Most Affordable Private Colleges in Illinois
Private nonprofit colleges rarely cost what their price tags say. Among the 37 we rank in Illinois, the average net price runs from $10,970 to $49,790 a year, a range of $38,820.
The median net price is $20,729, $3,131 (13%) below the national median of $23,860 for private nonprofit colleges. Median tuition and fees are $38,676, but the median net price, which also counts room, board and books after grants, is $20,729, so aid more than covers the housing and living costs added on top of tuition.
Saint Xavier University ranks first at $10,970, ahead of Dominican University ($11,745) and National Louis University ($12,641).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- Private nonprofit 4-year colleges whose main award is the bachelor's degree
- Ranked by net price, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in Illinois
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- A reported net price value (schools without one are not ranked)
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Illinois has 37
- Data period
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25 (the same for in-state and out-of-state students).
- Net price by income: students with family income of $0 to $30,000, academic year 2023-24.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Earnings: median earnings four years after completing, measured in 2022 and 2023 for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 cohorts, in 2024 dollars.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 37 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Saint Xavier University Chicago, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $10,970 | $37,940 | $7,572 | 58% | $66,961 |
| 2 | Dominican University River Forest, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $11,745 | $38,978 | $9,759 | 59% | $59,507 |
| 3 | National Louis University Chicago, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $12,641 | $12,705 | $12,462 | 33% | $63,065 |
| 4 | University of St Francis Joliet, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $13,006 | $38,110 | $8,547 | 66% | $75,229 |
| 5 | University of Chicago Chicago, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $14,860 | $70,662 | — | 95% | $127,757 |
| 6 | North Park University Chicago, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $16,948 | $36,710 | $14,845 | 57% | $65,399 |
| 7 | Lewis University Romeoville, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $17,028 | $39,200 | $10,382 | 65% | $66,586 |
| 8 | Monmouth College Monmouth, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $17,133 | $44,922 | $12,483 | 62% | $51,368 |
| 9 | Eureka College Eureka, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $17,349 | $29,096 | $13,711 | 41% | $49,625 |
| 10 | Illinois College Jacksonville, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $18,298 | $38,676 | $12,487 | 63% | $50,691 |
| 11 | Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $18,425 | $52,386 | $12,964 | 74% | $91,312 |
| 12 | Concordia University-Chicago River Forest, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $18,436 | $37,488 | $16,795 | 41% | $71,699 |
| 13 | Judson University Elgin, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $18,558 | $31,360 | $15,701 | 56% | $56,385 |
| 14 | Aurora University Aurora, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $18,838 | $29,170 | $14,525 | 59% | $64,521 |
| 15 | Trinity Christian College Palos Heights, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $19,125 | $20,605 | $12,891 | 61% | $57,170 |
| 16 | Greenville University Greenville, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $19,533 | $32,200 | $19,181 | 46% | $47,578 |
| 17 | Roosevelt University Chicago, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $20,194 | $21,315 | $18,018 | 38% | $58,796 |
| 18 | Quincy University Quincy, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $20,359 | $37,140 | $16,502 | 44% | $59,724 |
| 19 | Olivet Nazarene University Bourbonnais, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $20,729 | $38,900 | $17,232 | 61% | $64,769 |
| 20 | North Central College Naperville, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $21,044 | $45,726 | $12,507 | 68% | $61,656 |
| 21 | Millikin University Decatur, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $21,989 | $26,892 | $18,659 | 57% | $54,115 |
| 22 | Moody Bible Institute Chicago, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $22,221 | $15,786 | $21,293 | 62% | $46,905 |
| 23 | Benedictine University Lisle, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $22,313 | $35,940 | $20,168 | 51% | $72,460 |
| 24 | Rockford University Rockford, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $22,436 | $37,780 | $20,877 | 43% | $59,145 |
| 25 | Bradley University Peoria, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $22,719 | $42,160 | $17,269 | 74% | $74,150 |
| 26 | Augustana College Rock Island, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $22,736 | $51,598 | $15,787 | 76% | $60,377 |
| 27 | Elmhurst University Elmhurst, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $24,185 | $42,955 | $17,892 | 68% | $63,784 |
| 28 | Knox College Galesburg, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $24,595 | $57,903 | $17,134 | 68% | $49,217 |
| 29 | McKendree University Lebanon, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $24,717 | $34,740 | $21,928 | 57% | $60,630 |
| 30 | Columbia College Chicago Chicago, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $26,598 | $34,088 | $20,924 | 50% | $47,092 |
| 31 | Wheaton College Wheaton, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $26,975 | $45,546 | $20,001 | 86% | $57,675 |
| 32 | Illinois Wesleyan University Bloomington, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $28,199 | $57,704 | $17,732 | 78% | $69,265 |
| 33 | Lake Forest College Lake Forest, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $28,673 | $56,402 | $19,605 | 74% | $62,893 |
| 34 | Northwestern University Evanston, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $29,167 | $68,322 | $1,764 | 96% | $109,275 |
| 35 | DePaul University Chicago, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $30,902 | $45,999 | $27,359 | 69% | $73,466 |
| 36 | Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $36,079 | $53,710 | $28,992 | 75% | $73,865 |
| 37 | School of the Art Institute of Chicago Chicago, IL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $49,790 | $56,420 | $43,798 | 65% | $45,385 |
How to compare these colleges
Do not rule out a private college because of its sticker price. Private colleges often discount heavily, and the net price shown here is what students who receive aid pay on average, including housing and books. Your own offer depends on your family income and the school's aid policy, so run each college's net price calculator and compare actual award letters.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Illinois
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Same list in nearby states
Most affordable private colleges in Indiana
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All 74 colleges in Illinois See the national version of this ranking