Cheap Colleges in Illinois for Out-of-State Students
Out-of-state students pay between $7,379 and $35,124 a year in tuition and fees at the 23 public colleges and universities we rank in Illinois, a gap of $27,745 between the cheapest and the most expensive. This list ranks the non-resident price, not the in-state price.
The median public college charges nonresidents $13,266, $481 (4%) above the national median of $12,786 for public colleges. Residents pay a median of $12,004, so the typical out-of-state premium is only $1,262 here, a ratio of 1.1 to 1.
Rock Valley College ranks first at $7,379, ahead of John A Logan College ($7,540) and Carl Sandburg College ($8,900).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- All public colleges and universities, 4-year and 2-year (community colleges and state colleges included)
- Ranked by out-of-state tuition & fees, 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 out-of-state tuition & fees value (schools without one are not ranked)
- Schools that report no tuition or a $0 price are not ranked
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Illinois has 23
- Data period
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, 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.
- Enrollment: undergraduate students, fall 2024.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 23 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Rock Valley College Rockford, IL Public · 2-year | $7,379 | $4,334 | $5,242 | 38% | 4,359 |
| 2 | John A Logan College Carterville, IL Public · 2-year | $7,540 | $4,630 | $5,541 | 43% | 2,016 |
| 3 | Carl Sandburg College Galesburg, IL Public · 2-year | $8,900 | $5,390 | $3,662 | 45% | 1,051 |
| 4 | John Wood Community College Quincy, IL Public · 2-year | $9,300 | $5,700 | $7,050 | 48% | 1,371 |
| 5 | Waubonsee Community College Sugar Grove, IL Public · 2-year | $10,477 | $3,504 | $11,442 | 40% | 5,721 |
| 6 | Governors State University University Park, IL Public · 4-year | $12,004 | $12,004 | $12,329 | 21% | 2,556 |
| 7 | Morton College Cicero, IL Public · 2-year | $12,414 | $5,502 | $5,191 | 30% | 2,640 |
| 8 | College of DuPage Glen Ellyn, IL Public · 2-year | $12,750 | $4,560 | $7,401 | 25% | 16,114 |
| 9 | Chicago State University Chicago, IL Public · 4-year | $12,754 | $12,754 | $12,335 | 16% | 1,384 |
| 10 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Edwardsville, IL Public · 4-year | $12,922 | $12,922 | $14,889 | 56% | 8,750 |
| 11 | Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL Public · 4-year | $13,248 | $13,248 | $13,391 | 49% | 11,301 |
| 12 | Parkland College Champaign, IL Public · 2-year | $13,266 | $4,284 | $8,048 | 32% | 3,348 |
| 13 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale, IL Public · 4-year | $13,334 | $13,334 | $13,297 | 59% | 8,494 |
| 14 | Kishwaukee College Malta, IL Public · 2-year | $13,680 | $4,560 | $4,574 | 42% | 1,936 |
| 15 | City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College Chicago, IL Public · 2-year | $15,150 | $4,590 | $6,375 | 32% | 4,372 |
| 16 | City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College Chicago, IL Public · 2-year | $15,150 | $4,590 | $7,397 | 27% | 4,207 |
| 17 | Western Illinois University Macomb, IL Public · 4-year | $15,264 | $15,264 | $12,937 | 45% | 4,410 |
| 18 | Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL Public · 4-year | $16,217 | $13,679 | $12,786 | 46% | 4,188 |
| 19 | University of Illinois Springfield Springfield, IL Public · 4-year | $22,017 | $12,252 | $9,833 | 57% | 2,263 |
| 20 | Northeastern Illinois University Chicago, IL Public · 4-year | $22,726 | $12,383 | $14,109 | 18% | 3,982 |
| 21 | Illinois State University Normal, IL Public · 4-year | $28,210 | $16,144 | $19,398 | 65% | 19,057 |
| 22 | University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL Public · 4-year | $29,884 | $14,338 | $10,974 | 61% | 22,170 |
| 23 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL Public · 4-year | $35,124 | $16,004 | $14,355 | 85% | 36,258 |
How to compare these colleges
The ranked column is the out-of-state price. The in-state price is shown for comparison, and net price is the average for students who receive aid, measured mostly for in-state students at public colleges, so it is not a good guide to what a nonresident will pay. Many states cut the non-resident rate through regional exchange programs, reciprocity agreements or merit awards, and residency can change after a year of living in the state, so check each college's non-resident aid page before ruling a school out.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Illinois
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Community colleges in Illinois
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Best value colleges in Illinois
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Highest graduate earnings in Illinois
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Most affordable private colleges in Illinois
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Same list in nearby states
Cheap colleges in Missouri for out-of-state students
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Cheap colleges in California for out-of-state students
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Cheap colleges in Texas for out-of-state students
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All 74 colleges in Illinois See the national version of this ranking