Is a psychology degree from Northeastern Illinois University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 45% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 78%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Illinois programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Northeastern Illinois University Psychology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Northeastern Illinois University psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $16,157, which ranks 2nd lowest of 35 psychology bachelor's programs in Illinois. That works out to about $171 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Northeastern Illinois University psychology graduates stay in Illinois?

Most do. 96% (115 of 120) were working in Illinois one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Public university
Chicago, IL
About 89 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Northeastern Illinois University psychology graduates earn more than graduates of most psychology programs nationally, $35,637 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $16,157 in federal loans, less than at 94% of psychology programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying psychology degrees in Illinois.

First-year earnings$35,63780th percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$47,25133% more than year one

Median federal debt$16,1572nd lowest of 35 Illinois programs

Debt-to-earnings45%Illinois median 77%, national 78%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Illinois and national columns are the medians across all psychology bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Northeastern Illinois University	Illinois	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$35,637	$32,104	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$47,251	$49,430	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$16,157	$25,647	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	45%	77%	78%
Programs compared		35	875

Five years out, Northeastern Illinois University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $2,179 less than the Illinois median. Several Illinois programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every Illinois psychology program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Illinois medians.

Northeastern Illinois UniversityOther Illinois programs

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 rises about 33% between the first and fifth year.

Northeastern Illinois University grads, year 1$35,637

Northeastern Illinois University grads, year 5$47,251

All Illinois psychology grads, year 5$49,430

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 $171 a month, or 5.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (55 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%
In default	20% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

96% of graduates (115 of 120) were working in Illinois one year after graduating. Prices in the Chicago area are about 4% above the national average, so a $35,637 salary here buys what about $34,400 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 psychology, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Clinical and Counseling Psychologists

$83,750

Median pay in Illinois. 5,810 people work in this job in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 12% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: doctoral or professional degree.

Bottom 10%: $36,580Top 10%: $168,730

Social Science Research Assistants

$64,890

Median pay in Illinois. 250 people work in this job in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $37,460Top 10%: $116,530

Industrial-Organizational Psychologists

$193,950

Median pay nationwide. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 300 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

About Northeastern Illinois University

In-state tuition and fees	$12,383 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$22,726 / year
Average net price after aid	$14,109 / year
Admission rate	75%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	22%
Undergraduate students	3,982

Psychology ranks 18th of 22 bachelor's programs at Northeastern Illinois University by first-year earnings. The top three are Subject-Area Teacher Education ($63,615), Computer Science ($62,831), and Accounting ($50,475).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Chicago

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Northeastern Illinois UniversityChicago, IL · public		$35,637	$16,157
North Park UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	Under 1 mi	$33,630	$27,000
Loyola ChicagoChicago, IL · private nonprofit	3 mi	$32,463	$25,000
Northwestern UniversityEvanston, IL · private nonprofit	5 mi	$44,088	$14,500
Concordia University-ChicagoRiver Forest, IL · private nonprofit	7 mi	$27,304	$25,647
Dominican UniversityRiver Forest, IL · private nonprofit	8 mi	$30,846	$23,832
UICChicago, IL · public	8 mi	$30,565	$17,500
National Louis UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	8 mi	$35,798	$37,170
DePaul UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	9 mi	$33,820	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $35,637 one year after graduating and $47,251 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in Illinois is $32,104.

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 psychology 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

Psychology bachelor's programs in Illinois, ranked35 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All Northeastern Illinois University programs, ranked22 programs by pay and debt