State cost ranking · DOE College Scorecard

Cheapest Colleges in Illinois

Private campuses outnumber public ones on this Illinois list (119 vs 59); Joliet Junior College still leads on average net price at $1,672.

$1,672
Cheapest net price
$15,405
Illinois median
178
Schools ranked

Joliet Junior College has the lowest average net price in Illinois among Scorecard reporters

According to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, Joliet Junior College posts the lowest average net price in Illinois at $1,672 among 178 ranked schools, with the state median 10% below the $17,124 national median. Net price is what students paid after grant aid, not sticker tuition, and can reflect a narrow enrollment mix at specialty schools.

Data source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard

Cheapest net price
$1,672
Illinois median
$15,405
Schools ranked
178
National median
$17,124

Data updated August 2026 · IPEDS 2022–23 vintage

The list in one line

Joliet Junior College has the lowest average net price in Illinois at $1,672/year, and the state's median net price is 10% below the $17,124 national median across 4,965 schools.

$1,672
cheapest ranked net price
$15,405
Illinois median net price
59 public / 119 private
schools in this ranking
$13,643
avg net price, <$30K income families

Average net price blends every income bracket; families under $30k average $13,643 here. Loans are excluded, open a school profile for the bracket table before treating one average as a personal cost.

Sticker tuition and real net price diverge most at University of Chicago, where in-state published tuition of $70,662 falls to an average net price of $14,860 after aid, a $55,802 gap, the widest sticker-to-net gap among ranked Illinois schools.

Private campuses outnumber public ones here (119 vs 59). A low figure at a small religious or specialty school can reflect a narrow enrollment mix, check sector and enrollment beside the price.

The bar to make this top-25 list is $6,375. Here is where that cutoff sits among all 178 Scorecard-reporting Illinois schools:

The bar to make Illinois's top-25 cheapest list

Average net price after aid · 178 Scorecard-reporting schools

$6,375 Among the most affordable more affordable than 86% of 178 Illinois colleges

Show national distribution $0–$5,000: 17 Illinois colleges (10%). Below this entry. $5,000–$10,000: 31 Illinois colleges (17%). This entry sits in this band. $10,000–$15,000: 41 Illinois colleges (23%). Above this entry. $15,000–$20,000: 29 Illinois colleges (16%). Above this entry. $20,000–$25,000: 35 Illinois colleges (20%). Above this entry. $25,000–$30,000: 17 Illinois colleges (10%). Above this entry. $30,000–$35,000: 5 Illinois colleges (3%). Above this entry. $35,000–$40,000: 1 Illinois colleges (1%). Above this entry. $40,000–$45,000: 1 Illinois colleges (1%). Above this entry. $45,000–$50,000: 1 Illinois colleges (1%). Above this entry. #25 cutoff $0 $50,000 every ranked Illinois college, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $5K-wide band; taller bars hold more Illinois colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · 2022–23

