Analysis: 4-year public universities in Illinois, Michigan charge highest in-state tuition no matter the size

Residents in Illinois and Michigan pay the most in tuition, whether they're on a campus with 30,000 or 3,000 undergraduates – or anywhere in between, a Higher Education Tribune analysis of in-state tuition at four-year universities in 10 Midwest states shows.

The Tribune compared 116 Midwest colleges and universities in 10 states to their peers based on their enrollment, breaking down schools into those with more than 20,000 undergraduates, those with 10,000 to 20,000 undergraduates, and those with fewer than 10,000 undergraduates.

Ohioans pay among the highest prices at the state's large and mid-size universities, but not at small schools.

Minnesota in-state prices are among the most expensive for large and small schools, but not for mid-size schools. 

University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana is the priciest school for in-state students at large four-year public universities, while Miami (Ohio) University-Oxford tops the rankings of mid-sized schools and Michigan Tech University has the steepest price tag among small schools.

In each grouping, the most expensive school is more than twice the price of the cheapest school.

Thirteen of the 21 large schools charge state residents more than $10,000 a year to attend. Missouri State University- Springfield has the lowest in-state tuition: $7,060. 

Fifteen of the 36 mid-size schools charge more than $10,000. University of Wisconsin Colleges charges nearly a third of the most expensive school in the group with in-state tuition of just $5,159. 

Fourteen of 58 small schools charge $10,000 or more. Miami University-Middletown, with just 1,914 undergraduates, charges $5,173 a year. 

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In-state tuition at four-year public universities with 20,000+ students

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In-state tuition at four-year public universities with 10,000-20,000 students

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In-state tuition at four-year public universities with >10,000 students

Source: U.S. Department of Education