $4,590 | $15,150 | $5,749 | 21% | 100% | Public | Chicago, IL |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College | $4,590 | $15,150 | $3,166 | 27% | 100% | Public | Chicago, IL |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College | $4,590 | $15,150 | $2,651 | 31% | 100% | Public | Chicago, IL |
| John A Logan College | $4,630 | $7,540 | $5,541 | 46% | 100% | Public | Carterville, IL |
| Shawnee Community College | $4,650 | $7,500 | $4,162 | 60% | 100% | Public | Ullin, IL |
| Richland Community College | $4,680 | $17,070 | $3,741 | 60% | 100% | Public | Decatur, IL |
| College of Lake County | $4,788 | $14,400 | $7,607 | 37% | 100% | Public | Grayslake, IL |
| Illinois Central College | $4,800 | $12,150 | $12,961 | 49% | 100% | Public | East Peoria, IL |
| Kaskaskia College | $4,800 | $12,570 | $6,477 | 49% | 100% | Public | Centralia, IL |
| Black Hawk College | $4,920 | $8,100 | $6,944 | 40% | 100% | Public | Moline, IL |
| Triton College | $5,070 | $15,330 | $4,138 | 29% | 100% | Public | River Grove, IL |
| South Suburban College | $5,093 | $12,683 | $3,242 | 28% | 100% | Public | South Holland, IL |
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.
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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