Illinois's 25 cheapest colleges by real net price

1
Joliet Junior CollegeJoliet, IL · Public
Avg net price
$1,672
Net price (<$30K income)
$890
Median debt
$9,711
Median earnings, 6yr
$36,334
Enrollment
14,414
3
Lake Land CollegeMattoon, IL · Public
Avg net price
$2,254
Net price (<$30K income)
$979
Median debt
$6,188
Median earnings, 6yr
$33,693
Enrollment
3,960
4
Moraine Valley Community CollegePalos Hills, IL · Public
Avg net price
$2,829
Net price (<$30K income)
$2,710
Median debt
$9,500
Median earnings, 6yr
$34,943
Enrollment
11,296
6
South Suburban CollegeSouth Holland, IL · Public
Avg net price
$3,242
Net price (<$30K income)
$2,722
Median debt
-
Median earnings, 6yr
$27,389
Enrollment
3,818
8
Spoon River CollegeCanton, IL · Public
Avg net price
$3,415
Net price (<$30K income)
$1,915
Median debt
-
Median earnings, 6yr
$34,424
Enrollment
1,247
9
Carl Sandburg CollegeGalesburg, IL · Public
Avg net price
$3,662
Net price (<$30K income)
$1,014
Median debt
$4,909
Median earnings, 6yr
$31,149
Enrollment
1,603
10
Richland Community CollegeDecatur, IL · Public
Avg net price
$3,741
Net price (<$30K income)
$3,303
Median debt
$8,256
Median earnings, 6yr
$32,459
Enrollment
2,388
11
Triton CollegeRiver Grove, IL · Public
Avg net price
$4,138
Net price (<$30K income)
$2,397
Median debt
$9,413
Median earnings, 6yr
$35,001
Enrollment
9,842
12
Shawnee Community CollegeUllin, IL · Public
Avg net price
$4,162
Net price (<$30K income)
$3,792
Median debt
-
Median earnings, 6yr
$27,902
Enrollment
1,156
13
Lincoln Land Community CollegeSpringfield, IL · Public
Avg net price
$4,299
Net price (<$30K income)
$1,079
Median debt
$11,011
Median earnings, 6yr
$33,145
Enrollment
5,677
14
Kishwaukee CollegeMalta, IL · Public
Avg net price
$4,574
Net price (<$30K income)
$2,477
Median debt
$9,395
Median earnings, 6yr
$32,532
Enrollment
2,969
15
Kankakee Community CollegeKankakee, IL · Public
Avg net price
$4,665
Net price (<$30K income)
$4,061
Median debt
$9,969
Median earnings, 6yr
$33,835
Enrollment
2,564
16
Prairie State CollegeChicago Heights, IL · Public
Avg net price
$4,738
Net price (<$30K income)
$3,546
Median debt
$11,000
Median earnings, 6yr
$30,388
Enrollment
2,953
17
Danville Area Community CollegeDanville, IL · Public
Avg net price
$4,777
Net price (<$30K income)
$3,725
Median debt
$7,218
Median earnings, 6yr
$34,443
Enrollment
2,297
18
Oakton CollegeDes Plaines, IL · Public
Avg net price
$5,183
Net price (<$30K income)
$3,847
Median debt
$5,250
Median earnings, 6yr
$38,528
Enrollment
8,329
19
Morton CollegeCicero, IL · Public
Avg net price
$5,191
Net price (<$30K income)
$4,006
Median debt
$8,000
Median earnings, 6yr
$34,053
Enrollment
3,562
20
Rock Valley CollegeRockford, IL · Public
Avg net price
$5,242
Net price (<$30K income)
$3,409
Median debt
$8,500
Median earnings, 6yr
$34,774
Enrollment
5,978
21
John A Logan CollegeCarterville, IL · Public
Avg net price
$5,541
Net price (<$30K income)
$4,813
Median debt
-
Median earnings, 6yr
$29,460
Enrollment
3,224
22
Highland Community CollegeFreeport, IL · Public
Avg net price
$5,713
Net price (<$30K income)
$3,598
Median debt
$8,029
Median earnings, 6yr
$33,425
Enrollment
1,360
23
Elgin Community CollegeElgin, IL · Public
Avg net price
$6,026
Net price (<$30K income)
$5,089
Median debt
$7,390
Median earnings, 6yr
$39,007
Enrollment
10,251
24
Rosel School of CosmetologyNiles, IL · Private for-profit
Avg net price
$6,062
Net price (<$30K income)
$5,782
Median debt
-
Median earnings, 6yr
$16,312
Enrollment
55
#CollegeAvg net priceNet price (<$30K income)Median debtMedian earnings, 6yrEnrollment
1Joliet Junior CollegeJoliet, IL · Public$1,67297% of the leader · rank #1$890$9,711$36,33414,414
2Illinois Valley Community CollegeOglesby, IL · Public$2,23296% of the leader · rank #2$191$8,233$34,9322,720
3Lake Land CollegeMattoon, IL · Public$2,25495% of the leader · rank #3$979$6,188$33,6933,960
4Moraine Valley Community CollegePalos Hills, IL · Public$2,82994% of the leader · rank #4$2,710$9,500$34,94311,296
5Trinity International University-IllinoisDeerfield, IL · Private nonprofit$2,83594% of the leader · rank #5$1,242$26,082$41,545869
6South Suburban CollegeSouth Holland, IL · Public$3,24293% of the leader · rank #6$2,722-$27,3893,818
7Lewis and Clark Community CollegeGodfrey, IL · Public$3,34993% of the leader · rank #7$721$6,751$35,3654,606
8Spoon River CollegeCanton, IL · Public$3,41593% of the leader · rank #8$1,915-$34,4241,247
9Carl Sandburg CollegeGalesburg, IL · Public$3,66293% of the leader · rank #9$1,014$4,909$31,1491,603
10Richland Community CollegeDecatur, IL · Public$3,74192% of the leader · rank #10$3,303$8,256$32,4592,388
11Triton CollegeRiver Grove, IL · Public$4,13892% of the leader · rank #11$2,397$9,413$35,0019,842
12Shawnee Community CollegeUllin, IL · Public$4,16292% of the leader · rank #12$3,792-$27,9021,156
13Lincoln Land Community CollegeSpringfield, IL · Public$4,29991% of the leader · rank #13$1,079$11,011$33,1455,677
14Kishwaukee CollegeMalta, IL · Public$4,57491% of the leader · rank #14$2,477$9,395$32,5322,969
15Kankakee Community CollegeKankakee, IL · Public$4,66591% of the leader · rank #15$4,061$9,969$33,8352,564
16Prairie State CollegeChicago Heights, IL · Public$4,73890% of the leader · rank #16$3,546$11,000$30,3882,953
17Danville Area Community CollegeDanville, IL · Public$4,77790% of the leader · rank #17$3,725$7,218$34,4432,297
18Oakton CollegeDes Plaines, IL · Public$5,18390% of the leader · rank #18$3,847$5,250$38,5288,329
19Morton CollegeCicero, IL · Public$5,19190% of the leader · rank #19$4,006$8,000$34,0533,562
20Rock Valley CollegeRockford, IL · Public$5,24289% of the leader · rank #20$3,409$8,500$34,7745,978
21John A Logan CollegeCarterville, IL · Public$5,54189% of the leader · rank #21$4,813-$29,4603,224
22Highland Community CollegeFreeport, IL · Public$5,71389% of the leader · rank #22$3,598$8,029$33,4251,360
23Elgin Community CollegeElgin, IL · Public$6,02688% of the leader · rank #23$5,089$7,390$39,00710,251
24Rosel School of CosmetologyNiles, IL · Private for-profit$6,06288% of the leader · rank #24$5,782-$16,31255
25City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright CollegeChicago, IL · Public$6,37587% of the leader · rank #25$5,645$6,500$33,8087,798

