National Louis University Human Development and Family Studies (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services
- Private nonprofit university
- Chicago, IL
- About 56 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
National Louis University human development and family studies graduates earn more than graduates of most human development and family studies programs nationally, $46,954 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $28,096 in federal loans, more than at 80% of human development and family studies programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying human development and family studies degrees in Illinois.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Illinois and national columns are the medians across all human development and family studies bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, National Louis University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $5,848 less than the Illinois median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Illinois human development and family studies program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Illinois medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
What graduates earn over time
Pay falls about 12% between the first and fifth year.
Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $298 a month, or 7.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
100% of graduates (70 of 70) were working in Illinois one year after graduating. Prices in the Chicago area are about 4% above the national average, so a $46,954 salary here buys what about $45,325 buys in a typical US city.
Careers this field leads to
These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to human development and family studies, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Childcare Workers
$35,830Median pay in Illinois. 23,900 people work in this job in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 150,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education
$40,910Median pay in Illinois. 22,420 people work in this job in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 66,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.
Social and Human Service Assistants
$46,950Median pay in Illinois. 22,220 people work in this job in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 48,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.
Farm and Home Management Educators
$60,220Median pay nationwide. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 800 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.
About National Louis University
Human Development and Family Studies ranks 2nd of 10 bachelor's programs at National Louis University by first-year earnings. The top three are Management Science ($59,084), Human Development and Family Studies ($46,954), and Health and Medical Administration ($46,203).
Other human development and family studies bachelor's programs near Chicago
Common questions
The median graduate earns $46,954 one year after graduating and $41,543 five years after. The median across human development and family studies bachelor's programs in Illinois is $33,682.
The median federal loan balance is $28,096, which ranks 4th lowest of 5 human development and family studies bachelor's programs in Illinois. That works out to about $298 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 60% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 73%.
Most do. 100% (70 of 70) were working in Illinois one year after graduating.
About this data
- Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
- Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
- Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
- Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Illinois comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
- Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
- School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the human development and family studies program.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024