Showing the 25 cheapest of 178 Scorecard-reporting Illinois schools. The remaining 153 are ranked in the same net-price order but omitted from this HTML table so the page stays crawlable.

Look up any institution's exact rank via My School Profile, or open its school page for income-bracket net price, debt, and earnings.

Related

All 51 states → | Illinois campus safety → | Find your school's rank → | Methodology →

What this means for you

Use Illinois's ranking as a starting point, real net price depends on your specific financial-aid package.

  • Joliet Junior College reports the lowest average net price in Illinois, but "average" blends every income bracket, check your bracket's figure before assuming it applies to you. View Joliet Junior College
  • See your specific school's in-state cost rank and nearest-price peers. My School Profile
  • Compare campus safety alongside cost before deciding. Illinois safety

Figures reflect the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard IPEDS 2022–23 release.

Average net price = the institution-reported average amount students actually paid after all grant and scholarship aid, excluding loans. Only schools with a reported average net price in the DOE College Scorecard dataset are ranked. This page lists the 25 cheapest; the title count is the full Scorecard-reporting cohort for Illinois. Schools with fewer than 10 net-price-reporting institutions in a state or territory are not given a dedicated ranking page.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard IPEDS 2022–23

Every figure on PlainCampus is rendered directly from federal Clery Act source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Every ranked figure on this page is queried directly from the DOE College Scorecard dataset at request time; no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice; the data describes reported on-campus activity, it is not a complete picture of safety at any campus and cannot predict any individual student's experience. See our appropriate use guidance.